How To Train Your Dragon Live Action’s been a buzzy topic all summer, as families flocked to theaters to see it worldwide, bringing in more than $500 million globally and launching to positive reviews (including CinemaBlend’s). It’s easy to see why, too; it has the same enchanting narrative as the original, but with stunning dragon sequences and some tweaks that really update the film nicely. If you somehow haven’t caught the movie yet, there are really two things you need to know.
- The movie is (already) headed onto VOD and Digital platforms on July 15th, which is so very soon.
- There are two moments you absolutely need to watch out for.
How To Dragon 2 has already been greenlighted by Universal as part of its CinemaCon lineup this year, so there’s plenty of reason to check this one out for the first time, or give it a second or third or fourth watch.
How To Train Your Dragon Live Action Just Released In Theaters A Month Ago
I still can’t believe How To Train Your Dragon hit theaters one month ago. In truth, time has flown, pun intended, since How To Train Your Dragon released in theaters. But the flick will be hitting homes to own or rent starting on July 15th. About a month later, 4K and Blu-Ray releases will also go out on August 12th.
Honestly, I’ve already perused through the extras on the disc and if you are interested in things like ‘Building Berk,’ goofy gag reels heavily featuring Gerard Butler or more behind-the-scenes looks and facts about the making of the movie, there’s a lot to dive into. Even if you aren’t into Butler goofing around on set, the extras go out of their way to show us how much the movie filmed practically the first time around.
There’s a lot to unpack with the set, including some fun tidbits:
- Director Dean DeBlois has a fun cameo in the movie.
- That puppets and more were used practically to give sightlines and also give the Vikings something real to interact with.
- That the handmade book of dragons was the most expensive practical prop on set! Who knew?
For me, I’m gonna give the movie a second whirl after seeing it on the big screen, because there are two major moments I’m pumped to dive into again.
The Two Moments I Can’t Wait To Rewatch
[To note, I’m about to talk some movie scenes, but this is not particularly spoiler-y, particularly for anyone who has even just seen the animated flicks.]
When I was at Epic Universe earlier this year, I spoke with Dean DeBlois and producer Adam Siegel about the big moment in the movie they both referred to as the How To Train Your Dragon “test drive.” This would be none other than the scene where Toothless and Hiccup fly together over gorgeous, lush landscapes for the first time.
I’m not overstating when I say there were claps in the theater and a wave of emotion actually came over me during that scene. Both the director and the producer told me that they knew if the audience liked that one moment, they’d done their job correctly.
For me it’s also the scene I want to revisit most from the comfort of my own home. It’s not the only scene though. There are a lot of fun dragon training moments, but one other particular scene between Gerard Butler and Mason Thames also stuck out to me while watching. It really highlights the on set father-son relationship the two were able to cultivate to get the movie to work, and the distance between the two characters and their priorities and beliefs.
The scene is so great, the book’s author Cressida Cowell also told me it’s what stands out to her when she thinks of How To Train Your Dragon‘s live action merits, and it’s definitely one I’d like to revisit.
All in all, there’s a lot to see and do once the movie hits homes, and you literally don’t have to wait much longer!
