Wednesday, March 26 marked 15 years since the theatrical release of DreamWorks Animation’s “How To Train Your Dragon.” Based on the 2003 book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, “How To Train Your Dragon” became a modern animated classic after its 2010 release, being nominated for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score at the 2011 Academy Awards.
The story follows Hiccup, a young Viking who lives on the island of Berk, where fighting and killing dragons is routine. After injuring a rare dragon known as the Night Fury, he realizes he isn’t able to kill and a strong bond between them forms, changing the entire island’s perception of dragons. Known for its compelling story and powerful soundtrack by John Powell, “How To Train Your Dragon” remains timeless. The franchise has since spawned two more feature films and has grossed over $1.7 billion worldwide.
In honor of the anniversary, Film Concerts Live is screening the film alongside live orchestras across the world. More notably, DreamWorks and Universal Studios will also release the live-action remake of the film in June. The live-action remake has had mixed reception since it was announced and the trailer was released, with many dismissing it as a potentially unsuccessful attempt by studios to make more money from the franchise.
The response and skepticism towards remakes across the film industry has become routine at this point, with the high volume of reimagined classic films that have been released recently. This year alone, the remakes of “Snow White” and “Lilo and Stitch” have faced plenty of negative backlash.
The judgement typically does not come from whether the movie is good or not. One of the biggest criticisms I have seen is the idea that studios have been relying too heavily on nostalgia, which causes a feeling of redundancy. Simple money grabs that do not add much to the story or reinvent it in any way take away the opportunity for more original and creative films.
With that being said, the trailer itself doesn’t look bad, but it seems like a one-to-one copy of the original film with heavy similarities in dialogue and specific shots. In the case of “How To Train Your Dragon” and many other remakes of animated classics, such as 2019’s “The Lion King,” most of the live action is just CGI that has been made to look like real life.
The original “How To Train Your Dragon” didn’t receive any Academy Award wins. But in my house it was the best picture of the year. That is saying a lot because “Toy Story 3” came out that year too, and that won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Growing up, my family and I went to the movie theater every weekend, and if you named any children’s movie released between 2006 and 2015, chances are that I was there in the theater watching it.
This film symbolizes many of the memories I have of my childhood and knowing I had seen it for the first time 15 years ago now is a bit of a shock. To celebrate the anniversary, I will be listening to “Test Drive” from the film’s soundtrack.
Were people dying for a live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon?” Maybe not. But I still look forward to watching it because of how much I enjoy the original. It will be released in theaters on June 13.
Peter Tuohy can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
