While Disney has had no problem going back to some of their biggest animated hits to transform them into live-action movies, that only forces the hand of other studios to do the same. And while Disney has a bigger pool than DreamWorks, the latter has one of the most beloved animated franchises of the century to play with. With that comes the trailer for their remake of How to Train Your Dragon, with DreamWorks looking to ride this one to box office glory. We’ve seen a bit of footage throughout the months, but this teaser (which aired during Super Bowl LIX) is a full pitch on selling skeptical viewers to the idea. The full trailer drops Wednesday, but I gotta say, this looks pretty great, right?
Here is the official synopsis of the How to Train Your Dragon remake, as per distributor Universal Pictures: “On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, defies centuries of traditional dragon-fighting practice 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.” The cast includes Mason Thames, Gerard Butler (reprising Stoick the Vast), Nico Parker, Nick Frost, and Julian Dennison.
Considering it released its first movie, Antz, in 1998, DreamWorks Animation has a far different style of film than what we’ve traditionally seen throughout the history of Disney, who has already hit on so many of their classics already, bringing 20 or so of their 2D movies to live-action life. (The studio also released the trailer for their Lilo & Stitch remake during the Super Bowl.) That they are getting in the game with How to Train Your Dragon shows they’re serious about showing how they can stack up to Disney, although hopefully not so much so that we’ll be getting a horrifying live-action Shrek or Megamind in the near future…
How to Train Your Dragon will bring back director Dean DeBlois, having helmed the animated trilogy. Interestingly, he co-directed Lilo & Stitch with Chris Sanders, who, yes, is directing the live-action remake of that movie. How to Train Your Dragon swoops into theaters on June 13th.
What do you think of the teaser for How to Train Your Dragon? Does it have potential to be a successful remake?
