Much to the excitement of many How to Train Your Dragon fans (and to the dread of others), a live-action reboot of the franchise is in post-production and beginning to be marketed on various social media. Why does this movie exist, and why is it coming out now? I have some theories.
The How to Train Your Dragon series IP began as a book series written by Cressida Cowell in 2004-2015. The series followed Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he tried to survive the dangerous life of being a Viking in a world of dragons. As a whole, the series was well-received and gathered quite a fanbase, but it didn’t reach the acclaim of other similar coming-of-age stories.
In 2010 Dreamworks released the film How to Train Your Dragon, bringing new fans and attention to the IP. While the movie deviated in many regards from the book series, it expressed the heart of the story. It showed on the silver screen what people read in the books. If a scruffy boy who didn’t fit it and a dragon who was ignored or hated by everyone else could defy the odds and find acceptance, why can’t we?
Through the following years, a variety of movies and shows followed the characters through their stories, ending in 2019 with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Then much to the surprise of the fanbase, in February 2023, a live-action reboot of the original movie was announced. There had been a recent trend of recreating animated movies into a live-action version with Disney being the main user (or abuser) of this tactic.
Just days ago the first full-length trailer was released for the live-action version of the film.
https://twitter.com/HTTYDragon/status/1858944571537060345
The trailer highlights live-action renditions of the highlights from the 2010s movie. By all accounts, it looks to be a shot-by-shot remake of the animated version, despite rumors that the directors say it will be a retelling of the story.
Now, I know I’m not the only one who wonders why this project got green-lit. And after a little bit of research, my best guess is that Universal Orlando is unveiling a new HTTYD theme park.
So obviously, the park is only going to do well if there are fans of the IP that are willing to spend money to go to the park. But the issue is the last movie in the trilogy came out in 2019, almost 6 years ago. That really puts a damper on the amount of people who care enough to pay for a theme park ticket.
Now, why did they choose to make a live-action remaster of their trilogy instead of creating a new trilogy from a different time? Well, it’s safe. By simply making it “real” they’re able to attract a new audience that wouldn’t watch the animated version cause, “animation is for kids.” (Side note, I can’t believe that’s a thought in 2024) A remaster would also bring back some of the old fans of the original movies, with the hope of reinvigorating their hype for the series.
I read the book series of HTTYD as a teenager and loved it. I love the animated movie trilogy. I will probably go see this movie, but I’m so tired of being suckered into live-action remasters of my favorite IPs. And I know that I’m not the only one.
Cianan’s Content 