How to Train Your Dragon director “doesn’t love the trend” of remaking animated movies

Dean DeBlois, the director of How to Train Your Dragon, expresses his dislike for remaking timeless animated tales into live-action, yet clarifies his reasons behind supervising the process in this particular case.

This month has been quite eventful for Dean DeBlois in the world of cinema. He collaborated with Chris Sanders on both scriptwriting and co-direction for the animated Lilo & Stitch movie, which recently had a live-action remake. Currently, it’s drawing significant box office revenue.

Apart from that, he was a joint author and director of the animated “How to Train Your Dragon”, and more recently has taken on both roles for the live-action adaptation. This new version is set to premiere next week, where it will face off against “Stitch” and “Lilo” in cinemas.

We had a conversation with Dean regarding the recently successful movie studio tradition, which is turning out to be highly profitable. Although he expresses reservations, Dean also shares his motivations behind working on Dragon once more.

How to Train Your Dragon director on potentially “ruining childhoods”

It’s widely agreed that How to Train Your Dragon is nearly flawless as a film, and it serves as the opening act in what many consider an outstanding trilogy. Consequently, it wasn’t surprising that fans expressed reservations when news broke about a live-action adaptation. However, Dean DeBlois acknowledges these criticisms.

Please don’t do this! You’ll ruin our childhood memories, you’ll ruin it all.” This constant feedback kept us vigilant and accountable throughout the process.

It seems that DeBlois decided to take on the task because he felt confident that he was the ideal candidate for the position.

According to the writer-director, they expressed that they themselves wanted to carry out the project, as they didn’t want someone else’s interpretation. They felt overly attached to the universe and characters, knowing where the emotional core lies. So, they stated that they don’t favor this trend, but if it must be done, they wished to take charge as a guardian, ensuring that the magic and feelings translate effectively across different mediums and remain intact.

On June 9, 2023, How to Train Your Dragon will make its debut in UK cinemas, followed by US screens on June 13. For those craving more animated excitement, discover why 2024 was a standout year for cartoons and explore our list of top-rated animated films throughout history.

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2025-06-05 16:49