How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon is a British/American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the book series of the same name by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The franchise also contains five short films: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010), Book of Dragons (2011), Gift of the Night Fury (2011), Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014) and How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming and How to Train Your Dragon: Snoggletog Log (both 2019). A live-action remake of the first film is scheduled for release by Universal Pictures in June 2025. A sequel is also scheduled for June 2027.
The television series based on the events of the first film, DreamWorks Dragons, began airing on Cartoon Network in September 2012. The first and second seasons were titled Dragon: Riders of Berk and Dragons: Defenders of Berk respectively. After the two seasons on Cartoon Network, the series was given the new title Dragons: Race to the Edge. The characters are older and it served as a prequel to the second film, running from June 2015 to February 2018. A second series, titled Dragons: Rescue Riders, began airing on Netflix in 2019 and features a completely different cast and locale than the original series of films and TV shows, but is set in the same universe. A third series, Dragons: The Nine Realms, began streaming on Hulu and Peacock in December 2021, with Rescue Riders transferring to Peacock beginning with the third season under the Heroes of the Sky subtitle. Unlike past entries in the franchise, The Nine Realms is set in the 21st century, specifically around 1,300 years after the events of The Hidden World.
The franchise primarily follows the adventures of a young Viking named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (voiced by Jay Baruchel), son of Stoick the Vast, leader of the Viking island of Berk. Although initially dismissed as a clumsy and underweight misfit, he soon becomes renowned as a courageous dragons expert, alongside Toothless, a member of the rare Night Fury breed as his flying mount and closest companion. Together with his friends, he manages the village's allied dragon population in defense of his home as leader of a flying corps of dragon riders. Upon becoming leaders of their kind, Hiccup and Toothless are forced to make choices that will truly ensure peace between people and dragons. Dean DeBlois, the director of the film trilogy, described its story as "Hiccup's coming of age", taking place across a span of five years between the first and second film, and a year between the second and third film.
The film series has been highly acclaimed, with each film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, in addition to the first film's nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
How to Train Your Dragon, the first film in the series, was released on March 26, 2010. It was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, and is inspired by the 2003 book of the same name by Cressida Cowell. The story takes place in a mythical Fantasy Viking world where a young Viking teenager named Hiccup aspires to follow his tribe's tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon the infamous and elusive Night fury, and with his chance of finally gaining the tribe's acceptance and father's recognition, he finds that he no longer has the desire to kill the dragon and instead befriends it. He soon realizes that to protect the Night fury (Toothless) he must show the Vikings the truth of dragons. The film grossed nearly $500 million worldwide, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
A sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, was confirmed on April 27, 2010. The film was written and directed by DeBlois, the co-director of the first film. Bonnie Arnold, the producer of the first film, also returned, with Sanders, who co-directed the first film, only exec-producing this time due to his involvement with The Croods and its sequel until the latter was delayed. The film was released on June 13, 2014. It was announced that the entire original voice cast – Baruchel, Butler, Ferguson, Ferrera, Hill, Mintz-Plasse, Miller and Wiig – would return for the sequel. New cast includes Kit Harington as Eret, Cate Blanchett as Valka, and Djimon Hounsou as Drago Bludvist. John Powell, the composer of the first film's score, returned for the second and third film. Set five years after the events of the original film, Hiccup and Toothless have successfully united dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk. Now 20 years old, Hiccup is pressed to succeed his father as chieftain. When he discovers a group of dragon trappers led by Drago Bludvist, he goes on a quest to find Drago and stop him, while also coming across his long-lost mother Valka.
In December 2010, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg confirmed that there would also be a third film in the series: "How To Train Your Dragon is at least three: maybe more, but we know there are at least three chapters to that story." DeBlois, the writer, and director of the second and the third film, said that How to Train Your Dragon 2 is being intentionally designed as the second act of the trilogy: "There are certain characters and situations that come into play in the second film that will have to become much more crucial to the story by the third."
The film's release date was changed several times. In September 2012, 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation announced an initial release date of June 18, 2016, which was later changed to June 16, 2016. It was then moved to June 9, 2017, and later to May 18, 2018, taking over the release date of Warner Animation Group's The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. On December 5, 2016, the release date was pushed back again to March 2, 2019. This was the first DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by Universal Pictures, after NBCUniversal's acquisition of the company in 2016, and followed DreamWorks' departure from 20th Century Fox after 2017's Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. The film was produced by Arnold, and exec-produced by DeBlois and Sanders. Baruchel, Butler, Blanchett, Ferguson, Ferrera, Hill, Mintz-Plasse, Harington and Wiig reprised their roles from previous films. F. Murray Abraham joined the cast as the film's main villain, Grimmel.
Set one year after the events of the second film, Hiccup had become the new chieftain of Berk for dragons and Vikings. His late father had told a younger Hiccup to seek out the haven of dragons, known as "the Hidden World". Upon discovering the Light Fury a female kind of Night Fury, Toothless initiates a new bond with her. The Night Fury killer, Grimmel the Grisly, sets out to find and kill Toothless, prompting Hiccup to choose between keeping the dragons or setting them all free into the Hidden World.
In February 2023, a live-action remake of the first animated film was announced to be in development, to be produced by Marc Platt Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures, and will mark DreamWorks' first live-action film. Dean DeBlois was set to return to write and direct, with John Powell returning to write the score. It was originally scheduled for release on March 14, 2025, but due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, it was delayed to June 13 of that year.
In April 2025, a live-action remake of the second animated film was officially announced at CinemaCon. It is set to be released on June 11, 2027.
Three television series make up the DreamWorks Dragons television franchise: DreamWorks Dragons, Rescue Riders, and The Nine Realms. All series in total amount to 223 episodes across 22 seasons of television.
On October 12, 2010, it was announced that Cartoon Network had acquired worldwide broadcast rights to a weekly animated series based on the movie, which was scheduled to begin sometime in 2012. In January 2011, producer Tim Johnson confirmed that work had begun on the series and that, unlike the TV series spin-offs of the films Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens, How To Train Your Dragon's series is much darker and deeper, like the movie. The show is the first DreamWorks Animation series that airs on Cartoon Network instead of Nickelodeon, unlike previous series such as The Penguins of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and Monsters vs. Aliens.
Although it was announced that the series would be called Dragons: The Series, TV promos shown in June 2012 revealed a new title – Dragons: Riders of Berk. The series began airing in the third quarter of 2012. John Sanford, the director of seven episodes in the first season, confirmed that there would also be a second season. Jay Baruchel, who voiced Hiccup, also stars in the series, as well as America Ferrera (Astrid), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs), and T. J. Miller (Tuffnut). The second season is accompanied with the new subtitle, Defenders of Berk, replacing the previous Riders of Berk subtitle. Starting with the third season, the series moved to Netflix and is accompanied by the subtitle Race to the Edge.
A preschool-oriented spin-off, DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders was released on Netflix on September 27, 2019.
On October 13, 2021, DreamWorks announced DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms, set 1,300 years after The Hidden World. The first season was released on Peacock and Hulu on December 23, 2021. The Nine Realms stars Jeremy Shada, and is executive produced by showrunner John Tellegen, Chuck Austen and Henry Gilroy.
Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon is a 16-minute short film which was originally broadcast on Cartoon Network on October 14, 2010 and was released by Paramount Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray on October 15, 2010 as a special feature on the double edition of the first How to Train Your Dragon film. The short film was directed by John Puglisi, written by Peter Steinfeld and reprising the roles of the first feature film's eight actors Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon follows Hiccup and his young fellows accompanying their mentor, Gobber, on a quest to kill the legendary Boneknapper Dragon. About half the short film is done in traditional animation, showing Gobber's history and his encounters with the Boneknapper, and how he comes to look like he does now.
Book of Dragons is an 18-minute short film which was released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray on November 15, 2011 along with Gift of the Night Fury. Written and directed by Steve Hickner and co-written by Bart Coughlin and Joshua Pruett, Book of Dragons stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Cummings and Tress MacNeille.
The short film shows Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Toothless and Gobber telling the legend behind the Book of Dragons and revealing insider training secrets about new, never before seen dragons. Book of Dragons shows a total of 14 different dragons, each separated into 7 classes: Stoker (Terrible Terror and Monstrous Nightmare), Boulder (Gronckle and Whispering Death), Fear (Hideous Zippleback and Snaptrapper), Sharp (Deadly Nadder and Timberjack), Tidal (Scauldron and Thunderdrum), Mystery (Changewing and Boneknapper) and Strike (Skrill and Night Fury).
Gift of the Night Fury (also known as Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury) is a 22-minute Christmas special directed by Tom Owens, written by Adam F. Goldberg and starring the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig and Christopher Mintz-Plasse who all reprise their roles from the first How to Train Your Dragon film.
Gift of the Night Fury takes place in the middle of preparing for the Viking winter holiday of Snoggletog, when suddenly, all the dragons inexplicably fly away on a mass migration, except for Toothless, so Hiccup gives him something to help.
Gift of the Night Fury was released by Paramount Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray as part of the DreamWorks Holiday Classics on November 15, 2011 along with Book of Dragons, although it was re-released on DVD on October 1, 2013 along with Shrek the Halls (2007), Merry Madagascar (2009), Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010) and The Croods (2013). Gift of the Night Fury was also released again on DVD and Blu-ray on October 15, 2019 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, this time as part of the DreamWorks Ultimate Holiday Collection set.
Dawn of the Dragon Racers is a 26-minute short film which was released on November 11, 2014 as a special feature on the DVD/Blu-ray/digital release of How to Train Your Dragon 2, although it was released on DVD separately on March 3, 2015 with the previously-released Book of Dragons and Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon included as well. Directed by John Sanford and Elaine Bogan and written by Art Brown and Douglas Sloan, the short film features the voices of Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera along with the cast from the Dragons television series.
Dawn of the Dragon Racers takes place three years before the events of How to Train Your Dragon 2, in between the events of Dragons: Defenders of Berk and Dragons: Race to the Edge. In this short film, a hunt for a lost sheep turns into a competition between Hiccup and his friends for the first title of Dragon Racing Champion of Berk.
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming is a 22-minute holiday special which was both released on DVD and aired on NBC on December 3, 2019. Directed by Tim Johnson and written by Jonathan Groff and Jon Pollack, the short film features the voices of Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera along with the cast from the Dragons television series, although T.J. Miller was replaced by Justin Rupple for the role of Tuffnut Thorston. The short film won for Best Animated Special Production at the 47th Annie Awards.
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming is set ten years after the dragons left the Vikings in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, but within the film's epilogue. In this short film, Hiccup and Astrid's two children Zephyr and Nuffink believe that dragons are dangerous monsters after finding Stoick's old journals, leading Hiccup and Astrid to bring back the Snoggletog Pageant in order to convince them otherwise. Meanwhile, Toothless and the Light Fury's three Night Light children come to New Berk looking for Hiccup, prompting their parents to go after them.
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming four stars out of five, saying "fans who have watched Hiccup's and Toothless's relationship develop over the course of the movie trilogy will find it a heartwarming addition to the saga with poignant sentiments about treasuring the people (and dragons) we love, especially around the holidays."
How to Train Your Dragon: Snoggletog Log is a 28-minute slow television short film inspired by The Yule Log. It is a single continuous 28-minute shot of a Christmas fireplace with various gags involving the franchise's main characters, Viking and dragon alike, happening every so often. The short film, which was directed by Tim Johnson and written by Jonathan Groff and Jon Pollack, was released on Hulu on December 5, 2019.
A series of comic books, titled Dragons: Riders of Berk, were released by Titan Comics, starting with the first volume, Dragon Down, on April 30, 2014. The comics were written by Simon Furman and drawn by Iwan Nazif. Other volumes are Dangers of the Deep (2014), The Ice Castle (2015), The Stowaway (2015), The Legend of Ragnarok (2015), and Underworld (2015). Two more comic books were published on February 24, 2016, titled Dragons: Defenders of Berk. The following volumes are The Endless Night (2016) and Snowmageddon (2016).
Dark Horse Comics have released a series of graphic novels based on the franchise, starting with How to Train Your Dragon: The Serpent's Heir in 2016. The series was co-written by Dean DeBlois, writer and director of the film series, and Richard Hamilton, writer of Dragons: Race to the Edge, with the production designer of How to Train Your Dragon 2, Pierre-Olivier Vincent, providing cover artwork. The series took place between the events of the second and third film, with the first novel picking up right after the conclusion of the second film.
A Broadway-style production titled How To Train Your Dragon On Ice is currently on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.
How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular or How to Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular is an arena show adaptation of the original film. The show is being produced in partnership with Global Creatures, the company behind another arena show Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular, and directed by Nigel Jamieson. The score was composed by John Powell and Jónsi from Sigur Rós. Arena Spectacular features 24 animatronic dragons – 10 different species in various sizes: Nadder, Gronckle, Monstrous Nightmare, Night Fury (Toothless), Red Death, Skrill, Stinger, Kite Dragon, Zippleback and Egg Biter. It also features villagers and Vikings, including Hiccup (Rarmian Newton/Riley Miner), Astrid (Sarah McCreanor/Gemma Nguyen), Stoick (Robert Morgan), and Gobber (Will Watkins).
The show premiered as How to Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular on March 3, 2012, in Melbourne, Australia, and was followed by a New Zealand tour in April 2012. Renamed to How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular, it toured United States and Canada between June 2012 and January 2013, when it was cancelled in favour of taking the show to China where it premiered in July 2014. It was also planned to come to England but was later scrapped due to an increase in market demand in China.
In 2016, the German theme park Heide Park created a whole section of the park offering various rides based on the franchise called "How to Train Your Dragon: The Island". It offers three different flying attractions and a boat ride where guests venture into the dark Dragon Caves to meet and help Hiccup, Toothless and their friends.
The Dubai Hollywood-inspired theme park Motiongate Dubai also features a section of the park based on the films and television series. The most prominent attraction is the hanging roller coaster named "Dragon Gliders". Riders join Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, and Stormfly in flying through the caves of the Forbidden Island, where they come across an unexpected threat. Guests can also meet and greet with Hiccup, Toothless, and Astrid.
To promote How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Universal Studios Florida briefly had a limited-time virtual reality experience where guests could experience riding on Toothless, while Universal Studios Hollywood allowed visitors to meet and greet with Toothless. Universal Studios Beijing's Hollywood Boulevard area contains Untrainable, an immersive How to Train Your Dragon-themed stage show with largescale puppets and sets. In January 2024, it was announced that How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk would be one of the five lands of Universal Florida's fourth theme park Universal Epic Universe, which will open on May 22, 2025.
A Proslide KrakenRACER mat racing slide called Dragon Racers opened at DreamWorks Water Park at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on October 1, 2020, along with a Proslide and the world's tallest and longest hydromagnetic water coaster called Toothless Trickling Torpedo.
Having earned over $1.6 billion worldwide, How to Train Your Dragon is the 14th highest-grossing animated franchise.
The franchise was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.