“How to Train Your Dragon” (2025), a live-action adaptation released last weekend of the original animated hit about a boy and his dragon, attempted to recapture the excitement of the original 2010 film.
The live-action remake is emblematic of the broader trend happening with movies intended for families. “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025) is a direct clone of the original that allows Dreamworks to release a new movie to sell tickets without developing an original film. Although producing a movie itself is difficult, much of the creative legwork is bypassed when the story and ideas have already been created.
“How to Train Your Dragon” (2025) itself is inoffensive. It follows the same exact story as the original, coming across as a shot-for-shot recreation. It tells an amazing story despite this, which is more of a testament to the quality of the original.
On technical levels “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025) is severely lacking. The uninteresting camera work and dull lighting are nothing new. It follows the trend of large budget films having flat-lighting intended to be streamed rather than seen in theaters. The style introduced a mass-produced feeling that is difficult to escape as more remakes are released. The visuals leave one wishing they were watching the beautifully animated original.
Most of the jokes in this version of the movie were serviceable, but the physical comedy was hit hard by the transition to live-action. As a result of the world being more grounded than the original, the cartoonish movements needed for certain gags feel out of place in a movie that otherwise obeys real-life physics.
The character designs are ripped straight from the animated film. Most come out unscathed, but Stoick (Gerard Butler) and Gobber (Nick Frost) are worse for wear, as major aspects of their designs rely on physical bodies that are difficult to recreate. Gobber looks the worst, with his prosthetics designed to recreate animated proportions rather than fitting Frost.
Wanting to visit the isle of Berk and ride on a pet dragon are part of the fantasy. Production design in “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025) stands to deliver on this desire with some amazing practical sets and amazing dragon animation, even if the iconic dragon looks get lost in the translation into live-action.
Dreamworks is trying to recreate Disney’s success in the live-action remake space. The practice allows for studios to avoid risk by creating a product that already has a proven audience. Now that streaming has become the long-term home for films once they leave theaters, purchasing intellectual property or franchises is the best way to attract audiences.
Disney has not revealed viewership metrics for much of their catalog on Disney+, their streaming service. But it is hard to imagine that people watch copy-cat movies on the platform, especially when the originals are recommended right next to them. Dreamworks following this same path is difficult to accept. Although the last few theatrical releases have been adaptations of other stories — “Kung Fu Panda 4,” “The Wild Robot” and “Dog Man” — none of them were carbon copies like “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025).
