Writer-director Dean Deblois is back at the helm in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, and for him it feels like coming back home. “These characters and this universe have stayed with me, and now we can bring them back with such authenticity and conviction that, when audiences enter this world, they’ll never want to leave,” he says.
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How to Train Your Dragon takes audiences to the Isle of Berk, where there’s been a generational feud between Vikings and dragons. Hiccup (Mason Thames) unexpectedly finds a friend in the Night Fury Toothless, breaking centuries of animosity, together they try to forge bonds strong enough to face a looming threat that endangers the isle.
The original animated film How to Train Your Dragon was an adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s best-selling book series of the same. Having been the steward of the franchise for the animated trilogy, DeBlois recalls what drew him to the story of Hiccup and Toothless. “I’ve always been drawn to stories that weave meaning into moments of wonder,” DeBlois says. “How to Train Your Dragon is about finding the courage to see beyond fear and convention. Hiccup’s journey shows us the power of questioning what we’re taught and embracing the possibility of something greater. He’s mocked, ridiculed and misunderstood, but he stays true to his convictions—and that’s what makes his story so universal.”
With live-action offering new avenues for creativity, the filmmakers felt that expanding Berk was a key goal for How to Train Your Dragon. “We wanted Berk to feel like a true crossroads of Viking culture,” Emmy-winning producer Adam Siegel says. “Through our research and Dean’s work on the animated franchise, we discovered that dragon myths exist in cultures all over the world. That gave us the chance to bring in influences from many traditions and make this world feel even more diverse and interconnected.”
Deblois feels like this shift in perspective enriched the story of the film. ““We imagined the Vikings of Berk traveling far and wide, encountering warriors and mythologies from other lands,” DeBlois says. “By bringing these traditions together, we created a world where the threat of dragons unites people from vastly different backgrounds. It’s a story of finding common ground in the face of fear.”
Berk awaits as “How to Train Your Dragon” opens in Philippine cinemas on June 11.
