By Eva Tweeten
“Was it worth it?”
This question was on many people’s minds when the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” movie came roaring into theaters. While live-action remakes of popular animated films have been popular since the release of Disney’s “Cinderella” in 2015, the reviews of these movies have steadily plummeted since then. The commercial failure and poor reception of the 2025 release “Snow White” is proof of this. But just as studios seemed to be pulling back from their live-action releases, “How to Train Your Dragon” blasted its way through the box office, ensuring that live-action remakes are here to stay.
Unsurprisingly, the siren song of money from a pre-existing, popular source is one that studio executives cannot resist. As with past remakes, fans understand that revenue is the main driving force behind the recreation of popular movies. And “How to Train Your Dragon” did not disappoint on this front. But while money alone may be enough to motivate the production of these live-action remakes, fans of the original movies hope that the directors have a vision that will make the story worth retelling.
In the case of the 2025 film, there were a few minor changes of note. As to be expected, there was a great internet dispute over the casting decisions, from the race-swapping of Astrid (Nico Parker) to the drastic change in character design of Ruffnut and Tuffnut (Bronwyn James and Henry Trevaldwyn).
Alterations were also made to the dragons, who, save for Toothless, all underwent major redesigns to make them appear more realistic and terrifying. But while deviations from an original film will always fluster fans, these changes do not define the quality of a film.
In an attempt to please fans of the original film, the 2025 movie was almost a shot-by-shot recreation of the original. Unfortunately, this made the few changes even more disorienting to viewers. The absence of a single line or addition of a few sentences threw off audience members familiar with the original without adding much, if anything, to the story. Some innocuous changes are made, such as when terms like “Top Slayer” and “Trial of Flame” are heavily pushed for use in the movie, despite their addition making little impact on the story itself.
Other changes fall even flatter, such as telling the audience that Astrid is the leader of the teenage Vikings rather than simply showing her leadership and headstrong nature. This decision shallows out her character and leaves viewers with little to learn and invest in. This once again raises the question: If a director has nothing new to add to the story, why remake the movie?
For better or worse, there was one scene change that deeply impacted the story. Fans of the original movie may recall the moment after Toothless and Hiccup’s first flight, where the two of them interact with a group of Terrible Terrors, marking the first friendly interaction Hiccup has ever had with a dragon other than Toothless. As one of the tiny dragons curls up beside him, Hiccup remarks, “Everything we know about you guys is wrong.”
But in the 2025 remake, this scene is removed entirely. Audiences never learn what causes Hiccup to believe that all dragons can be “trained” or even lived alongside in harmony. In the absence of this scene, Hiccup’s worldview is never shaken upside down the way it is meant to be. This scene is meant to show Hiccup that Toothless is not just an exception to the rule of violent dragon behavior. Without it, Hiccup’s belief in the good of dragons comes off as naive, rather than justifiably hopeful.
As the theater lights rose, I watched the names of all those involved with the creation and production of the movie scroll by. I could see how much time and effort had been poured into this movie. I knew that everyone involved wanted to honor the love audiences had for the original film, while still trying to prove why it warranted a remake.
The question was still unanswered in my mind.
Was it worth it?
Honestly, I don’t know.
“How to Train Your Dragon” is available to rent on Prime Video
Eva Tweeten is a Junior Psychology major who loves analyzing books and movies. She is also a big animal lover who helps train service dogs in her free time!
Images courtesy of Universal Pictures
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