Deblois brings animation to life with his direction of the 2025 live action movie “How to Train Your Dragon.”

The new “How to Train Your Dragon” movie poster found in movie theaters around the world. [Picture provided by Hyde Park Picture House]

by Valentina Porto

As I stepped into the theater to watch the live action movie, “How to Train Your Dragon” for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. The theater, decorated with shields, dragons and many other elements of Berk, warmed my heart. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, and also wasn’t sure if I even wanted it to be exactly like the animated version of the movie I watched years ago.

On June 13, 2025, the live action version of “How to Train your Dragon” was released in the United States and worldwide. The movie was produced and directed by Dean Deblois, who is also the original producer of the animation. If box office sales are any indication, the movie was a huge hit with a worldwide gross of $636 million.

I’ve been a fan of the series ever since the first three animation movies came out. Each and every one of the films are special in their own way. I couldn’t imagine anything could be an improvement on this group of movies. Or at least that’s what I thought until I saw this new live action movie. Somehow, Dean managed to make the live action exactly like the original, which is just the way I imagined it.

Hiccup, the Chief’s son, wants to prove himself a worthy viking, but in order to do so, he has to do the thing he dreads the most, kill a dragon. The story takes a sharp turn once Hiccup fails to do so.

The essence of the characters is authentically portrayed throughout the whole movie. The actors are clearly talented as they are playing their characters really well. This is not even considering the CGI that managed to bring the magic of the animation to life.

One of the most impressive CGI moments was the first connection between Hiccup and Toothless, where Hiccup reaches out his hand and Toothless leans in. Not only this scene but also everything else felt incredibly real and captured the same wonder from the animated movies.

I recommend this movie to both adults and kids from all ages. Although it is considered a movie destined to a younger audience, I believe that anyone can enjoy this adventure on the imaginary island of Berk. The movie is now available to watch through digital streaming on platforms such as Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.