Fans of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, brace yourselves! The live-action remake is almost here, and an exclusive interview with director Dean DeBlois in The Hollywood Reporter offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative process behind bringing Hiccup and Toothless to life once again. What stands out most from this deep dive are DeBlois’s incredibly candid quotes, revealing the unique challenges and unexpected joys of adapting his own beloved animated work.
DeBlois, a Canadian filmmaker, has been dreaming of directing a live-action narrative for over thirty years. Yet, he never envisioned that his debut in this realm would be an adaptation of his own animated creations. What’s even more surreal, as he explains to THR, is that his first live-action feature is arriving in a theatrical landscape that also contains a live-action adaptation of his first animated film, Lilo & Stitch. He co-wrote and co-directed Lilo & Stitch for its 2002 release before moving on to the acclaimed 2010 How to Train Your Dragon. The animated fantasy-adventure became a critical and commercial hit, garnering two Oscar nominations, and DeBlois subsequently turned it into an equally successful trilogy. You can read the full interview here: The Hollywood Reporter interview.
One of the most striking revelations from the interview is DeBlois’s somewhat bewildered sentiment about having two of his animated films receive live-action adaptations around the same time. He confesses to THR: “Even now I can’t quite get my head around it, especially being that I’m intimately involved in one and a complete stranger to the other.” This immediately highlights a key difference in the Dragon remake: Universal’s respectful approach. DeBlois emphasizes this crucial distinction: “The big difference is that Universal approached me as the original filmmaker, which is something that I don’t think any of the Disney remakes have done. So that was flattering and an honor.” This respect, coupled with a perfectly human desire to protect his creation, was a major clincher for him: “And to be frank, I selfishly didn’t want to see somebody else’s version of [How to Train Your Dragon].” It’s clear that his involvement stems from a deep personal connection to the story and its characters.
DeBlois also candidly addresses the trepidation many animation directors feel when transitioning to live-action. He was acutely aware of the pitfalls, stating unequivocally: “I was hyper aware of the long list of animation directors who’ve attempted live-action and failed at it, and I didn’t want to be another one of those.” His dedication to preparation was exhaustive, involving watching “every behind-the-scenes making-of I could find, and every season of Project Greenlight, et cetera.” This speaks volumes about his commitment to getting this right, emphasizing that this isn’t just a director taking on a new project; it’s a craftsman meticulously honing his skills for a fresh challenge. He found his “sea legs” during principal photography, learning the crucial lesson of “handing it over to the actors” once the preparations were done.
And what about the new material? DeBlois confirms a significant addition of “at least 27 minutes of new material.” This isn’t just padding; it’s about enriching the narrative and characters. He explains, “A lot of individual scenes just grew because we allowed for the relationships to run a little deeper. So the action is dialed up, but so is the interplay between characters.” This promises a more nuanced and expansive portrayal of the world of Berk and its inhabitants, allowing for deeper exploration of relationships that were perhaps only hinted at in the original’s tight runtime. For instance, a scene where Hiccup is supposed to kill a Monstrous Nightmare now includes more time with Astrid and Hiccup in the tunnel, and more interaction between Stoick and Hiccup. The film also expands on Stoick’s ships venturing into the fog, a moment only “suggested in the animated movie,” to remind audiences of the true peril of dragons. DeBlois further reveals that he addressed “miniscule items that have driven [him] nuts the last 15 years,” including “how did all the Vikings get back to Berk at the end of the movie if the Red Death burned all of their ships?”
He even addresses long-standing “flaws” he’s lived with, noting, “One of the large ones was that I felt like we missed the boat on developing the other teenage characters, particularly Astrid. So I wanted to give her a little bit more purchase in the story and a sense of backstory and why her resentment is so acute when it comes to Hiccup and his position of privilege.” This commitment to refining and enhancing the story, rather than simply replicating it, bodes well for fans. He also mentions omitting certain scenes from the original, like Hiccup being accosted by Terrible Terrors on the beach, as the “storytelling was coming through loud and clear with the live-action performances.”
Perhaps one of the most heartwarming anecdotes involves the return of Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast, a role made possible by a stroke of luck (the 2023 actors’ strike!). DeBlois shares a touching moment where he dedicated the film to Butler’s late mother, Margaret Coll. He explains the gesture: “I knew that the loss of his mother was a deeply felt wound and that he was having a tough time recovering from it. So to honor her with a dedication in the credits just seemed like the right thing to do in that moment.” This personal touch truly speaks to the bond forged on set and the care DeBlois invests in his cast and crew. Regarding casting Hiccup, DeBlois recounts watching The Black Phone on a flight and immediately recognizing Mason Thames’s “serious acting chops.” He was thrilled to discover Mason was a lifelong fan who even dressed as Hiccup for Halloween.
Finally, the discussion turns to the iconic score by John Powell. DeBlois’s recollections of their collaboration are delightful: “My recollection is that every time we visited John’s studio on that first film, he just kept playing banger after banger.” He also reveals that music was played on set during filming, especially during key sequences like “Test Drive” and “Romantic Flight,” making the moments “magical” for the actors. DeBlois even recalls guiding Powell, sometimes having to “point to a melody within a longer piece of music and say, ‘Make it about that, because that’s the tune that I’m going to whistle walking out of here.'” Looking to the future, DeBlois is open to directing further live-action installments, stating, “If the world embraces this movie and we’re allowed to continue down this path, then it allows me the opportunity to course correct on some of those regrets that I’ve had to live with.” He views the live-action films not as replacements, but as opportunities to “explore and look down some dark alleys and pull out a little bit more depth and dimension with characters and unexplored story.”
DeBlois’s journey back to the world of How to Train Your Dragon in live-action is clearly a deeply personal and meticulously crafted endeavor. His quotes offer a rare and valuable insight into the mind of a filmmaker revisiting his own legacy, with a clear desire to honor the original while also pushing its boundaries. Get ready to reconnect with Hiccup and Toothless when How to Train Your Dragon opens in theaters nationwide on June 13th! This is one flight you won’t want to miss.
