The HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON animated movie series is the greatest trilogy of all time. There, I’ve said it. You can’t say it’s STAR WARS because of Ewoks. Then you look at LORD OF THE RINGS, and the RETURN OF THE KING wouldn’t end. GODFATHER has PART III. THE DARK KNIGHT has Bane. And the only thing close to being as perfect as HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON’s three movies is Richard Linklater’s BEFORE SUNSET films (yet, I don’t count those since it was never really meant to be a trilogy).
With that out of the way, the latest animated film to be converted into live-action involves everyone’s favorite dragon – Toothless. I was worried that this would merely be a cash grab and go the way of the countless mid-remakes that Disney has done over the years. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what was on the screen. The main difference (outside of the run time) in this nearly identical remake is in the acting. The original film came out in 2010. While the animation is top-notch for the flying and battle sequences, the facial expressions can’t replace just how deeply Stoick (Gerald Butler) feels toward his son, Hiccup ( Mason Thames). It’s their chemistry that provides the spark needed to make HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON soar above the other live-action remakes that have come before it.
All of that is not to say that this HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is better than the animated one – because it 100% is not. The original will go down as one of the top animated films of all time. Think of the original as Disneyland and this remake as Universal Studios. Universal has some great rides, shows, and themes – but none of it can compare to the magic shared while in Disneyland.
The theme of Stoick accepting his son, Hiccup, is perfectly timed for this Father’s Day. It’s a universal message that should resonate with parents everywhere. And one that, despite not having all the magic of the original, should reach great heights for worldwide audiences.
It’s playing in theaters now.
