How to Train Your Dragon (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Chris Sanders
Dean DeBlois
Produced by Bonnie Arnold
Screenplay by
Will Davies
Dean DeBlois
Chris Sanders
Based on How to Train Your Dragon
by Cressida Cowell
Starring
Jay Baruchel
Gerard Butler
Craig Ferguson
America Ferrera
Jonah Hill
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
T.J. Miller
Kristen Wiig
Music by John Powell
Edited by
Darren T. Holmes
Maryann Brandon
Production
company
DreamWorks Animation
Distributed by Paramount Pictures1
Release dates
March 26, 2010
Running time
98 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $165 million[1]
Box office $494.8 million[1]
How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated action-fantasy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures.1 Loosely based on the British book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell, the film was directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the duo who directed Disney's Lilo & Stitch. It stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
The story takes place in a mythical Viking world where a young Viking teenager named Hiccup aspires to follow his tribe's tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with his chance at at last gaining the tribe's acceptance, he finds that he no longer wants to kill it and instead befriends it.
The film was released March 26, 2010 and was a critical and commercial success, earning acclaim from film critics and audiences and earning nearly $500 million worldwide. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score at the 83rd Academy Awards, but lost to Toy Story 3 and The Social Network, respectively. The movie also won ten Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature.
A sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, was written and directed by Dean DeBlois and released on June 13, 2014 and was also universally acclaimed and a box office success. A second sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 3 is to be released on June 29, 2018. The film's success has also inspired other merchandise, including a video game and a TV series.
Contents [hide]
1 Plot
2 Voice cast
3 Production
4 Music
5 Release
5.1 Competition for 3D screens
5.2 Box-office
5.3 Critical reception
5.4 Accolades
5.5 Home media
6 Expanded franchise
6.1 Sequels
6.2 Short films
6.3 Television series
6.4 Video games
6.5 Ice show
6.6 Arena show
7 See also
8 Notes and references
8.1 Notes
8.2 References
9 External links
Plot[edit]
The island of Berk is a remote Viking village, from which dragons periodically steal livestock. Hiccup, the awkward son of village chieftain, Stoick the Vast, is too small to fight the dragons and instead fashions mechanical devices under his apprenticeship with Gobber the blacksmith. During one attack, Hiccup believes he has shot down a Night Fury, an extremely rare and dangerous dragon. Hiccup later finds it trapped in his bolas but finds that he can't bring himself to kill the dragon and instead sets it free. Stoick assembles a fleet to find the dragons' nest, leaving Hiccup in a dragon-fighting class taught by Gobber. Hiccup realizes that the Night Fury cannot fly properly because of its crippled caudal fin. Hiccup gradually domesticates the dragon and gives it the name "Toothless", for its retractable teeth. Hiccup makes a harness and prosthetic fin that allows him to guide the dragon in free flight. By studying Toothless' behavior, Hiccup becomes proficient in subduing the captive dragons kept for training. Stoick's fleet arrives home unsuccessful, but he is cheered by Hiccup's success.
Astrid, a tough Viking girl who Hiccup has a crush on, discovers Hiccup is training Toothless but before she can tell the village, Hiccup takes her for a ride to demonstrate his relationship with the dragon. Toothless unexpectedly takes the pair to the dragons' nest where they discover a gigantic dragon named the Red Death2 that eats the smaller dragons unless they bring it stolen livestock.
Back at the village, Hiccup trains a captive dragon instead of subduing it in front of his father but Stoick mistakenly angers the dragon. Toothless attempts to protect Hiccup in the ensuing panic but is instead captured by the Vikings. Hiccup accidentally reveals to Stoick that Toothless is capable of locating the dragons' nest. Stoick disowns his son and sets off for the nest with Toothless as a guide. The Vikings expel most of the dragons but are overwhelmed by the Red Death until Hiccup, Astrid and their fellow pupils fly in riding the training dragons from the academy and provide cover fire. Hiccup almost drowns trying to break Toothless free from a sinking ship but Stoick saves them both and then reconciles with his son. Toothless and Hiccup destroy the Red Death but Hiccup's left foot is torn off in the fight. Hiccup regains consciousness on Berk where his foot has been replaced by a prosthesis. The Vikings and the dragons now live in peace.
Voice cast[edit]
Jay Baruchel as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III: companion of Toothless, a Night Fury.
Producer Bonnie Arnold declared that Hiccup's appeal emerges from Baruchel's voice acting and the character's mannerisms making him a "slightly offbeat character."[2]
Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast, the chieftain of the Viking tribe and Hiccup's father. A fierce, immensely strong and utterly fearless, warrior.
Director Chris Sanders described Stoick as "representing everything that's Viking", and thus a very important character in how he intimidates his son Hiccup. Butler considered that "half my career led me into playing a role like this," particularly Beowulf & Grendel, which is set in the Viking age, and was trying to avoid depicting Stoick as villainous, instead aiming for "a character that we can all identify, he's not just big and tough, also vulnerable."[2]
Craig Ferguson as Gobber the Belch: blacksmith, a close friend of Stoick's, and training master of the young warriors. He is the mediator between Hiccup and Stoick. He is missing his right foot and his left hand, the latter of which he has replaced with a variety of specialized prosthetics.[3]
Director Dean Deblois said Gobber's characterization drew a lot from how Ferguson's comedic routine "takes a really dark situation and phrases it in a way there's always a punchline."[2]
America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's fellow-student.
DreamWorks had long been interested in having Ferrera voicing one of their movies and, once invited, the actress picked up Cressida Cowell's book, which made her accept the job. Bonnie Arnold complimented how Ferrera "has a strong voice, but also a lot of heart in it" that helped make Astrid sympathetic even as she continued being rough to Hiccup.[2]
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Ingerman: an enthusiastic youth, knowledgeable in dragon lore narrated role-playing game terms. [4]
Bonnie Arnold declared Mintz-Plasse's voice made them immediately think of Fishlegs, as the character's big frame needed something to contrast, and the actor's "squeaky, small voice" was perfect to complement a "dragon nerd".[2]
Jonah Hill as Snotlout Jorgenson, one of Hiccup's dragon-training classmates. Snotlout is brash, overconfident, and fairly unintelligent but, at times, reliable.
T. J. Miller and Kristen Wiig as Tuffnut and Ruffnut Thorston, a pair of quarrelsome twins.
David Tennant as Spitelout. A Viking who is not named in the film, he appears to be Stoick's second-in-command and Snotlout's father. Tennant has previously narrated a series of Hiccup adventures on audio book.[5]
Robin Atkin Downes as Ack
Philip McGrade as Starkard
Kieron Elliot as Hoark the Haggard
Ashley Jensen as Phlegma the Fierce
Production[edit]
Early production concept artwork of "Toothless" and "Hiccup".
The book series by Cressida Cowell began coming to attention to the executives at DreamWorks Animation in 2004. Coming off her success in Over the Hedge, producer Bonnie Arnold shortly became interested in the newly acquired property. She kept focusing on the project as time went on, and when DreamWorks Animation co-president of production Bill Damaschke asked her what she wanted to work on next, she chose “How to Train Your Dragon”.[6]
In initial development, the plot followed the original novel closely, but about halfway through production Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the writer-directors of Disney's Lilo & Stitch, took over as co-directors and it was altered. The original plot was described as, "heavily loyal to the book", but was regarded as being too "sweet" and "whimsical" as well as geared towards a too-young demographic, according to Baruchel.[7] In the novel, Hiccup's dragon, Toothless, is a Common or Garden Dragon, a small breed. In the film, Toothless is a Night Fury, the rarest of all dragons, and is large enough to serve as a flying mount for both Hiccup and Astrid. The filmmakers hired cinematographer Roger Deakins (known for frequently collaborating with the Coen brothers) as a visual consultant to help them with lighting and overall look of the film and to "add a live-action feel".[7] Extensive research was done to depict both flight, as the directors knew they would be the biggest draw of the film's 3D effects, and fire, given animation could break away from the limitations seen in live-action films, where propane flames are usual due to being easier to extinguish. The dragons' design made sure to create animals that were comical and also innovative compared to other dragon fiction. Toothless in particular tried to combine various dragon traits in a black panther-inspired design, that also had large ears and eyes to convey emotion better.[8]
The directors made sure to cash in the improvisation abilities of the secondary cast — Christopher Mint