The new trailer and poster for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon have finally been unleashed (via SFFGazette.com), and all signs point to the movie doing right by the beloved DreamWorks Animation classic...by not being all that different from it.
Toothless looks amazing, as do the rest of the dragons that take centre stage here. All signs point to this being an epic fantasy movie in its own right, and regardless of how much the original How to Train Your Dragon achieved on screen in 2010, the visuals showcased in this sneak peek are on a completely different level.
In terms of the human characters, it appears as if we can expect their personality and relationships to be better fleshed out in this reimagining. Filmmaker Dean DeBlois confirmed that was a priority during a recent interview with The Wrap.
"I myself am not a huge fan of the animation-to-live-action trend," he said of his approach to this live-action remake. "Universal wanted to revisit this story. It’s like, ‘We’re going to do it. Let’s try to do it right."
"That first movie was made in a rush, and I’m super proud of it, but there are things that we could have done even better. My attitude was, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater," DeBlois continued. "We still had time and money to go a little deeper with characters, to enrich the experience, to make the action scenes, the flying, more visceral, more immersive, but also make the character relationships a little richer and deeper."
The director added, "Hopefully, the experience would be something that echoes to the familiarity and the nostalgia of the first movie, but with depth. There are many ways we could have gone, but that’s the way that felt most comfortable to me, because I am really proud of that animated movie."
Among the characters we'll get to know a little better is Astrid. DeBlois says she's now "a character with more weight and depth," meaning "you understand where she’s coming from, what she wants, her attitude toward Hiccup as being this person of privilege, whereas she’s had to work her way up."
Check out the new trailer and poster for How to Train Your Dragon below.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon.
Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society. With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Nico Parker; The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Shaun of the Dead) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding.
As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.
How to Train Your Dragon also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).
How to Train Your Dragon is written, produced and directed by Dean DeBlois, and arrives in theaters on June 13.