The first trailer for the How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake has leaked online, and while fans are split over whether it needed to be made at all, they agree on one thing: Toothless looks incredible.
DreamWorks has made some of the most iconic cartoons of all time: Shrek, The Prince of Egypt, Chicken Run, The Wild Robot… and Shrek 2, of course.
Despite critical acclaim and commercial success across all three films, How to Train Your Dragon often feels forgotten, quietly cited alongside the best animated movies of the past 20 years.
Next year, the franchise will follow the Disney playbook with a live-action do-over of the first movie, with director Dean DeBlois (Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and every HTTYD movie so far) returning for the remake – and you can check out the first trailer below:
🚨|| THE FIRST TEASER TRAILER OF HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE ACTION IS NOW HERE pic.twitter.com/x9sAw3M1eN
— HTTYD Live Action News (@HttydLANews) November 19, 2024
The first thing you’ll notice: crashing waves and Mason Thames’ Hiccup sitting on a cliffside, indicating DeBlois shot on location (much like David Lowery’s underrated Peter Pan & Wendy) and didn’t rely on green screens and VFX to bring its world to life.
Secondly, Gerard Butler is back as Stoick the Vast, Hiccup’s fierce but loving father and the chieftain of Berk.
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How to Train Your Dragon trailer 4K#httyd pic.twitter.com/2v3OiiNNY5
— Baki Kaya (@BakiKayaArt) November 19, 2024
Thirdly, and most importantly, DeBlois and co. have nailed the live-action version of Toothless. Unlike The Lion King remake, which barely made any effort to have its furry ensemble emote in any way, he looks just like he did in the trilogy, only more textured and life-like.
“He looks so amazing I’m crying tears of joy,” one user tweeted. “I’ll admit I’m nervous, but Toothless looks amazing, and the remix of the theme SLAPS,” another wrote. “Kudos to Dean DeBlois for working hard to protect the original story. Hiccup and Toothless look amazing,” a third commented.
“I’m going to cry this is literally everything I wanted ever since people started asking for a live-action adaptation,” a fourth wrote. “They didn’t butcher my baby Toothless, we’ll take the win,” another posted.
The How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake will hit cinemas on June 13, 2025. In the meantime, find other new movies to watch this month and check out our list of the best movies of 2024 so far.