How to Train Your Dragon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids How to Train Your Dragon |
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| Creator | Cressida Cowell |
| Original work | How to Train Your Dragon (2003–2015) |
| Owner | DreamWorks Animation (Universal Pictures) |
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| Graphic novels |
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| Films and television | |
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| Short films |
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| Television series |
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| Theatrical presentations | |
| Plays | How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular (2012) |
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| Audio | |
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| Crossover work | |
How to Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) is a popular media franchise from DreamWorks Animation. It's based on a fun series of children's books by British author Cressida Cowell. The franchise is best known for its three main movies: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019).
The story follows a young Viking named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He lives on the island of Berk, where Vikings traditionally hunt dragons. Hiccup is a bit clumsy and doesn't fit in at first. But he soon becomes an expert on dragons. His best friend is Toothless, a rare Night Fury dragon.
Hiccup and Toothless, along with their friends, learn to live with dragons. They even form a flying team of dragon riders to protect their home. As they grow up, Hiccup and Toothless must make big choices to keep peace between humans and dragons. The director, Dean DeBlois, said the story is all about Hiccup growing up. The movies show him changing over several years.
The How to Train Your Dragon films have been very popular. Each movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The first film also got a nomination for its amazing music.
Contents
Books and Comics
Original Book Series
The How to Train Your Dragon story began with a series of children's novels by Cressida Cowell. Here are the books in the series:
- How to Train Your Dragon (2004)
- How to Train Your Dragon: How to Be a Pirate (2005)
- How to Train Your Dragon: How to Speak Dragonese (2006)
- How to Train Your Dragon: How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse (2007)
- How to Train Your Dragon: How to Twist a Dragon's Tale (2008)
- How to Train Your Dragon: A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons (2009)
- How to Train Your Dragon: How to Ride a Dragon's Storm (2010)
- How to Break a Dragon's Heart (2011)
- How to Steal a Dragon's Sword (2012)
- How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel (2013)
- How to Betray a Dragon's Hero (2013)
- How to Fight a Dragon's Fury (2015)
Comic Books and Graphic Novels
There are also comic books based on the series. Titan Comics released a series called Dragons: Riders of Berk. These comics were written by Simon Furman and drawn by Iwan Nazif.
Dark Horse Comics also created graphic novels. These include How to Train Your Dragon: The Serpent's Heir (2016). The stories in these graphic novels happen between the second and third movies.
The Movies
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to Train Your Dragon | March 26, 2010 | Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois | Will Davies, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders | Bonnie Arnold |
| How to Train Your Dragon 2 | June 13, 2014 | Dean DeBlois | ||
| How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | February 22, 2019 | Bonnie Arnold and Brad Lewis | ||
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
The first movie, How to Train Your Dragon, came out on March 26, 2010. It was directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. The film was inspired by Cressida Cowell's book. It earned almost $500 million worldwide! It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The story is set in a mythical Viking world. Hiccup, a young Viking, wants to follow his tribe's tradition of hunting dragons. But when he finally catches a dragon, he can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, he becomes friends with it.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
A sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, was released on June 13, 2014. Dean DeBlois wrote and directed this film. The original voice cast, including Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, returned. New voices joined too, like Kit Harington as Eret and Cate Blanchett as Valka.
This movie takes place five years after the first one. Hiccup and Toothless have brought dragons and Vikings together. Now 20 years old, Hiccup is expected to become the new chief. He meets a dragon hunter named Drago Bludvist. On his journey, he also finds a mysterious masked person who turns out to be his long-lost mother, Valka.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
The third film, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, was released on February 22, 2019. This was the first DreamWorks Animation film released by Universal Pictures.
In this movie, Hiccup is the new chieftain of Berk. He leads both Vikings and dragons. His late father told him about a secret dragon haven, the "Hidden World." Toothless meets a female Light Fury dragon and forms a special bond with her. A dragon hunter named Grimmel wants to find and kill Toothless. Hiccup must decide if he should keep the dragons with them or let them go to protect them.
TV Shows
| Series | Season | Subtitle | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||||
| DreamWorks Dragons | 1 | Riders of Berk | 20 | August 7, 2012 | March 20, 2013 | Cartoon Network | |
| 2 | Defenders of Berk | 20 | September 19, 2013 | March 5, 2014 | |||
| 3 | Race to the Edge | 13 | June 26, 2015 | Netflix | |||
| 4 | 13 | January 8, 2016 | |||||
| 5 | 13 | June 24, 2016 | |||||
| 6 | 13 | February 17, 2017 | |||||
| 7 | 13 | August 25, 2017 | |||||
| 8 | 13 | February 16, 2018 | |||||
| DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders | 1 | Rescue Riders | 14 | September 27, 2019 | |||
| 2 | 12 | February 7, 2020 | |||||
| Specials | 3 | March 27, 2020 | November 24, 2020 | ||||
DreamWorks Dragons (2012–2018)
A TV series called DreamWorks Dragons started airing on Cartoon Network in September 2012. This show takes place after the first movie. The first two seasons were called Dragons: Riders of Berk and Dragons: Defenders of Berk.
Later seasons moved to Netflix and were renamed Dragons: Race to the Edge. These seasons were a prequel to the second movie. They aired from June 2015 to February 2018. Many of the original voice actors from the movies, like Jay Baruchel (Hiccup) and America Ferrera (Astrid), also voiced their characters in the series.
DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019–present)
A different TV show, DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders, was released on Netflix in 2019. This show is for a younger audience. It features new characters and a new location, but it's still set in the same dragon universe.
Short Films
Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon
This 16-minute short film is a sequel to the first movie. It first aired on Cartoon Network on October 14, 2010. It was also included as a special feature on the Blu-ray and DVD of the first movie.
In the short, Hiccup and his friends join their mentor, Gobber. They go on a quest to find the legendary Boneknapper Dragon. Part of the film uses traditional animation to show Gobber's past adventures with the Boneknapper.
Book of Dragons
Book of Dragons is an 18-minute short film released on November 15, 2011. It came out on DVD and Blu-ray with Gift of the Night Fury. In this short, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Toothless, and Gobber share secrets about different dragon types. They talk about 14 different dragons, grouped into 7 classes like Stoker, Boulder, and Strike dragons.
Gift of the Night Fury
Gift of the Night Fury is a 22-minute Christmas special. It was directed by Tom Owens and released on November 15, 2011. This short takes place during the Viking winter holiday, 'Snoggletog'. All the dragons suddenly fly away, except for Toothless. Hiccup tries to help Toothless feel better during the holiday.
Dawn of the Dragon Racers
This 25-minute short film was released on November 11, 2014. It was included with the DVD/Blu-ray of How to Train Your Dragon 2. It features the voices of Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera. In the story, a search for a lost sheep turns into a fun competition. Hiccup and his friends compete to become the first Dragon Racing Champion of Berk.
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming is a 22-minute holiday special. It's set 10 years after the dragons left the Vikings in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Hiccup and Astrid's children start to think dragons are dangerous. So, Hiccup and Astrid plan to bring back the Snoggletog Pageant to change their minds. Meanwhile, Toothless and the Light Fury's three baby dragons visit the village. The special aired on NBC on December 3, 2019.
Snoggletog Log
Snoggletog Log is a 28-minute short film that looks like a Christmas fireplace video. It shows a continuous shot of a fireplace. Every now and then, dragons and humans from the films appear, celebrating Christmas together. It shows that they will always be connected and celebrate holidays. This short has been available on Hulu since 2019.
Video Games
The How to Train Your Dragon franchise has inspired many video games:
- How to Train Your Dragon: An action adventure game released by Activision on March 23, 2010, for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo DS. It's loosely based on the first movie.
- Super Star Kartz: A racing game by Activision released on November 15, 2011. It features characters from How to Train Your Dragon and other DreamWorks films.
- Dragons: TapDragonDrop: A mobile game by PikPok released on May 3, 2012, for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
- Dragons: Wild Skies: A 3D online game based on the TV series, launched on CartoonNetwork.com in August 2012. Players can find, train, and ride dragons.
- School of Dragons: A 3D educational massively multiplayer online role-playing game by JumpStart. It was released in July 2013. Players can adopt, raise, and train a dragon while learning about them.
- Dragons: Rise of Berk: A free game by Ludia released in May 2014 for iOS and Android. Players can build their own Berk village, explore with Hiccup and Toothless, and collect dragons.
- How to Train Your Dragon 2: An action adventure game released in June 2014 for various consoles.
- Dragons: Titan Uprising: A game by Ludia released in early 2019.
- Dragons: Dawn of New Riders: An action adventure game by Climax Studios released in 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Players control Scribbler and Patch on a quest to defeat a villain named Eir.
Live Shows and Theme Parks
Live Performances
There's a Broadway-style ice show called How To Train Your Dragon ON ICE on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.
An arena show called How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular brings the movie to life. It features 24 amazing animatronic dragons of 10 different species. The show also has actors playing Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick, and Gobber. It first premiered in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2012.
Theme Park Attractions
The franchise has inspired attractions at several theme parks:
- Heide Park: In 2016, this German theme park opened a section called "How to Train Your Dragon: The Island." It has flying rides and a boat ride through Dragon Caves.
- Motiongate Dubai: This Hollywood-themed park in Dubai has a section based on the films. A roller coaster called "Dragon Gliders" lets riders fly with Hiccup and Toothless.
- Universal Studios: To promote How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Universal Studios Florida had a virtual reality experience where guests could "ride" Toothless. Universal Studios Hollywood also allowed visitors to meet Toothless.
- Dreamworks Waterpark: This waterpark in New Jersey has two slides inspired by the franchise. "Dragon Racers" is a mat racing slide, and "Toothless Trickling Torpedo" is a tall water coaster.
Main Characters and Voice Actors
| Characters | Theatrical films | Short films | Television series | Television special | ||||||||||||
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| HTTYD | HTTYD2 | HTTYD: THW | LotBD | GotNF | BoD | DotDR | DD | HTTYD: H | ||||||||
| D:RoB | D:DoB | D:RttE | ||||||||||||||
| Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 | Season 7 | Season 8 | |||||||||
| Hiccup Haddock III | Jay Baruchel | Jay Baruchel | Jay Baruchel | |||||||||||||
| A. J. Kane (young) |
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| Toothless | Randy Thom | |||||||||||||||
| Stoick the Vast | Gerard Butler | Nolan North | Gerard Butler | |||||||||||||
| Gobber the Belch | Craig Ferguson | Chris Edgerly | Craig Ferguson | |||||||||||||
| Astrid Hofferson | America Ferrera | |||||||||||||||
| Snotlout Jorgensen | Jonah Hill | Zack Pearlman | Jonah Hill | |||||||||||||
| Fishlegs Ingerman | Christopher Mintz-Plasse | Christopher Mintz-Plasse | ||||||||||||||
| Gerard Butler | ||||||||||||||||
| Tuffnut Thorston | T. J. Miller | Justin Rupple | T.J. Miller | T.J. Miller | Justin Rupple | |||||||||||
| Ruffnut Thorston | Kristen Wiig | Andrée Vermeulen | Julie Marcus | Andrée Vermeulen | Kristen Wiig | |||||||||||
| Spitelout | David Tennant | David Tennant (uncredited) |
David Tennant | David Tennant | ||||||||||||
| Valka | Cate Blanchett | Silent role | ||||||||||||||
| Drago Bludvist | Djimon Hounsou | Deleted scene | Hakeem Kae-Kazim | Djimon Hounsou | ||||||||||||
| Eret | Kit Harington | |||||||||||||||
| Nuffink Haddock | Silent role | Liam Ferguson | ||||||||||||||
| Zephyr Haddock | Madalyn Gonzalez | |||||||||||||||
| Mulch | Tim Conway | Tom Kenny | ||||||||||||||
Images for kids
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Hiccup and a mechanical model of Toothless at How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular
See also
In Spanish: Cómo entrenar a tu dragón (franquicia) para niños
