The first reactions to the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon overwhelmingly praise the film’s sense of magic and adventure.
Universal brought something special to CinemaCon 2025 by screening the studio’s live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon. Dean DeBlois, who directed the original animated trilogy, returns to helm the latest version of the epic tale of friendship, bravery, and never judging a dragon by its razor-sharp teeth.
To celebrate the film’s CinemaCon debut, we’ve gathered many reactions to the film, knowing there are significant fans of the franchise in attendance.
I expected the reactions to How to Train Your Dragon to be positive, but to see it being universally praised is fantastic! There’s been a soullessness to some live-action adaptations of classic animations lately, and it’s reassuring to see HTTYD bucks the trend. Dean Deblois hasn’t lost his magic touch for the franchise, and if the film’s box office is as enthusiastic as these early reactions, we could get the whole trilogy reimagined on the silver screen!
How to Train Your Dragon focuses on the special friendship between a young and unheroic Viking boy named Hiccup, and Toothless, an injured dragon he nurses back to health. The movies chronicled Hiccup and Toothless’ quest to combat humanity’s prejudice against dragons, the ache of overcoming the loss of a parent, and first love.
The live-action movie stars Mason Thames (The Black Phone) as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, with Nico Parker (Dumbo) as Hiccup’s love interest and fellow student in dragon-fighting training, Astrid Hofferson. They’re joined in the cast by Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2) as Hiccup’s best friend Fishlegs Ingerman, Gabriel Howell (Nightsleeper) as his rival Snotlout Jorgenson, Harry Trevaldwyn (The Bubble) and Bronwyn James (Wicked) as twins Tuffnut and Ruffnut, Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club) as Phlegma, Murray McArthur (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) as Hoark, Nick Cornwall (Sky Sharks) as Hürl, and Outer Banks stunt performer Samuel Johnson as Skaldor. Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) has an unspecified role. Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) is playing blacksmith Gobber the Belch – and, in a very cool turn of events, Gerard Butler, who provided the voice of Hiccup’s father Stoick the Vast in the animated films, is back to bring his character to life in live-action.
Are you looking forward to the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon? Let us know in the comments section below.
