Review: ‘How To Train Your Dragon’? More Like How To Do A Live-Action Adaptation Right

There’s a lot of apprehension surrounding 2025’s How to Train Your Dragon and rightfully so.

Disney’s live-action-verse, for example, has broken the audience’s trust with its less-than-stellar efforts over the past few years. Expectedly, whenever another beloved animated movie gets the live-action treatment, viewers fear their childhoods are about to be ruined.

Now, Dean DeBlois’ How to Train Your Dragon won’t have everyone convinced the tide has fully turned, because it’s largely a beat-for-beat remake of the animated film, but you know what? That’s what it needed to be. The original is such a beloved classic, so if there really was a need to do this, rather do it the same way than butcher it with new bells and whistles. Mild spoilers for How to Train Your Dragon follow.

Hiccup and Toothless’ bond remains the core focus of the movie 

The original How to Train Your Dragon consisted of various themes – from coming of age, peer pressure, living in a parent’s shadow to understanding and empathy. It’s all here in this film, mostly the same way in which the viewers remember it, but we all know what everyone is here for, right? It’s to see the bond between Hiccup (Mason Thames) and Toothless the dragon.

The story is exactly how you remember it: Hiccup is a terrible Viking. He spares Toothless and they build a strong bond. Yet, Hiccup is meant to become a dragonslayer like his father, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), but that’s not who he is, or wants to be. Of course, this will cause friction in the end.

Thames embodies the spirited personality of Hiccup fantastically, paying homage to original voice actor Jay Burachel. Thames more than does justice to the part, and if the rumors of him being cast as Link in The Legend of Zelda movie are true, sign us all up immediately based on this performance alone!

In addition, keeping the original look of Toothless proves to be the right decision here. While it might be jarring seeing this cartoonish-looking dragon in a real-life world at first, the puppy dog-esque Toothless wouldn’t look right otherwise. In fact, the internet probably wouldn’t have allowed it to happen (remember how everyone raged about Sonic’s appearance in the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog?).

As expected, Hiccup and Toothless steal every scene with the sweetness of their bond; it’s like Free Willy but with dragons. You can’t help but smile as you see them get over their initial fear of each other and become the best of pals. It’s the purest form of happy cinema that exists.

The other cast members bring their part here

In terms of the rest of the performances, Butler doesn’t miss as Stoick. Sure, he had experience playing the character in the animated film, but it looks like he’s having about as much fun here as he’s had in a long time. It’s also another reminder to Hollywood execs that Gerard Butler doesn’t need to be relegated to B-movie action all the time, because he’s a more talented actor than people give him credit for.

The young Vikings – Astrid (Nico Parker), Snotlout (Gabriel Howell), Fishlegs (Julian Dennison), Ruffnut (Bronwyn James), and Tuffnut (Harry Trevaldwyn) – who train with Hiccup all bring a special charm to their characters. As anyone who has seen the animated film would know, Parker’s Astrid receives more screen time since she is Hiccup’s love interest. Parker more than nails the fiery but friendly part, even though some internet weirdos were worried that she didn’t have the same hair color as a fictional character so that would automatically mean she would suck or something. Moral of the story: spend less time on social media, folks.

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ doesn’t rock the boat

All in all, How to Train Your Dragon plays it safe, refusing to veer too far off the same track as the animated movie. It’s also the right decision, because the story doesn’t need to be changed or improved upon. Yeah, people will ask, “Why do it then?” Well, you know Hollywood – these live-action adaptations of animated films aren’t about to go away. However, if the studios do more like this one, it’s a lot easier to appreciate and enjoy it for what it is: family friendly fun.

Catch How to Train Your Dragon in theaters beginning June 13, 2025.