How to Train Your Dragon (2025 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids How to Train Your Dragon (2025 film) |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Dean DeBlois |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Dean DeBlois |
| Starring |
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| Music by | John Powell |
| Cinematography | Bill Pope |
| Editing by | Wyatt Smith |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 2, 2025 (CinemaCon) June 13, 2025 (United States) |
| Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Money made | $569 million |
How to Train Your Dragon is an exciting fantasy adventure movie from 2025. It's a live-action version of the popular 2010 animated film. Both movies are based on the book by Cressida Cowell.
DreamWorks Animation and Marc Platt Productions made this film. Dean DeBlois, who also wrote and directed the animated movies, returned to lead this one. The movie stars Mason Thames, Nico Parker, and Gerard Butler. Butler plays Stoick the Vast, the same role he had in the animated films.
Plans for this live-action movie were announced in February 2023. Filming started in January 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and finished in May. This is the first live-action movie from DreamWorks Animation.
How to Train Your Dragon first showed at CinemaCon on April 2, 2025. It was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on June 13, 2025. Critics generally liked the movie. It earned $569 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 2025. A sequel, based on the second animated movie, is planned for June 11, 2027.
Contents
Story of the Film
Dragons often attack the Viking village of Berk. They steal animals and put villagers in danger. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is 16 years old and the son of the village chief, Stoick the Vast. Hiccup tries to invent machines to help him, as he isn't as strong as other Vikings.
During a dragon raid, Hiccup uses a special launcher to shoot down a rare dragon called a Night Fury. But no one believes him. Hiccup decides to find the dragon to prove himself. When he finds it, the dragon is hurt and helpless. Hiccup feels sorry for it and lets it go. To his surprise, the angry dragon spares his life.
Meanwhile, Stoick gathers his ships to find and destroy the dragons' nest. Before leaving, Stoick listens to his friend Gobber the Belch, the village blacksmith. Gobber advises Stoick to enroll Hiccup in a dragon-fighting class. Other teens in the class include Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Astrid, who Hiccup likes. Hiccup struggles in class and his peers make fun of him.
Hiccup goes back to the forest and finds the Night Fury stuck in a hidden cove. It can't fly because Hiccup's shot damaged its tail fin. Hiccup becomes friends with the dragon and names him "Toothless" because his teeth can hide. Hiccup builds a special harness and a new fin for Toothless. This allows Toothless to fly again, with Hiccup riding on his back to guide him.
Hiccup learns a lot about dragons from Toothless. This helps him calm the dragons used in the fighting class. The villagers are impressed, but Astrid becomes suspicious of Hiccup's new skills.
Stoick's ships return to Berk, damaged from their search for the dragon nest. For his final exam, Hiccup must kill a dragon. He tries to run away with Toothless, but Astrid finds them. Hiccup takes Astrid on a flight with Toothless to show her how friendly dragons can be. During the flight, Toothless leads them to a huge dragon nest. There, a giant dragon called the Red Death forces smaller dragons to bring it food, or it eats them. Hiccup and Astrid realize the dragons attack Berk only to survive. Astrid wants to tell the villagers, but Hiccup warns her not to, to protect Toothless.
In his final exam, Hiccup faces a Monstrous Nightmare dragon. Instead of killing it, he tries to show everyone that dragons can be peaceful. But Stoick accidentally makes the dragon angry. Toothless comes out of hiding to protect Hiccup. Stoick captures Toothless and is very angry with Hiccup for hiding the truth.
Stoick's ships use Toothless to find the dragon nest, even though Hiccup warns him not to. Astrid reminds Hiccup that he saved Toothless out of kindness, not fear. Hiccup then convinces the other teens to tame the training dragons. Together, they fly after Stoick's fleet to the nest.
Stoick and his fleet find the nest, but the Red Death wakes up and is too powerful for them. The young dragon riders arrive to distract the Red Death. Hiccup tries to free Toothless from a sinking ship. Stoick saves both Hiccup and Toothless from drowning and makes up with his son. Hiccup and Toothless trick the Red Death into flying high, damage its wings, and set its insides on fire. The Red Death crashes and explodes. Its tail hits Hiccup, and he falls into the explosion. Toothless saves Hiccup, but Hiccup loses his left foot.
With the Red Death gone, the villagers of Berk and the dragons live together peacefully. Gobber makes a new foot for Hiccup and a new fin for Toothless. Hiccup is now admired by everyone and starts a relationship with Astrid.
Main Actors
- Mason Thames plays Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He is a 16-year-old who feels a bit awkward and is the son of Stoick the Vast.
- Nico Parker plays Astrid Hofferson. She is Hiccup's friend and fellow student in dragon-fighting training.
- Gerard Butler plays Stoick the Vast. He is Berk's chief and Hiccup's father. Gerard Butler played this role in the animated movies too.
- Nick Frost plays Gobber the Belch. He is Berk's blacksmith, Stoick's best friend, and the teacher for the young dragon fighters.
- Gabriel Howell plays Snotlout Jorgenson, Hiccup's rival.
- Julian Dennison plays Fishlegs Ingerman, Hiccup's best friend.
- Bronwyn James plays Ruffnut Thorston, Tuffnut's twin sister.
- Harry Trevaldwyn plays Tuffnut Thorston, Ruffnut's twin brother.
- Peter Serafinowicz plays Spitelout Jorgenson, Snotlout's father and Stoick's second-in-command.
- Ruth Codd plays Phlegma the Fierce, a Viking villager.
Making the Film
How the Idea Started
In February 2023, news came out that a live-action version of the 2010 How to Train Your Dragon film was being planned. Dean DeBlois agreed to direct, write, and produce the film. He had also worked on the animated movies. Marc Platt and Adam Siegel joined as co-producers. DeBlois said he would only direct if he had full creative control.
Choosing the Actors
In May 2023, it was announced that Mason Thames would play Hiccup and Nico Parker would play Astrid. In January 2024, Gerard Butler was chosen to play Stoick the Vast again. Later that month, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn joined the cast. They play Gobber, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut. In March, Ruth Codd joined as Phlegma.
Filming Locations and Process
Filming was supposed to start in July 2023 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. But it was delayed because of a strike by actors. After the strike ended, filming began on January 15, 2024, and finished on May 16. Bill Pope was the cinematographer, meaning he was in charge of how the movie was filmed.
The filmmakers used many real sets. They also filmed with IMAX cameras to make the movie look great on big screens. Many scenes from the original animated film were recreated exactly in live-action. This includes Hiccup's first meeting with Toothless.
Tindhólmur and Drangarnir in the Faroe Islands were used as filming locations for some of the flying scenes. These islands also inspired the village of Berk in the animated film.
Special Effects and Music
Framestore was the main company that created the visual effects for the film. They worked from studios in London, Melbourne, Montreal, and Mumbai.
To help the actors and the special effects teams, puppets of the dragons were used on set. Puppeteers moved these puppets so the actors had something real to act with. This also helped the camera crew frame the shots correctly. For flying scenes, actors rode on special moving seats called gimbals. These gimbals were programmed to move like each dragon's unique flight.
John Powell, who scored the original animated trilogy, composed the music for this film too. The movie's soundtrack was released on June 13, 2025. A single called "Test Driving Toothless" was released before the full soundtrack.
Movie Release
How to Train Your Dragon first showed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 2, 2025. It also had screenings at the Sydney Film Festival on June 9, 2025, and the Tribeca Festival on June 11, 2025.
The movie was released in theaters by Universal in the United States on June 13, 2025. It was shown in different special formats like IMAX and RealD 3D. The release date was originally March 14, 2025, but it was delayed due to the actors' strike.
Watching at Home
The movie became available for digital download on July 15, 2025. It will be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on August 12, 2025.
Future Plans
On April 2, 2025, at CinemaCon, Universal Pictures announced that a live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon 2 is being made. This sequel is planned to be released on June 11, 2027.
Images for kids
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Tindhólmur
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Drangarnir
