It’s a very big summer for fans of Dean DeBlois’ animated film gems who have also felt the burning desire to see classics like “Lilo & Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon” reimagined in live-action form. While the live-action version of his “Lilo & Stitch” continues to dominate the box office (even as this same critic believes it should be the death knell of such remakes, oopsie), DeBlois himself is back in the mix, making a live-action debut of his own with a new spin on his classic “How to Train Your Dragon.”
This one? Well, it’s good enough to pull me back from the brink of demanding that all such remakes be burnt be fire. I will likely even happily turn out for its already-announced sequel, due in 2027. Mostly, what DeBlois and his team have done is capture the tone and whimsy of the 2010 animated hit, and pushed it gently into a live-action world that feels just as (if, oddly enough, not more so) plucked out of some family-friendly fairy tale.
Like the animated films, DeBlois’ feature is based on the Cressida Cowell series of the same name, though DeBlois takes on sole screenwriting credit this go-round. Fans of the original animated film will likely feel some serious deja vu throughout the film’s running time (just a touch over two hours, and it sure feels it in its first act), as it looks and moves and feels just like the first film (it’s hard to not continue to impress this point, but let’s try to move on from it).
DeBlois has, however, made a few canny changes. The island of Berk, so far off the map that no one really knows where it is, is still inhabited by the toughest of Viking warriors, with a tweak: these baddies moved there by choice. Culled from the best and bravest of all the tribes that the Vikings proper met on their travels (which means, yes, this fierce community includes people from all over the map), everyone who lives on Berk does so because they are fully committed to killing off the flying dragon scourge that has, for so long, bothered the island’s human population.
Everyone, that is, except Hiccup (Mason Thames, recent star of “The Black Phone”). Despite his proud lineage (his father is the Berk’s chief, Stoick the Vast, amusingly portrayed by Gerard Butler, who previously voiced the role in the animated films), Hiccup is kind of, well, a dork. He’s clumsy, he’s skinny, he’s got bad timing with just about everything. No one (even his father, ouch) expects him to succeed in battle, which is bad enough, and that’s without considering that his long-time crush Astrid (a delightful Nico Parker) is the toughest warrior of their generation.
While Hiccup spends his days tripping around Goober’s (Nick Frost) blacksmith workshop, everyone else his age (all characters imported directly from the first films, including the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Hiccup’s rival Snoutlout, and potential pal Fishlegs) is getting ready to learn how to fight dragons. And, you know, be an actual member of this fierce Berkian society.
But Hiccup has a bit of a knack with engineering, and when he cooks up a double-barreled blaster meant to take down dragons, like the horrifying Night Fury, it seems his fortunes might have changed. Alas, during one night siege (silly enough to not scare the little ones, even as the entire village repeatedly goes up in flames), Hiccup aims his weapon at the shape of a Night Fury (no one, we’re told repeatedly, as ever really seen one), shoots, and … what! maybe takes it down? When he goes searching in the forest for his catch, Hiccup is shocked to discover the absolutely cutest, cuddliest beastie the world has ever seen.
If everything and everyone in “How to Train Your Dragon” looks directly copied over from their animated counterparts, Toothless the Night Fury looks fully imported in, too cute and too “animated” to quite fit into this live-action world. While the character design has been elevated a bit, more scales and fiercer teeth, Toothless still sticks out amongst his brethren, all of whom look like “Game of Thrones” also-rans. This Night Fury? He’s basically a big cat. Is that a feature or a bug? We can’t be sure, but expect Universal to sell a whole hunk of new Toothless plushies in the coming weeks.
Also still the same: the overall messaging of the story, about how important it is to not only recognize our differences, but to celebrate them and use them to work together for the greater good. Everyone else in Berk doesn’t see Hiccup’s value. And Toothless? He’s got an injury that keeps him from flying. In both of their communities, these outsiders aren’t seen as being of use. But! Perhaps together! That could change! It’s predictable, joyful Movie Messaging, and frankly, we all could use much more of it.
As Hiccup and Toothless bond, the would-be warrior learns more about the dragon world as a whole, enough to really give him a boost in his dragon-slaying lessons (much to Astrid’s chagrin), and turning him into something of a celebrity. But what happens when the very raison d’être of his homeland (kill dragons) runs entirely against the thing he loves most in the world (flying with Toothless, care of cleverly made rig that allows them both to soar)?
Well, you’ve seen the animated film. You know what happens, and while DeBlois might occasionally struggle to find the line between family-friendly entertainment and Viking-backed battles, that he can still find excitement and joy in this well-tread story is a testament to both his work and source material. No one needs a live-action remake, but ones this faithful and sweet are not the problem.
Grade: B-
Universal Pictures will release “How to Train Your Dragon” in theaters on Friday, June 13.
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