How To Train Your Dragon: The Biggest Differences Between The Live-Action Remake And The Original

Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile. This article contains major spoilers for the "How To Train Your Dragon" remake and the original film.

Another day brings us yet another live-action remake of a beloved animated film and, this time, the DreamWorks feature "How To Train Your Dragon" finds itself squarely in the crosshairs. By all accounts, the new reimagining does precisely what it set out to do: follow the structure of the original practically beat for beat and scene for scene, but now with a shiny, live-action patina. (For more on that, check out Ethan Anderton's review for /Film here.) Although newcomer Mason Thames steps in for Jay Baruchel as our new Hiccup, much of everything else remains more or less the same. Gerard Butler reprises his role as Hiccup's stubborn Viking father Stoick. Everybody's favorite giant cat-masquerading-as-a-dragon Toothless looks exactly like he did 15 years ago. And, of course, writer-director Dean DeBlois was brought back to do almost everything he already did with the 2010 animated film.

I say almost, mind you, because there are still a few notable exceptions to that rule. Over the broad strokes of the remake, it's fair to say that the script remains firmly indebted to the animated hijinks we all watched before. In the micro, though? There are just enough differences sprinkled judiciously throughout the film to make a breakdown feel worthwhile. No, there isn't anything quite as significant as some of the biggest changes in, say, the live-action "Lilo & Stitch" remake. But for those who know their Zipplebacks from their Gronckles and their Nadders (and their respective power levels, naturally), there are a surprising amount of minor differences to be found. Strap on your shield and Viking helmet, and join me on this journey down below.

Here's some bad news for anyone who memorized every single scene from the original "How To Train Your Dragon" as kids — brace yourselves for when the remake glosses over a few incredibly minor moments that were present in the animated film. We know, it's traumatic. But, like the main message of the movie, hopefully we can all unite as one and get through this together.

We'll start with one of the earliest instances of this. In both movies, Hiccup secretly trains with Toothless in a hidden glade far from prying eyes. There's a good reason for this, as the rest of the Viking villagers would likely try to kill the wounded Night Fury dragon where he stood if they ever laid eyes on him in such a defenseless position. In the 2010 film, however, Hiccup takes quite a huge risk when he actually brings Toothless with him in the dead of night back to their town of Berk. Inevitably, he runs into his friend/rival/crush Astrid and has to frantically keep his pet dragon hidden. While trying to pull off this juggling act, Hiccup ends up on the receiving end of Astrid's mounting suspicions, to the point that she even demands to know why, in her words, "You're acting weird. Well, weirder." There's no such scene in the remake ... and we'd argue the movie doesn't really need it, anyway.

Elsewhere, and perhaps more glaringly, the remake also skips over another interaction with a dragon that feels rather crucial. After Hiccup's stirring first flight with Toothless, the pair catch their breath on a cliffside near the ocean. Several tiny dragons (known as Terrible Terrors) attempt to steal their collection of fish, which earns the wrath of Toothless in return. Taking pity, Hiccup feeds one of them and immediately gets rewarded with its puppy-like affections. This is the moment when Hiccup first remarks, "Everything we know about you guys is wrong." It's a quiet but meaningful realization which the remake repurposes (in dialogue, at least) later on in the film. This is hardly a deal-breaker, but it's one example of a live-action adaptation losing just a little bit in translation.

Purists, look away, because I'm going to compliment the remake on actually improving a few things on its predecessor. Yes, that means you'll have to go elsewhere to complain about how Astrid, previously depicted as a blonde and blue-eyed little Viking warrior, is now played by the brunette young actor Nico Parker (who's quite good in the film). And it goes on to expand on the rest of our supporting cast of characters — more than the original ever did, in fact.

There's Astrid's more detailed motivation, for starters. Before, her gripe against Toothless mostly felt like it was just treated as a given. All of her friends look down on our shrimpy main character and, given how competitive she is, it's reasonable she does, too. That couldn't be more different in the remake, where we're given an additional conversation between the two that helps define things a bit more clearly. After a long day of training, Astrid confronts Hiccup at the dining hall over his apparent disinterest in taking things seriously. She even calls him a nepo-baby, more or less, riding on the coattails of his father's position as leader of the village and never having to actually experience any hardship himself. It's a neat (if slightly on-the-nose) layer to add to their dynamic, and one that gives Astrid a little more agency and personality than her animated counterpart.

And then there's the extra material given to side characters. The mysterious village Elder Gothi (Naomi Wirthner) is introduced much earlier on than she is in the animated movie, making her feel much more integral to the story. But it's Snotlout, played by Gabriel Howell, who stands out the most. Not only does the remake ramp up his obnoxious crush on Astrid, but it also adds a running gag about his own father (played by Peter Serafinowicz) essentially ignoring his entire existence. This pays off quite heartwarmingly by the end when the two finally share a moment of love and affection together. At the same time, it gives us a glimpse into Snotlout's personal life that the others may not necessarily know about. Even a little bit of extra characterization goes a long way, and we're glad the remake went out of its way to give this group of actors something more to work with.

Even compared to movies made a little over a decade ago, modern blockbuster filmmaking tends to prioritize sound and fury above all else. That change in approach feels quite evident after watching both versions of "How To Train Your Dragon" in a relatively short amount of time. The original almost feels downright bold for how often it allows scenes to breathe and forces its audience (primarily kids) to sit with the silence at times. While the remake does carry some of this over, to its credit, there's also an undeniable emphasis on adding some more action into the mix.

This becomes clear early on after Stoick and his Viking warriors survive the opening dragon invasion of Berk and we actually get to see them punch back with an invasion of their own. In the original, we're shown as they set sail into the open ocean in search of the dragon nest. Just as they come under attack, though, the "camera" pulls back and we can only glimpse flashes of fiery light and silhouettes from afar before the film cuts away from the action entirely. In the remake, however, we actually stick with them throughout their battle — which they inevitably lose quite decisively. One could argue that this helps raise the stakes in the live-action retelling, but something tells us this was added in mostly to hold the attention spans of kids (and their parents) a little longer.

Similarly, there are a few other changes towards the end of the film in service of increased action. First and most obviously, the giant queen dragon hiding at the heart of the nest (known as a Red Death dragon) has actually been scaled up significantly compared to the animated movie. That size difference also requires a small cascade effect of changes in its own right, such as Stoick and his loyal friend Gobber (Nick Frost) having to use a trebuchet to get its attention, as opposed to simply throwing rocks at it. That in turn leads to a slightly more expanded final fight, including brand-new moments like Astrid getting stuck in the mouth of the Red Death and dodging its razor-sharp teeth. Individually, these are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. Added together, though, it feels like a lot more action than before.

You're freaking out about a change like Toothless dropping poor Astrid off on a rock in the middle of the ocean (instead of a tree, as in the original movie) when she first discovers Hiccup's secret; I'm preoccupied with all the repeated mentions of Hiccup's missing, presumed-dead mother and the not-so-subtle sequel implications therein — we are not the same! You can tell that the animated "How To Train Your Dragon" wasn't all that concerned with setting up material for a potential sequel, which eventually arrived in 2014. It was a largely self-contained story that simply relied on all of its excellent world-building details to keep audiences interested in whatever may unfold next. With the benefit of hindsight, the remake is in a unique position to lay a little more groundwork for the sequel(s) that will come after its inevitable box office success.

Those who haven't watched "How To Train Your Dragon 2," read no further! So, we know that the animated sequel resolves the "mystery" surrounding what happened to Hiccup's late mother, Valka. She's mentioned a grand total of one (1) time in the first film, when Stoick sits down for his awkward fatherly bonding moment with Hiccup and gifts him a helmet repurposed from her, er, breastplate armor. True to his emotionally unavailable form, he can't quite bring himself to talk about his late love all that much. But in the remake, we get multiple instances where either Hiccup or Stoick offhandedly mention their shared loss. Hiccup tells Astrid that he lost his mother to the dragons, while Stoick alludes to the same while talking to Gobber.

That might seem like nothing all that major, but this is almost certainly setting up the next "How To Train Your Dragon" sequel where Valka's unexpected return factors heavily into the story. That live-action sequel already has an official release date, slated for June 11, 2027. For now, while we wait, you can catch the remake in theaters everywhere.