The New Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon Trailer Has Finally Won Us Over

We shouldn't be excited about this. Every minute we've wasted watching disappointing cash-ins of animated classics run through the live-action moviemaking machine tells us that the new take on "How to Train Your Dragon" will be just another money maker. And yet, there's something about seeing Mason Thames' version of Hiccup taking his new pal Toothless on his first test flight set to John Powell's score that will undoubtedly stir something in fans, courtesy of the brand new trailer for the upcoming film from director Dean DeBlois.

Looking to make no attempt to escape from the flight plan of the original 2010 film, the new trailer for "How to Train Your Dragon" packs a powerful scalebound punch while showing us all the familiar scenes that we've come to know. Hiccup is the once again misunderstood son of Viking Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler reprising his role from the original film and looking great doing it), who, along with the rest of the island of Berk, is dedicated to vanquishing dragons that terrorize the land. Of course, leave it to the heroic Hiccup to befriend one of the most feared breeds of dragons, the Night Fury, and prove that these bitey, burny creatures aren't that bad after all. 

But then, telling the story again isn't the hard sell, it's how it's being told that's more important. Thanks to this IMAX-pushing preview, there's a lot on show to suggest that Universal might just be about to crack the code that the Mouse House has been cashing in on for years.

Following the box-office bomb that was "Snow White" and Disney's swift pullback on any further remakes of their classic back catalog (via The Hollywood Reporter), it's interesting to see that the studio across the way might not just be playing Disney at their own game, but doing a dramatically better job of it. With critics united over just how good this new take on "How to Train Your Dragon" is, along with the astonishing effort being made in making Berk a reality at the Epic Universal theme park, there's clearly a massive push for the franchise and it could be because they know just how much of a win they have on their hands.

Like it or not, with a live-action sequel remake already greenlit, there really is no stopping this monster, and we're willing to see what it has to offer before we pass judgment. Add in that the film has the supporting cast comprised of the likes of Nick Frost as Stoic's pal Gobber the Belch, and Nico Parker as Hiccup's imminent love interest Astrid, and "How to Train Your Dragon" could be swooping in with a level of success we didn't see coming. 

See for yourself when the film lands in theaters on June 13, 2025.