How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is the live-action adaptation of the wildly popular animated film, which just so happens to be based on a book series by Cressida Cowell. The movie stars Mason Thames as Hiccup and Nico Parker as Astrid, with Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick. It is the first part of what fans assume will be a live-action trilogy. A sequel has already been greenlit.
It is not easy to adapt a beloved story from animation to live-action. Just look at how harshly the Disney remakes have been judged over the last several years. So when it was first announced that How to Train Your Dragon would come to live-action, I was cautiously optimistic. Going into my screening, my stomach was in knots, and I was terrified that it was going to ruin everything that I loved. I could not have been more wrong.
From the first moment Toothless, a Night Fury dragon that reminds every sane viewer of their pet, appeared on screen, I was a sobbing mess. And that lasted right until the credits started rolling. I have never seen such a perfect adaptation before, which gives me hope for the rest of the trilogy.
How To Train Your Dragon (2025) Was Clearly Made by People Who Love the Original
The first green flag regarding this movie is that the director is Dean DeBlois, who co-wrote and co-directed the animated versions. He loved the story then, and he continues to love it now. He has expressed that he is looking at these live-action movies as a way to expand on a select few things he had wished they had the time and budget to explore further before. This movie is not a replacement for the animated version, which will still be there should you ever feel the need to revisit it.
But it isn't just DeBlois who is passionate about this story; the cast is as well. This comes across beautifully on screen. It is apparent that they wanted to make sure they did justice to the original. If you think about it, the kids starring in this version are the right age to have grown up on the How to Train Your Dragon animated trilogy.
Mason Thames admitted that he was a Hiccup for Halloween once, so there was no way he was going to come into filming giving anything less than one hundred and ten percent. He perfectly embodies the lead character, completely disappearing into Hiccup immediately.
Nico Parker is also incredible in this movie. She brings something special to Astrid that allows viewers to get to know her more than we did in the animated version, while still holding onto everything we already love about her. The two of them together? Out-of-this-world performances with a chemistry that oozes off the screen.
Throw in the highly talented Gabriel Howell as Snotlout, Julian Dennison as Fishlegs, Bronwyn James as Ruffnut, and Harry Trevaldwyn as Tuffnut, and the teenage vikings are going to make you laugh as well as cry. They were having the time of their lives filming this movie, and I cannot wait to see what they do in the sequel.
Of course, Gerard Butler was born to play Stoick, whom he brilliantly voiced in the animated How to Train Your Dragon. It makes perfect sense for him to reprise this role, which he does with ease. He knows Stoick inside and out, so he has no problem capturing the emotion behind his relationship with his son, Hiccup.
The Visual Effects Are Phenomenal
The most challenging thing to pull off must have been bringing the dragons to life. One wrong move and they are far too cartoony, not fitting into the world around them. They need to look real, but they also need to give off emotion, especially Toothless. If you mess up Toothless, you should throw out the entire movie.
So it is a good thing Toothless is perfect. The visual effects team did an incredible job of allowing his facial expressions to tell the story. It is easy to believe that he is real and that his bond with Hiccup is hesitant at first, but unbreakable by the end of the movie.
The flying and fighting sequences and the design of these dragons are flawless. Add in the incredible sets and costumes, and it feels like viewers are stepping right into the Isle of Berk.
Overall Thoughts on How to Train Your Dragon
Do you have to see the animated movie to enjoy How to Train Your Dragon (2025)? Absolutely not. What is so beautiful about this movie is that it is sure to welcome a whole new generation of fans to this world that will fill their hearts with glee but also destroy them.
These movies are filled with messages of friendship, family, love, acceptance, and humanity. Sometimes, we find ourselves fighting a war that we do not need to be fighting. Perhaps the generations before us started it, and we don't even know why we are continuing it. Perhaps it is a vicious cycle that will continue until someone puts their foot down and attempts to change things.
How To Train Your Dragon (2025) is not a completely shot-for-shot remake of the animated version, although the majority of it is. Some of the characters, in particular the teens, are explored a bit deeper, which will likely go even further in the live-action sequel.
The cast and creatives put their blood, sweat, and tears into this one, which is obvious when watching. It is magical, special, gorgeous, and perfect. And because of that, it should absolutely be seen on the biggest screen possible.
Final Rating: 10/10
How To Train Your Dragon (2025) soars into theaters on Friday, June 13.
