- 6/14/2025
DreamWorks shows Disney how remakes should be done! Join us as we explore why the live-action "How to Train Your Dragon" soars above Disney's lackluster reimaginings. From preserving the original's humor to stunning cinematography that captures the thrill of flight, we break down how DreamWorks crafted a remake that respects its source material while still feeling fresh and vibrant.
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00:00What's up to us? Us? Stick with me.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at why DreamWorks' live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon
00:08soars miles above Disney's recent half-assed attempts at reimagining classics.
00:13Figure out which side you're on.
00:19Maintaining the humor.
00:20You get the sense that Disney's live-action remakes are striving to be more quote-unquote adults than the animated versions.
00:26Need a hand, little man?
00:30This approach often comes at the expense of the original's charm, not to mention humor.
00:42The Mulan remake in particular took itself far too seriously, resulting in a straight-faced snooze-fest.
00:48While the How to Train Your Dragon remake preserves the original's mature coming-of-age themes,
00:52it doesn't do away with comedy in the process.
00:54Maybe they're not as bad as we think they are.
00:57There's still a fair deal of levity to be found in Hiccup's interactions with Toothless.
01:02Nick Frost captures Gobber's jolly spirit without merely doing a Craig Ferguson impression.
01:06Like its predecessor, the remake isn't afraid to be dark, but it understands the importance of having light at the end of the tunnel.
01:13What are you gonna do about it?
01:14Probably something stupid.
01:15New Scenes That Add Depth
01:18Although it hits virtually all the same beats as the 2010 film, this version does add a few extra scenes.
01:24Unlike the live-action Beauty and the Beast, though, they're additions that actually make sense,
01:29and offer more insight into who these characters are.
01:31Think of the one place you've always wanted to see.
01:38Now find it in your mind's eye, and then feel it in your heart.
01:43An early conversation between Hiccup and Astrid helps lay the groundwork for their relationship,
01:48as she begins to see that maybe the Chief's screw-up son is more than he seems.
01:53Familiar scenes are also extended with more details.
01:55The kid wants this more than anything. Believe it or not, that young man actually wants to make you proud.
02:02Valka is briefly mentioned during Stoic's chat with Gobber, setting up Hiccup's mother for the sequel.
02:07Side characters like Hiccup's fellow teenagers and the elder Gothi are given a bit more screen time as well,
02:13expanding upon the supporting cast without losing focus.
02:16You all need to see this!
02:18The Cinematography
02:19Disney's live-action remakes have been repeatedly criticized
02:22for sucking out the vibrant colors that made the originals leap off the screen.
02:26What happened that day was not my fault.
02:32How to Train Your Dragon avoids this,
02:36with atmospheric green backdrops that immerse us in nature.
02:39It's in the aerial sequences where the film soars, however.
02:42The 2010 film simulated the sensation of flight like few others have.
02:47Cinematographer Bill Pope pulls off a similar feat here,
02:49making the audience feel as if they're spiraling through the air with Hiccup and Toothless.
02:54It's not surprising that this material translates well to live-action,
03:10as the animated film had a visual consultant and cinematographer Roger Deakins.
03:14Among Deakins' duties was to help give the animated movie a live-action feel,
03:19proving a natural launchpad for this remake.
03:21Disney's animated library has given us some of the cinema's most timeless soundtracks,
03:29which the remakes have routinely butchered.
03:42Even Elton John, who returned for 2019's The Lion King,
03:46felt the remake mess the music up.
03:48Although How to Train Your Dragon isn't a musical,
03:51John Powell's Oscar-nominated score was an integral part of the film's life force.
04:00Powell returns as the live-action film's composer,
04:03and his sweeping score still elevates us out of our seats.
04:06John Powell is the first person I called about doing How to Train Your Dragon as a live-action movie.
04:11The music that John creates is iconic.
04:14Powell once again hits all the right notes,
04:16staying true to the original sound while further exploring Burke for the power of music.
04:21You may go in with crossed arms,
04:23but even the most critical viewers can't deny that when the test driving score kicks in,
04:27you're on cloud nine.
04:28One of the things I had to do was try and restructure things.
04:31If I've done my job right,
04:33people will think I haven't done anything different at all.
04:37The CGI
04:37When it comes to CGI,
04:40Disney remakes notoriously confuse realism for believability.
04:44Yeah, the CG Sebastian looks more like an actual crab,
04:47but that doesn't give him more personality.
04:49Sebastian, if you had just seen it up there,
04:51the ship rode on the wind,
04:53and they filled the sky with fire.
04:55Okay, okay, listen to me.
04:57The human world is a mess.
04:59Life under the sea is better than anything they got going on up there.
05:03We're grateful that the How to Train Your Dragon remake
05:06doesn't give us the gritty version of Toothless,
05:09keeping his expressive face and soulful eyes.
05:12Granted, some might argue that Toothless' cartoonish appearance
05:14contrasts with the other dragons,
05:16who are redesigned to look more like the ones you'd see in Harry Potter.
05:25Still, when the dragons need to appear threatening,
05:28they're intimidating without being visually unappealing.
05:31When they need to look cute, you want to take one home in plush form.
05:34The filmmakers aimed for a balance between realism and whimsy,
05:38which we think they achieved.
05:40The hope was that as people watched the movie,
05:42they would realize, oh, my cat does that.
05:46Or I've seen my dog do that exact same thing.
05:49The Practical Sets
05:50From Alice in Wonderland to Snow White,
05:53Disney remakes are wall-to-wall with so much CGI
05:55that it ironically defeats the purpose of retelling these stories in live action.
05:59Is this normal, or just something you do among friends?
06:03Although the live-action take on How to Train Your Dragon
06:05certainly isn't devoid of blue screen,
06:07it does try to incorporate as many practical set pieces as possible.
06:11This gives Burke a lived-in feel,
06:13transporting the audience to locales like the Dragon Arena.
06:16Going into the arena for the first time,
06:17I remember Dean was like,
06:18really umpup how cool this is.
06:20In addition to the practical sets,
06:22the filmmakers also work in natural backdrops,
06:25shooting in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
06:27The towering cliffs, green landscapes,
06:30and mighty shorelines capture the essence of Burke,
06:33while bringing a mystical element
06:34that makes us believe a dragon could fly over at any moment.
06:38All the footage we have from the most amazing landscapes
06:41create this living, breathing world of Burke.
06:45Diversity Done Right
06:46While we appreciate Disney's attempts to be more diverse,
06:49casting talented actresses like Rachel Ziegler
06:51and Halle Bailey isn't enough.
06:53You need to give them good scripts with well-rounded characters,
06:56which their remakes aren't exactly known for.
06:59Nico Parker, who is mixed race,
07:01plays Astrid in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon.
07:04While Astrid was already a strong-willed heroine,
07:06the remake takes a little more time delving into her aspirations.
07:09This role was a complete dream come true.
07:12Although the film never calls attention to her skin color,
07:15Astrid's determination to be the best
07:17does reflect the additional trials
07:18women of color often face climb in the latter.
07:20Burke, in general, is more diverse without coming off as forced,
07:25explaining that the island is comprised of dragon hunters
07:27from around the world.
07:29Having the opportunity to do this kind of world-building
07:31and to revisit characters but with a fresh spin
07:35is just super exciting to me.
07:37Not over-complicating or over-correcting the story.
07:40Tweaking a story to align with a modern mindset is understandable,
07:43but in Disney's desperate pursuit to appear more progressive,
07:46they frequently make changes that just aren't necessary.
07:49And in truth, Snow White nearly forgot herself.
07:54If anything, they distract from or either betray the original's message.
07:59You can argue How to Train Your Dragon is at an advantage
08:01since it's a remake of a more contemporary classic.
08:04Of course, so is Lilo and Stitch,
08:06which Disney still managed to overthink.
08:08Look, David, I got a dog!
08:10Oh? You showed us a dog?
08:13Hmm, yeah!
08:14The Dragon remake doesn't shoehorn in unnecessary subplots,
08:20like Astrid wanting to be a marine biologist
08:22or giving the Red Death a sympathetic origin story.
08:25Rather, the remake builds upon what worked in the original,
08:28retaining its essential story beats without losing any of their impact.
08:32If it isn't broke, don't fix it.
08:34It's okay.
08:35I won't hurt you.
08:37The casting.
08:39Be it a Belle who can't sing or a Geppetto who can't do an Italian accent,
08:42it only takes one bad casting choice to tank a remake.
08:46An almost real boy.
08:52An almost real boy.
08:56There isn't a weak link in the Dragon cast.
08:59Gerard Butler was tailor-made to play Stoic the Vast,
09:02be it voiceover or live-action.
09:04As powerful as the character animation in the original was,
09:07seeing Butler's charismatic face helps to distinguish this remake.
09:10I look like a Viking.
09:12I feel like an epic Viking.
09:15Nico Parker and Nick Frost, as mentioned before,
09:17are wonderful choices for their respective roles.
09:20Yet, the film's success largely rests on the shoulders of Mason Thames,
09:24who couldn't be more authentic as Hiccup.
09:26As he did in The Black Phone,
09:28Thames convincingly matures from an insecure outcast
09:31to someone who takes control of their destiny.
09:33How much this movie means to me and how much Hiccup means to me
09:36is more than words can describe.
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09:55Respecting the original.
09:56Let's face it.
09:58Disney's live-action remakes are the cinematic equivalent
10:00of one artist tracing over another's work.
10:03While DreamWorks' first remake also follows a blueprint,
10:06bringing back one of the original's directors helps.
10:08Dean D'Eblouin knows this world inside and out,
10:11having helmed the animated trilogy.
10:13He brings that passion to this remake,
10:15turning in a faithful adaptation.
10:17Maybe faithful to a fault,
10:18as the changes here are admittedly minimal.
10:21For me in particular,
10:22I think there is a core relationship at the center of this,
10:25which is about finding your own voice.
10:27If Hollywood insists on translating this material into live-action, though,
10:30we're glad that it's in the hands of someone
10:32who understands and respects what the original accomplished.
10:35At the very least,
10:36D'Eblouin's involvement makes for an interesting experiment
10:39that has a more personal touch than anything Disney has manufactured
10:42with their recent remakes.
10:44It was certainly daunting at first when you think,
10:47where do we even start?
10:48How do you think the live-action How to Train Your Dragon
10:50compares to Disney's copy-and-paste jobs?
10:53Let us know in the comments.
10:54You all need to see this!
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