One How To Train Your Dragon Character Gets More To Do In The Live-Action Remake

There's not much from the original "How To Train Your Dragon" that Dean DeBlois' second live-action doesn't replicate. Hiccup (in this iteration played by Mason Thames) can't kill dragons, befriends one instead, and convinces the Viking residents of the island of Berk to love the winged nuisances who have been plaguing their land for years. And yet, between the test drives and carefully researched tickle spots on the flame-spitting fiends, the original film's director has managed to find more time for one particular character that helps our hero in his quest: Gabriel Howell's Snotlout Jorgenson.

In the 2010 film, Snotlout was voiced by Jonah Hill, and like the updated version, he's the pompous, arrogant member of the group trying to win Astrid's affections (then America Ferrera and now played by Nico Parker). Most of that is still there, albeit with an additional element that makes it a little bit more understanding as to why he's such an ass. In this version, Snotlout is, just like Hiccup, trying to impress and connect with his father, Spitelout (played here by Peter Serafinowicz and marking a "Shaun of the Dead" reunion with his former co-star Nick Frost). The efforts lead to the occasional laugh, thanks to Serafinowicz's deadpan delivery and warning his son that they should not speak to each other in public. Thankfully, just like Hiccup and Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, the only cast member from the animated films to reprise his role), the Jorgensons make amends by the end of the movie after Spitelout sees the bravery of his son.

One other character with a slight deviation is also one of the film's most important. Rival-turned-love-interest Astrid jumps through all the relevant hoops to line up with the animated iteration, thanks to the excellent performance from the perfectly cast Parker. However, there's a key moment in the film's final act where she gets more space to shine than in the 2010 film, thanks to some fitting decision-making from Hiccup.

In the 2010 version, the son of Berk's protector calls the shots before flying in to take on The Red Death (the alpha dragon) and rescue Toothless. However, in DeBlois' new version, he passes leadership duties to his romantic flame, Astrid, who gives the same orders that are dished out in the original. It's a small change, but an interesting choice that fortifies Astrid's place as equally heroic and headstrong as the person Hiccup is becoming, which makes their blooming relationship more understandable.

While it's one of the few barely noticeable alterations in a film that otherwise largely copies the original, it'll be interesting to see if DeBlois dares to venture further off the flightpath of the original trilogy when the live-action "How To Train Your Dragon 2" comes to theaters in 2027. By daring to invest a little bit more time with certain characters and explore their arcs in a deeper way, future installments could mix things up a little more than this remake did.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is in theaters now.