"How to Train Your Dragon" New IMAX Trailer: Mason Thames and Gerard Butler Lead This Live-Action Reimagining of the Beloved Animated Classic
The beloved franchise comes to life with Mason Thames as Hiccup and dragons galore.
We’re of two minds when it comes to the upcoming live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. On one hand, it’s based on a beloved animated franchise with a solid foundation. It features a story that encourages us to change our deeply ingrained beliefs and traditions, not out of fear, but for the betterment of our community and the pursuit of a brighter future. And yes, dragons are involved.
On the other hand, we can’t help but feel this is a shameless cash grab that undermines creativity and adds to the ongoing Hollywood cycle of unoriginality and cinematic staleness. Yet, because dragons are involved—big ones, ugly ones, and adorable ones—it will likely become one of the biggest films of the summer. As the success of Minecraft showed us, in a market full of uncertainty, family films may be the only genre truly impervious to the current storm.
So, to the normie moviegoers, it’s easy to see why they’d be excited to buy a ticket for the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon at an IMAX theater. After all, the filmmakers behind the film have clearly made a strong effort to translate the winning chemistry between Viking boy Hiccup and his new pet dragon Toothless into live-action, without losing the magic of the original.
But to the bitter and skeptical cinephiles, like ourselves, who are wary of this new wave of remakes and reboots, we examine every piece of its promotional campaign with gritted teeth and squinty eyes. We mutter just under our breath, “Not on my watch, Hollywood. You won't win me over with your flagrant attempts at your recycled trash. How dare you besmirch the good name of How to Train Your Dragon with this obvious IP drivel!”
And then, something happens in this new trailer, made for IMAX theaters. We see Gerard Butler in full Viking attire and regalia, reprising his role as Hiccup’s chieftain father, Stoick the Vast, having originally voiced the character in the animated film series. He raises his axe to the sky and screams, “The reign of the dragons ends right here... and right now!”
And all of a sudden, our cold, steely hearts start to warm just a little, warming up to the idea of this live-action remake. Maybe just a little bit. To actually see Butler in full Viking mode might be enough to spark some excitement after all.
That’s not to say the film doesn’t have its merits. Dean DeBlois, the Oscar-nominated DreamWorks animator who co-directed and co-wrote the original animated franchise, makes his live-action directorial debut. And it certainly looks like they’re sticking with the same visual style and playbook. This new trailer also offers a more detailed look at some action scenes involving Hiccup trying to fly an untrained Toothless, which seem to capture the same spirit of the animated original.
In the upcoming film, Mason Thames (from the horror film The Black Phone) is cast as Hiccup, the Viking teen destined to alter his people's future as he proves that dragons can be trained and flown as partners, not slaughtered as mortal enemies. He is joined by an eclectic cast that includes Nico Parker as Astrid Hofferson, Nick Frost as Gobber the Belch, Julian Dennison as Fishlegs Ingerman, Gabriel Howell as Snotlout Jorgenson, Bronwyn James as Ruffnut Thorston, Harry Trevaldwyn as Tuffnut Thorston, and Ruth Codd as Phlegma, with Peter Serafinowicz and Murray McArthur rounding out the ensemble. And of course, Butler as Stoick the Vast.
How to Train Your Dragon is set to soar in theaters on June 13th. Watch this new IMAX trailer for another look at what could possibly be the dragon-filled blockbuster of the summer.
I loved reading your article. Despite your skepticism, you offer good points about the film that clearly make sense and reluctance to this movie is admirable.