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- By Junior Journalist Lexi le Roux
The live-action remake isn’t the same as the animation. Full stop. This was always my philosophy when watching movies… until now. One trip to Pukekohe’s Cinema 3 has rendered me silent in awe.
How to Train Your Dragon has been a DreamWorks hit since 2010, and honestly, why wouldn’t it be? The characters are unforgettable, the animation is stunning, and themes such as empathy, friendship, and bravery are intricately woven into its seams. It’s impossible to watch these movies without wanting a pet dragon yourself.
When I learned that there was to be a live-action remake released in 2025, I had one resounding thought: ‘This will destroy the franchise’.
Never have I been more wrong.
I didn’t dare hope that I would feel the same nostalgia as the animation at the sight of Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless, gliding over cliffs, and I certainly hadn’t the slightest glimmer of hope that the actors would embody their characters so impressively. The CGI was just as good. Seeing those dragons left me slack-jawed in wonder, especially in iconic flight scenes.
Good stories are gripping, satisfying, and hard to find, but great stories are variables for people – a great story is one where you can see a reflection of yourself. For all of those people who have ever felt left out, constantly doubting themselves, wishing that they had a friend in this world, they may see a very startling reflection of themselves in the young boy called Hiccup.
I know I did.
Every time I see a silhouette blot out the stars, I think of one word: Dragons. Every cat chasing the refracting sunlight of my watch, every tree fallen over in the woods, and every drawing etched in the sand, makes me think of one little word: Dragons.
The live-action How to Train Your Dragon didn’t just give a reason for people to feel the original joy of the animations; it gave people a reason to continue living out the reality of some of Hiccup’s most iconic words: “There were dragons when I was a boy…”
- Lexi le Roux is homeschooled in Franklin
