How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film)

How to Train Your Dragon
In a night sky, Hiccup puts his hand over a dragon called Toothless
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Based onHow to Train Your Dragon
by Cressida Cowell
Produced byBonnie Arnold
Starring
CinematographyRoger Deakins (visual consultant)
Edited by
Music byJohn Powell
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures[1]
Release dates
  • March 21, 2010 (2010-03-21) (Gibson Amphitheater)
  • March 26, 2010 (2010-03-26) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$165 million[2]
Box office$494.9 million[2]

How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American animated fantasy film loosely based on the 2003 book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois and produced by Bonnie Arnold, from a screenplay that Sanders and DeBlois co-wrote with Will Davies, and stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig. The story takes place in Berk, a mythical Viking village; Hiccup, an undersized teen wishing to become a dragon slayer like the other Vikings, injures a rare Night Fury dragon but is unable to bring himself to kill it. He instead helps and befriends the dragon, and quickly discovers that things are not exactly as they seem in the conflict between Vikings and dragons.

In 2004, the book series began attracting the attention of the executives at DreamWorks Animation. After the success of Over the Hedge (2006), producer Bonnie Arnold shortly became interested in the newly acquired property. The directors of the film wanted to make sure to cash in the improvisation abilities of the secondary cast by frequently bringing them together in the recording sessions. The filmmakers hired cinematographer Roger Deakins (known for frequently collaborating with the Coen brothers) as a visual consultant to help them with lighting and aesthetic of the film and to add a live-action feel. John Powell composed the film's musical score.

How to Train Your Dragon premiered at the Gibson Amphitheater on March 21, 2010,[3] and was released in the United States on March 26, by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation. The film was a commercial success, grossing $494 million worldwide, becoming the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2010. It was widely acclaimed for its animation, voice acting, writing, musical score, and 3D sequences. The film was nominated for two awards at the 83rd Academy Awards and received numerous other accolades. How to Train Your Dragon is the first entry in what would become the multimedia franchise of the same name, which includes two more films—How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). A live-action reboot from Universal Pictures is scheduled to be released on June 13, 2025.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ a b How to Train Your Dragon at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ a b "How to Train Your Dragon (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference HTTYDPremiere was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Fraser, Kevin (February 15, 2023). "How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie is in the works". JoBlo.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Kit, Borys (February 15, 2023). "How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Movie in the Works from Dean DeBlois, Universal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 3, 2023). "'How To Train Your Dragon' Live-Action Feature Pushed Due To Actors Strike". Deadline. Retrieved November 3, 2023.