With Universal Pictures finally deciding to stake its claim in the live-action remake space after watching Disney rake in billions for over a decade, How to Train Your Dragon (2025) marks their first attempt at translating a film from their Dreamworks animation library into live-action, and they did a completely serviceable job coping and pasting the original. 

That’s right – we’ve been in the thick of Hollywood’s live-action remake era for eleven years now. It started in 2014 with Disney’s Maleficent, which, at the time, fans were clamouring for, as it offered a fresh look at a classic animated movie that had come out over fifty years earlier. Since then, Disney has released at least one remake every year, with most of them being 1:1 copies of their original counterpart. Jumping from 2014 to 2025, the total count for Disney’s live-action remakes, considering both those released in theatres and exclusively on Disney+, now sits at nineteen.

Out of those, there are only a handful worth revisiting, such as Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), and Beauty and the Beast (2017). These films offer a unique kind of magic that sets them apart from the originals, enabling them to stand on their own, unlike the new How to Train Your Dragon, which falls precisely in the middle of the pack. 

This new version stars Mason Thames (The Black Phone (2021)) as Hiccup, the unconventional misfit son of Viking Chief Stoik the Vast, who oversees their Viking village on Berk, a fictional island that may be beautiful (although not as nearly much in live-action) except for it’s pest problem, pests that happen to be Dragons. 

In an attempt to prove himself to his father and village, Hiccup manages to trap a Nightfury, the deadliest dragon Vikings have ever encountered. Faced with killing the Nightfury, Hiccup decides to spare the beast, leading to one of the most heartwarming friendships put to screen since the original film came out fifteen years ago. 

Not only is this version boring whenever the dragons aren’t on screen, which is a significant portion of the runtime, but the movie often feels like a mediocre children’s theatre production of How to Train Your Dragon (2010). That isn’t a knock against the performances from Thames, Nico Parker (Astrid), or Gerard Butler, who returns as Stoik. Instead, it’s a stark reminder that you’re watching actors try to recreate something you’ve already seen done before in the same way, only better. It also doesn’t help that the costuming, sets, and props feel like they are wearing the actors instead of the other way around. 

Dean DeBlois, the Canadian filmmaker behind the original trilogy, agreed to direct the live-action remake after Universal made it clear they would move forward with or without him. It’s respectable that he remained on board to preserve a story that millions of people, including myself, hold near and dear to our hearts. Still, it’s difficult to view this remake as anything but a giant cash grab and advertisement for Universal Studios’ new ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ theme park, which recently opened inside Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida. 

John Powell’s breathtaking score, which is so synonymous with the original movie, is used in the same ways here; however, the way the score is mixed results in a softer version that’s almost relegated to the background. 

Additionally, this movie is visually unappealing, which is a shame considering the original film features some beautiful and thrillingly directed sequences, even if the animation is somewhat dated. 

This version’s opening sequence, like the original, depicts an intense battle between Berk’s villagers and an army of dragons, except it’s barely visible due to poor lighting. The scenic backgrounds throughout the film seem extremely artificial, which is strange considering it was primarily shot on location in Ireland. 

As a die-hard fan of the animated trilogy, there’s no world in which I would ever choose to rewatch this over the original. I understand why the film is sweeping away audiences, as the flying sequences are particularly impressive on the big screen. Beyond that, I’m not sure what the appeal of this remake is, given that it’s simply a watered-down version of the animated movie. 

While it isn’t offensive, unlike Disney’s most recent live-action adaptation, Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon is a painful reminder of the current IP-driven state of Hollywood. I wouldn’t be surprised if Universal announces a Shrek live-action remake in one month. 

Review Courtesy of Ethan Dayton

Feature Image Credit to Universal via Rotten Tomatoes