A new live-action How to Train Your Dragon behind-the-scenes featurette highlights Nico Parker’s Astrid and the supporting cast. The 2025 fantasy movie is a reimagining of the beloved 2010 animated adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s novels. It focuses on an evolving, world-changing friendship between a young Viking and a powerful dragon. The live-action How to Train Your Dragon features Mason Thames as Hiccup, while Gerard Butler will reprise his role from the animated feature, playing Hiccup’s dad Stoick the Vast.
Following the release of the first trailer, Universal Pictures‘ How to Train Your Dragon has revealed a new behind-the-scenes featurette. Check it out below:
In the featurette, director Dean DeBlois dives into what motivated him to bring the movie into live-action while giving glimpses at the cast, the village of Berk, and its inhabitants. In the footage of the dragon-fighter training arena, Parker is joined by Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn as teen viking trainees Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, respectively. The full cast can be seen in their full costumes alongside Butler as Stoick.
What How To Train Your Dragon’s Featurette Means For The Movie
The Art Direction Is A Promising Sign For The Feature
Though the live-action adaptation has been somewhat controversial, How to Train Your Dragon is shaping up to be a promising translation visually. As the movie focuses so strongly on the core relationship between Hiccup and Toothless, the latter has already been featured prominently in the footage revealed so far. The design and digital effects for Toothless are a well-made blend of the stylized design of the original movie and more realistic textures.
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It is clear that this philosophy has also been applied to the human cast’s designs too. Though certain elements have been altered for realism and some themes feature alternative outfits, each look remains loyal to the animated counterpart’s silhouette and style, allowing them to still be identifiable and faithful to the source material.
Our Take On How To Train Your Dragon’s Live-Action Cast
There’s Still Plenty Of Berk Yet To Be Revealed
The live-action How to Train Your Dragon still faces an uphill battle in justifying its existence to viewers. Still, it is clear that the feature isn’t just an opportunity to capitalize on a successful IP. The production design and art direction have already shown that the feature is focused on bringing the beloved cast of Vikings and dragons into live-action in ways that honor the artists who made the original feature a success.
Despite a strong initial showing, however, there is still much of the How to Train Your Dragon live-action adaptation that remains to be seen. Nick Frost’s take on Hiccup’s mentor Gobber has yet to be seen, while other undisclosed roles have yet to be revealed. Additionally, there are numerous dragons that haven’t been viewed yet. As such, there is still plenty to look forward to from the 2025 reimagining.
Source: Universal Pictures
How to Train Your Dragon, set on the Viking island of Berk, follows Hiccup, a young Viking who challenges tradition by befriending a Night Fury dragon named Toothless. Their bond reveals new insights about dragons and transforms Viking society’s understanding of these creatures.
- Director
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Dean DeBlois
- Release Date
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June 13, 2025
- Studio(s)
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DreamWorks Pictures
- Distributor(s)
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Universal Pictures
- Writers
-
Dean DeBlois
- Cast
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Mason Thames
, Nico Parker
, Gerard Butler
, Nick Frost
, Julian Dennison
, Gabriel Howell
, Bronwyn James
, Harry Trevaldwyn
, Ruth Codd - Character(s)
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Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
, Astrid Hofferson
, Stoick the Vast
, Gobber the Belch
, Fishlegs Ingerman
, Snoutlout Jorgenson
, Ruffnut Thorston
, Tuffnut Thorston
, Phlegma
