How to Train Your Dragon (2025), released in theaters on June 13, marks DreamWorks’ ambitious and surprisingly successful entry into the live-action remake landscape. Directed by Dean DeBlois, who also helmed the original 2010 animated classic, the film stars Mason Thames as Hiccup, Nico Parker as Astrid, and Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick the Vast. With Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, and Gabriel Howell rounding out the supporting cast, this version stays true to the beloved animated original while offering visual upgrades and deeper emotional resonance. Produced by Universal Pictures and DreamWorks, and featuring a stirring score by John Powell, How to Train Your Dragon is a heartfelt, visually stunning film about courage, compassion, and the power of connection. In this film review, we explore why this remake may be the rare live-action adaptation that truly justifies its existence.
Genre:Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
A Familiar Story, Retold with Flesh and Flame
Berk and Its Beasts
The story follows Hiccup, a teenage Viking on the Isle of Berk, where dragons are seen as mortal enemies and raiding the village is a routine threat. Hiccup, the lanky and inventive son of the tribe’s chief Stoick, is a misfit in a culture that prizes brute strength. During a dragon attack, Hiccup wounds a rare Night Fury, but instead of killing it, he secretly nurses it back to health. The dragon—dubbed Toothless—becomes his companion and key to discovering that dragons are not the villains his people believe them to be.
The live-action How to Train Your Dragon is mostly a beat-for-beat retelling of the original. It keeps the same structure and emotional arc, but expands the world with more nuanced performances and tangible sets. That familiarity doesn’t dull its impact—on the contrary, it feels like rediscovering a well-worn myth in a new language.
Mason Thames and the Heart of Hiccup
Casting Hiccup was a daunting task. Jay Baruchel’s original voice performance was iconic in its awkwardness and charm. Mason Thames, best known for The Black Phone, steps into the role with surprising ease. He brings a youthful vulnerability and physicality that suits Hiccup’s underdog journey. His comedic timing is sharp, and his rapport with the CG Toothless is natural and heartfelt. You believe the bond. And that belief is crucial to everything the movie sets out to do.
Hiccup’s journey—from insecure tinkerer to brave peacemaker—is what gives the film its emotional resonance. In Thames, the story finds a human anchor who sells both the thrills and the quieter, intimate moments.
A Grounded Stoick from a Battle-Hardened Butler
Gerard Butler’s return as Stoick the Vast is a stroke of brilliance. Aging into the role he once voiced, Butler delivers a performance that’s as commanding as it is tender. His Stoick is torn between tradition and change, a leader who loves his son but can’t understand him. The father-son dynamic is richer in live action, with scenes that explore their strained relationship more deeply than before. The tension, the disappointment, and the eventual respect are portrayed with an honesty that resonates with older viewers just as much as it inspires younger ones.
Nico Parker’s Astrid Is a Worthy Warrior
Astrid, voiced by America Ferrera in the original, gets more dimension in Nico Parker’s live-action portrayal. Parker captures both the toughness and vulnerability of a young Viking determined to earn her place. The film gives her more screen time and character development, exploring her skepticism of Hiccup’s bond with Toothless before ultimately embracing it.
Astrid’s relationship with Hiccup is one of quiet chemistry—sweet, awkward, and refreshingly genuine. In a remake landscape where many romantic subplots get watered down or cut, How to Train Your Dragon allows their relationship to unfold naturally, without overtaking the central friendship between boy and dragon.
The Dragons Are Still the Stars
Toothless Takes Flight
The dragons are nothing short of extraordinary. Brought to life through cutting-edge visual effects, they retain the expressiveness of their animated counterparts while gaining new textures, weight, and presence. Toothless remains the breakout star—equal parts sleek predator and oversized housecat. His interactions with Hiccup are filled with nuance, humor, and emotion.
The flying sequences are breathtaking. Cinematographer Bill Pope, known for his work on The Matrix and Spider-Man 2, crafts sweeping aerial shots that rival anything in live-action fantasy cinema. Whether it's the giddy first flight or the climactic battle against the monstrous Red Death, the scale and fluidity of these scenes deliver a thrilling, visceral experience.
Expanding the World of Berk
The live-action adaptation takes full advantage of real-world locations and practical set design. Berk feels like a lived-in village, weathered and wild. The forests, cliffs, and seas—filmed in parts of Iceland, Ireland, and Scotland—add a tactile realism that animation, for all its charm, can’t quite match.
Production designer Dominic Watkins and costume designer Lindsay Pugh deserve special credit for blending historical authenticity with fantasy whimsy. The result is a world that feels both grounded and magical—a place where Vikings wield dragon-hide armor and thatched-roof huts sit under stormy skies.
John Powell’s Score Returns, Stronger Than Ever
Composer John Powell returns to build on his already iconic musical themes. The score, rich in Celtic flourishes and thunderous percussion, ties the film together emotionally. The familiar motifs—particularly during the flying sequences—evoke a strong sense of nostalgia while still feeling epic and fresh. Few animated scores have been as emotionally resonant as Powell’s, and his live-action adaptations here soar even higher.
Minor Flaws in an Otherwise Majestic Ride
The film runs about 30 minutes longer than the animated original. While this allows for added depth, some scenes feel padded, especially early in the story. Younger audiences might feel the runtime. A few of the comedic side characters, like Ruffnut and Tuffnut, don’t translate quite as well to live action, although Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn do their best to maintain their manic energy.
Still, these are minor criticisms in a movie that largely succeeds at every level. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel—but it doesn’t need to.
Final Verdict – A Rare Remake That Soars
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) isn’t just a successful remake—it’s a heartfelt celebration of a story worth retelling. By preserving the original’s emotional core while enhancing its visuals and performances, the film becomes something greater than a copy. It captures the spirit of the original while deepening its themes of empathy, courage, and identity.
Mason Thames proves himself as a leading man, Toothless remains one of cinema’s most lovable creatures, and Dean DeBlois once again proves he understands this world better than anyone else. This is more than a nostalgic cash grab—it’s a lovingly made fantasy epic that will inspire a new generation of dragon riders.
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)