Summary
-
How To Train Your Dragon
has become an epic universe with three movies, TV shows, and holiday specials, creating depth for its characters over time. - Following Hiccup’s growth from teenager to Viking, the series showcases themes of leadership, friendship, and acceptance of dragons into society.
- The franchise expands its lore with spinoff TV shows like
Dragons: Race to the Edge
and the latest series,
Dragons: The Nine Realms
, set hundreds of years later.
The How to Train Your Dragon franchise has been a success since its first film hit the screen in 2010, and the universe of the DreamWorks movie has only continued to grow over time thanks to several sequels and TV spinoffs. Since its first release, How To Train Your Dragon has become an epic trilogy of movies, several shows, and even holiday shorts that create a fully-formed universe. Not many animated films get the chance to expand on their characters as much as this series did, and having so many installments helped provide depth to its heroes over time.
The series follows a growing teenager named Hiccup as he evolves into the Viking he’s meant to be. He learns to hold his ground, be as stubborn as any other Viking, and use his moral compass to determine the right path for his group of dragon riders, and eventually the whole island of Berk. He grows up on the big and small screen right in front of viewers’ eyes. While everything released in the franchise is important to Hiccup’s growth, it’s worth noting that every How To Train Your Dragon movie was released in sequence.
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How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
The Original That Spawned A DreamWorks Franchise
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Hitting theaters in 2010, the first film in the How To Train Your Dragon franchise was a great opener and introduction to the series, instantly capturing the imaginations of viewers and opening up a new avenue for DreamWorks to create an ongoing story. It’s funny, smart, and has characters that make the film lovable right from the start. Based on the book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, the original How To Train Your Dragon movie finds the island of Berk at constant war with dragons.
The film ends with Berk accepting dragons into their lives and letting them become a normal part of society, paving the way for the movies and TV shows to come.
One night, Hiccup shoots down a Night Fury, whom he later dubs “Toothless” with his invention. No one believes him because of his reputation as being weak, but that doesn’t stop him. Hiccup and Toothless become unlikely friends and develop a bond that brings them through battle together. The film ends with Berk accepting dragons into their lives and letting them become a normal part of society, paving the way for the movies and TV shows to come.
How to Train Your Dragon Where to Watch
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How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 animated film set in the Viking world of Berk, where Hiccup, the son of Stoick the Vast, befriends a dragon and defies the village’s traditional dragon-slaying ways, leading to a reevaluation of the Viking-dragon conflict.
Director Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders Release Date March 18, 2010 Cast Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson , America Ferrera , Jonah Hill Runtime 98 Minutes
DreamWorks Dragons – Riders Of Berk & Defenders Of Berk (2012-2015)
The First Lore-Expanding How To Train Your Dragon Spinoff
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DreamWorks Dragons was an animated show that ran on Cartoon Network for four seasons after the first film. The animation wasn’t quite of the same quality as the 2010 movie, but it helped expand its universe beyond what was possible in one film alone. It was split into two seasons of different names — Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk. The show picks up where the first movie ended, exploring the difficulties of Dragons becoming a part of Berk, and the Vikings who don’t want that change.
The show was a great way to expand the lore of the How To Train Your Dragon universe, which really felt like it had only been touched on by the conclusion of the first movie. It also explores the start of Hiccup’s journey through becoming better at training dragons. The series moved to Netflix for new episodes and merged into the second successful show in the franchise, Race to the Edge.
DreamWorks Dragons (2012) TV-PG
Set after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks: Dragons follows Hiccup and Toothless as they lead the young Viking crew from Berk to develop their skills, form deeper relationships with their dragons, and explore new territories.
Cast Jay Baruchel , America Ferrera , Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Zack Pearlman Release Date August 7, 2012 Seasons 8 Creator(s) Chris Sanders , Dean DeBlois
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Dragons: Gift Of The Night Fury (2011)
The How To Train Your Dragon Christmas Special
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Every holiday for a period of time, DreamWorks would release a collection of shorts that pulled from several of their most popular films. This included How To Train Your Dragon’s first Christmas special — Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury. While it doesn’t affect the movies, it does fall within the timeframe of DreamWorks Dragons, and there’s nothing to suggest that it isn’t canon.
It’s discovered that the dragons go away for mating season at this time of year, but they all eventually return in time for the holiday.
In Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury, dragons are disappearing right around Snoggletog, and because Toothless can’t fly on his own, he’s the only dragon that sticks around. It’s discovered that the dragons go away for mating season at this time of year, but they all eventually return for the holiday. It’s a cute and short way to revisit the fandom, and also helped give the universe its own spin on the holiday tradition.
Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury (2011) G
In this holiday spin-off of the How to Train Your Dragon series, As the Viking village of Berk prepares for its winter holiday, the dragons unexpectedly depart, leaving their human friends puzzled and saddened. “Gift of the Night Fury” follows Hiccup as he discovers the dragons have gone to participate in a secret migration ritual.
Director Tom Owens Release Date November 15, 2011 Cast Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson , America Ferrera , Jonah Hill , T.J. Miller , Kristen Wiig , Christopher Mintz-Plasse Runtime 22 minutes
Dragons: Race To The Edge (2015-2018)
Hiccup And The Gang Set Off On Their Own Adventure
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Following on from Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, the next How to Train Your Dragon TV show grew the universe immensely, and this was Dragons: Race to the Edge. It follows Hiccup and his friends as they’re turning 18. The show follows them beyond the boundaries of their world into a new sea system. There, they create an island stronghold for themselves and start their lives.
As well as being the same dragon-fueled fantasy that made the franchise so popular, Race To The Edge also had several coming-of-age themes, with Hiccup and his group’s journey feeling reminiscent of young adults going to college and starting to be independent. The plot lines are solid and incorporate the storylines from the films. Plus, this show also explains the path to Hiccup and Astrid’s romance that is already in full swing in How To Train Your Dragon 2.
Dragons: Race To The Edge (2015) TV-Y7
Set before the peace between dragons and Vikings, Hiccup and his friends discover a mysterious artifact called the Dragon Eye. The group embarks on daring adventures to new lands filled with undiscovered dragon species, battling mercenaries and uncovering secrets about their world and dragonkind.
Cast Jay Baruchel , America Ferrera , Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Zack Pearlman Release Date June 26, 2015 Seasons 6 Creator(s) Art Brown , Douglas Sloan
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How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
The Acclaimed Sequel To The 2010 Original
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How to Train Your Dragon 2 is one of the best-rated animated sequels to be released in the last few decades, taking everything that made the 2010 original so beloved and building on it. Following the success of the first, the second movie takes place two years after the ending of Dragons: Race to the Edge, and the Netflix series ended with a perfect lead into the next installment.
It also introduced Hiccup’s mother, who shares his affinity with dragons, making his disdain for killing them during the first movie (despite Berk’s culture being all about dragonslaying) suddenly much more understandable.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 introduced a surprise dragon villain and prepared Hiccup for the loss of his father. This film is the perfect middle ground as it has the main protagonist facing the struggles of being a new adult, and facing the possibility of large-scale leadership as he ages. It also introduced Hiccup’s mother, who shares his affinity with dragons, making his disdain for killing them during the first movie (despite Berk’s culture being all about dragonslaying) suddenly much more understandable.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 Where to Watch
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How to Train Your Dragon 2 is an animated adventure comedy that follows up shortly after the first film. This second entry in the trilogy finds Hiccup and Toothless exploring new worlds and charting unmapped territories. When the two discover a secret cave filled with new dragons and a mysterious Dragon Rider, the two will have to join forces to defeat a ruthless dragon hunter – a cruel and dangerous foe who threatens the freedom and safety of all dragonkind.
Director Dean DeBlois Release Date June 13, 2014 Cast Jonah Hill , Cate Blanchett , Kristen Wiig , Jay Baruchel , T.J. Miller , Gerard Butler , Christopher Mintz-Plasse Runtime 105 Minutes
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
The Third Film In The Cinematic Trilogy
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The third installment of this franchise, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, is a beautifully animated film that explores new worlds and new species of dragons, but all of that is countered with the fears of keeping a community alive while protecting multiple groups. The problems from the second installment seem to grow bigger in this film.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ups the stakes for the franchise significantly, and also ends on a surprisingly bittersweet note. Hiccup comes up against a villain who hates dragons and threatens their entire species. Not only does he face the throes of leadership, but his dragon does as well. They part ways at the end of The Hidden World, but when it skips several years in the future, the best friends reunite with their kids.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Where to Watch
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The third and final installment in the film franchise, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, follows the exploits of Hiccup and his dragon as they guide their village forward. Now chief of his village, Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia; Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. However, when danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.
Director Dean DeBlois Release Date February 22, 2019 Cast Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Jonah Hill , Cate Blanchett , Kristen Wiig , Craig Ferguson , T.J. Miller , Jay Baruchel , America Ferrera Runtime 104 Minutes
How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)
The Second How To Train Your Dragon Christmas Special
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How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming was a Christmas short released following How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World . It’s set in between the end of the movie and the epilogue that concludes the main franchise. Toothless’ children get intrigued about what humans do, and so they travel to the island of Berk to watch everyone celebrate Snoggletog, the Vikings’ version of Christmas.
There are also several heartwarming scenes, such as Gobber and Astrid starting a pageant to remind the citizens of New Berk how important the late Stoick is to their history.
The children are collected by their parents before ever interacting with Hiccup’s family, but it’s an adorable way to continue the legacy of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. It also shows just how intelligent the dragons in the franchise actually are, with moments such as Toothless drawing a diagram in the sand to explain to his offspring about Berk. There are also several heartwarming scenes, such as Gobber and Astrid starting a pageant to remind the citizens of New Berk how important the late Stoick is to their history.
How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019) PG
Years after dragons have left the village of Berk to live in the Hidden World, Hiccup plans a celebration to preserve the dragons’ memory for his young children and the newer generation of Vikings. Hiccup, Astrid, and their old dragon friends put together a pageant that reenacts their adventures with dragons, hoping to foster a lasting bond between humans and dragons.
Director Tim Johnson Release Date December 3, 2019 Cast Jay Baruchel , America Ferrera , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson Runtime 22 minutes
Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021-Present)
The Sequel Show Set 1300 Years After How To Train Your Dragon
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Chronologically, the last show in the How to Train Your Dragon universe is set hundreds of years after the original films. Dragons: The Nine Realms follows Tom (voiced by Jeremy Shada, better known as the voice of Finn in Adventure Time), a descendant of Hiccup, as he and a group of ragtag friends discover dragons again because of a cavern beneath their parents’ science base. Dragons: The Nine Realms‘ story sees the characters go through realms with different types of dragons, and have to protect them from being seen.
The show has several nods to the original characters, like the book of dragons being used, Hiccup’s family seal being found, and Tom’s dragon even being a descendant of Toothless. Notably, the most recent How to Train Your Dragon show features The Sixth Sense star Hayley Joel Osment in the cast as antagonist Leonard “Buzzsaw” Burne, a lumberjack-turned-bounty hunter.
Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021) TV-Y7
Set 1,300 years after the events of “How to Train Your Dragon,” this series explores a modern world where dragons are now just a myth to humans. A group of misfit kids discovers the truth about dragons living in a hidden realm beneath Earth, and must go to great lengths to keep their existence a secret from opportunistic humans.
Cast Jeremy Shada , Aimee Garcia , Ashley Liao , Marcus Scribner Release Date December 23, 2021 Seasons 8 Creator(s) Henry Gilroy
The Future Of The How To Train Your Dragon Franchise
Hiccup And Toothless Are Getting The Live-Action Remake Treatment
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DreamWorks isn’t done with How To Train Your Dragon yet, and the franchise is continuing in a bold new direction. When How To Train Your Dragon returns to the big screen in 2025, it won’t be for How To Train Your Dragon 4, but a live-action remake of the original 2010 film. It will be directed by Dean DeBlois, who also directed the animated movie trilogy in addition to Disney’s Lilo and Stitch. DeBlois isn’t the only returning name either, as Gerald Butler will be reprising his role as Stoick the Vast for the live-action remake.
The Black Phone
star Mason Thames will be playing the role of Hiccup, alongside
The Last Of Us’s
Nico Parker as Astrid.
The cast for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake has also been partially announced. The Black Phone star Mason Thames will be playing the role of Hiccup, alongside The Last of Us‘ Nico Parker as Astrid. They’ll also be joined by Bronwyn James of Lockwood & Co. fame as Ruffnut and Harry Trevaldwyn, known for his role in The Bubble, as Tuffnut. Finally, comic relief Gobber has been aptly cast with Nick Frost in the role, who’s known mostly for his work in Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy.
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
How to Train Your Dragon is a live-action adaptation of the 2010 film of the same name. Co-director of the first film, Dead DeBlois, is returning to direct the live-action treatment, with Nico Parker starring as Astrid and Mason Thames as Hiccup.
Director Dean DeBlois Release Date June 13, 2025 Cast Mason Thames , Nico Parker Studio(s) DreamWorks Pictures
How To Train Your Dragon Compared To Other Dreamworks Franchises
Shrek And Kung Fu Panda Have The Quantity But Not The Quality
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How to Train Your Dragon is one of several animated franchises that have brought Dreamworks a great deal of success over the years. The Shrek movies helped bring the studio into a new era of animated filmmaking while the Kung Fu Panda movies are still going strong with the fourth movie raking in over half a billion dollars at the worldwide box office in the summer of 2024 (via Box Office Mojo). In comparison to those movies, the How to Train Your Dragon franchise has been relatively simple.
With only three feature-length movies to date, How to Train Your Dragon is the shortest of the Dreamworks animated franchises. Kung Fu Panda has its four movies, while the Shrek franchise has had five movies in the main series, two Puss in Boots spinoff movies, and two holiday specials. However, the more tempered quantity of projects in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise has perhaps allowed for better overall quality.
Unlike the other two franchises, the How to Train Your Dragon series has remained consistent from the beginning, creating a stellar movie trilogy, with each entry earning an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. While Shrek and Kung Fu Panda have hit great heights, they have also fallen out of favor at times. The How to Train Your Dragon movies never gave fans reason to be disappointed and left them wanting more rather than getting tired of it in the end.