It’s a movie-accurate toy that features Toothless’ plasma blast action and giant wings and a long tail.

The toy is easy to assemble. Open the packaging, remove the twist ties, and snap the wings and tail to the body. Once that is done, you push a button on his back to have him open his mouth, with sound effects and lights coming out of it. There is an on and off button, so make sure it’s on and the battery has juice.

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Mason Thames takes on Hiccup with charm and conviction, bringing a fresh spin while honoring the character’s spirit. His chemistry with Toothless is every bit as magical, with their bond carrying the film’s emotional core. The battles bring a visceral punch, but it’s the quiet, tender exchanges that remind you why this story resonates.

The film is also stunning visually. Berk feels expansive and lived-in, and the creature design translates beautifully into live action. The spectacle is grand, but it never overwhelms the central message of empathy, courage, and growing up.

If there’s a drawback, it’s the lack of bold reinvention. The film sticks closely to the blueprint, offering comfort more than freshness. Yet when most live-action remakes stumble, this one soars. Respectful, beautifully crafted, and emotionally satisfying, How to Train Your Dragon proves that some stories are worth retelling—especially when told with this much heart.

Movie Review: 4/5 atoms

Video

How to Train Your Dragon is available on Ultra HD Blu-ray in a native 4K, HEVC / H.265, Dolby Vision/HDR10 presentation with a mix of 2.39:1 and 1.90:1 aspect ratios. Black levels are generally strong, with shadows and darker scenes holding a deep, inky richness. That said, specific sequences lean softer, where blacks drift into lighter grays instead of maintaining full depth. Additionally, the film’s earthy palette grounds the Viking world, while bursts of vibrant hues — like the fiery reds, lush greens, or glowing blues of Toothless’ plasma blasts — really pop. These colors consistently appear bold and well-saturated. Clarity and detail shine throughout. From the scales on the dragons to the Vikings’ costumes, the textures across the landscapes are rendered with precision.

Video Review: 5/5 atoms

Audio

How to Train Your Dragon is available on Ultra HD Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos or a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio presentation if Atmos is not supported. This review will cover the Blu-ray’s Dolby Atmos mix. While moments of dynamic panning are limited, the track’s strength lies in its accuracy, placing sounds exactly where they belong within the soundstage. This is most evident during dragon flight sequences, where the whoosh of wind, the flap of wings, and the thunder of roars sweep fluidly through the surround channels. Overhead effects lean more toward a dome-like effect than distinct pinpoint cues, but the sense of vertical space still adds scale to the action.

The score is another standout, filling the room with clarity and depth. Individual instruments are well-isolated across the soundstage, and the orchestration reverberates beautifully without overwhelming the mix. Dialogue remains crisp and intelligible throughout, even in the film’s busiest moments. Whether in quiet conversations or amid chaotic battle scenes, voices cut cleanly through the sound design.

Audio Review: 5/5 atoms

Special Features

How to Train Your Dragon has no bonus features on the Ultra HD disc. However, the following bonus features can be found on the HD Blu-ray disc:

• Deleted Scenes
  • Village Sneaking
  • Beach Break
• Gag Reel
• Love and Legacy: Making How to Train Your Dragon
• Building Berk
• Dreaming Up the Dragons
• Fit for a Viking
• Forbidden Friendship
• Test Drive
• Feature Commentary with Director/Writer Dean DeBlois

Features Assessment

There are two deleted scenes that are included, both with introductions by Director/Writer Dean DeBlois. A gag reel is also featured, though it’s more lighthearted than laugh-out-loud, with a collection of gaffes, slip-ups, and general on-set silliness.

The featurettes do the heavy lifting here. Love and Legacy: Making How to Train Your Dragon is an engaging behind-the-scenes look, exploring everything from casting and set design to the challenges of bringing dragons to life and the themes driving the story. Building Berk focuses on the immersive production design, highlighting the handcrafted sets, props, and weapons that ground the fantasy world in tactile detail. Fit for a Viking shifts attention to the costume department, with Dean DeBlois and designer Lindsay Pugh walking viewers through the meticulous process of crafting the film’s wardrobe.

Fans will especially appreciate Forbidden Friendship and Test Drive, both of which show “in-progress” versions of key sequences. These include Mason Thames working directly with Toothless’ puppeteer, as well as an impressive animatronic dragon used to simulate flight — intercut with final footage for comparison.

Rounding out the package is a feature-length commentary by DeBlois. It’s an excellent track filled with practical anecdotes and creative insights, from location scouting in the Faroe Islands to casting choices, production design, and even the small but deliberate details like Gobber’s shifting prosthetic. DeBlois also shares how he played music on set to help actors lock into the emotional beats, and he draws interesting contrasts between shaping this live-action adaptation versus his work on the original animated trilogy.

Special Features Review: 4/5 atoms

Overall, How to Train Your Dragon is a fantastic live-action adaptation that is both beautifully crafted and emotionally satisfying. The video and audio presentations are stellar, while the bonus features are both informative and perfect for fans.

Overall Review: 4.5/5 atoms

How to Train Your Dragon is now available in stores on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

This Blu-ray was provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment for review purposes.

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Starring as the live-action versions of fan-favorite characters are Mason Thames as Hiccup, Nico Parker as Astrid, and Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick the Vast. The film follows Hiccup, a young blacksmith apprentice who is gifted at creating mechanical devices. He would later befriend a Night Fury dragon, calling him Toothless.

Astrid, on the other hand, is a young warrior on the rise, and she is curious about Hiccup’s sudden rise to popularity and discovers his secret friendship with Toothless.

“I was very hush about whether we would do a second one or not,” Parker tells Nerd Reactor about the How to Train Your Dragon sequel. “Because the idea of speaking about it so much and then us not getting to make the second movie would have been so crushing, because of how much I love everyone that worked on this job. So the fact that we get to do it all again, and I get to work with these people who I just adore is a privilege.”

About How to Train Your Dragon

Synopsis: On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Nico Parker) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Snow White and the Huntsman, Shaun of the Dead) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding.

As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.

How to Train Your Dragon is written, produced and directed by DeBlois.

The film also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).

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Of all the live-action remakes Hollywood continues to churn out, few have grasped why the original animated films were successful in the first place. That’s what makes How to Train Your Dragon such a welcome surprise. This isn’t a cold, corporate attempt to cash in on nostalgia—it’s a film that feels like it was made with genuine love, care, and a deep understanding of what made the original soar.

Director Dean DeBlois returns to adapt his own work (and the book), and it shows. The story remains largely the same, but what’s remarkable is how it retains all the charm of the original while enhancing it in unexpected ways. There are moments here—soaring flight sequences, tender interactions between Hiccup and Toothless—that somehow feel even more emotional in live action. It’s the kind of visual storytelling that reminds you why this franchise captured so many hearts in the first place.

How to Train Your Dragon is a soaring adaptation that flies high on heart, even if it plays it a little too safe.

Mason Thames steps into the role of Hiccup with confidence and heart. He’s not simply mimicking Jay Baruchel’s iconic voice performance—he brings his own spin while still honoring the character’s soul. The film gives him plenty of room to grow, and his chemistry with Toothless is just as magical this time around. When the big battles arrive, they hit hard, with some truly explosive action that will leave audiences as breathless as they were in 2010.

Visually, the film is a stunner. The creature design translates shockingly well to live action, and the sweeping landscapes of Berk feel vast and lived-in. It’s a film packed with spectacle, but none of it overshadows the emotional core. This is still a story about understanding, about forging bonds in the face of fear, and about growing up. That message remains just as resonant today.

That said, for all its heart and high-flying spectacle, How to Train Your Dragon doesn’t offer much in the way of originality. It hits the familiar beats without straying too far from the blueprint. While that’s comforting, it also limits the freshness of this remake. It’s a film that succeeds because the foundation is already rock solid—but it never fully justifies its own existence beyond being “the live-action version.”

Still, when the bar for live-action remakes has been so low, this movie clears it with ease. It’s everything a remake should be—respectful, beautifully crafted, and emotionally satisfying. While it may not breathe new fire into the story, How to Train Your Dragon proves that some tales are worth retelling—especially when told this well.

Review: 4/5 atoms

How to Train Your Dragon hits theaters on June 13th.

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The one sequence I want to mention is how the live-action take on Hiccup and Toothless’ first flight was breathtaking. I felt emotional with how it was brought to life as we saw the rush and beauty of the two friends flying in the sky. Some of the scenes’ CGI wasn’t finished yet, but it made me excited to see the full version.

Dean DeBlois on Why He’s Making a Live-Action How to Train Your Dragon

Since this is a live-action film adapted from a classic animated film, some critics have voiced their concerns. And yes, the director knows about their concerns and has something to say about that.

“There are always going to be people who are like, ‘I boycott this,’ you know,” DeBlois tells a group of us during the reception. “They can watch the animated movie, but I also think that we are making it with a lot of love and a lot of respect for what the animated movies are. Not to replace those animated movies, because I’m proud of them. But I also think there’s room to play with it a little bit and expand it and enrich some of those relationships in the way that live actors can do when you put a camera on them, and if you get the right chemistry.”

DeBlois on Capturing Iconic Scenes

The film will have new and expanded scenes while also adapting iconic scenes from the animated film. These include the forbidden friendship where Hiccup and Toothless are drawing in the sand and they touch for the first time, flying together for the first time, and more.

“We very carefully tried to mimic with the live-action crew in our set and our camera tried to mimic those scenes almost shot for shot, knowing that we’re going to use John Powell’s music through that,” DeBlois replied to Nerd Reactor about bringing the iconic scenes to life.” Because we thought that would be a neat way to kind of honor what came before and sort of acknowledge the fans. We deliberately were very close in terms of shot for shot.”

DeBlois described a new scene involving Stoic and the dragon’s nest.

“In other places, we just expand,” the director said. “We kind of take a scene into a place that was never there. One example would be when Stoic first ventures into the fog, looking for the nest. In the animated movie, the ship literally goes into the fog and there’s a flash and a dragon silhouette and the scene’s over. In this movie, we can indulge that.

“And so we play into the mystery that we go into the fog with them. We can hear the dragons around us, they slowly attack and you get to rachet up the peril and the seriousness of Stoic’s purpose. As Hiccup is befriending dragons and he’s telling the audience essentially, ‘Oh, they’re just all misunderstood and they’re just big pets,’ we also remind them they’re dangerous as ****.”

About How to Train Your Dragon

Synopsis: On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

With the fierce and ambitious Astrid and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding.

As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.

Genre: Epic Action-Adventure

The film was written and directed by Dean DeBlois. It stars Mason Thames (The Black Phone), Gerard Butler (300, How to Train Your Dragon), Nico Parker (HBO’s The Last of Us), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Nightsleeper), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (The Acolyte), Ruth Codd (Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher), Peter Serafinowicz (The Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (The Northman).

How to Train Your Dragon flies into theaters on June 13, 2025.

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