Disney doesn’t have a monopoly on turning beloved animated films into remakes starring actual humans. Universal is also getting in on the fun with a live-action version of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. And yet, despite featuring real actors, it’s a CGI-character who takes center stage in the film’s first trailer. The live-action How to Train Your Dragon trailer introduces everyone’s favorite young dragon, Toothless, to the screen—who it turns out looks the same whether he’s starring alongside cartoons or people.
We’d say welcome back to John Powell’s amazing How to Train Your Dragon score if we’d ever stopped listening to it, but obviously, that isn’t true. So instead, we’ll focus on how good this movie looks. Director Dean DeBlois has truly managed to make the animated Viking world he created feel real. He also nailed the casting for both Hiccup (Mason Thames) and Stoick (Gerard Butler, who also voiced the character previously). Of course, it helps that Toothless hasn’t changed much in this live-action How to Train Your Dragon Trailer. Or, you know, at all. And that is fine by us. You can’t improve on perfection.
What’s happening here, though? Fans of the animated film know, especially with some shot-for-shot recreations. But for those new to the series, here’s the official synopsis from Universal Pictures.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast 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 and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber 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.
The live-action How to Train Your Dragon also stars Nico Parker as Astrid, and Nick Frost plays Gobber, who we see in action in the trailer. It also features 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).
The only thing more real than this version of Hiccup is how much longer we’ll have to wait to see him ride Toothless. How to Train Your Dragon human edition soars into theaters next summer, June 13, 2025.