The first trailer for the live-action remake ofHow to Train Your Dragonwas just released, and with it has come a slew of questions relating to the project. The original film was released in 2010 by DreamWorks, telling the story of a young Viking named Hiccup who befriends a Dragon called Toothless against the wishes of his dragon-hating village. AHow to Train Your Dragonremakealways seemed like an odd choice, as the original film is already a timeless classic, and unfortunately, the live-action version has already made a misstep when it comes to the fan-favorite dragon Toothless.
While thelive-actionHow to Train Your Dragon’s castlooks good, and a single teaser trailer isn’t enough to write off an entire movie, Toothless is one aspect that the live-action film has to nail, and so far,there is one part of his introduction that the new film seems to have missed. While visually, the live-actionHow to Train Your Dragon’s Toothless looks goodand faithful to the original, a few moments shown in the trailer indicate a big departure for the character.
The Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon Trailer Doesn’t Make Toothless Scary
Toothless Being Scary Is An Important Part Of The Original
Despite seeming more or less like ashot-for-shot remake, the live-actionHow to Train Your Dragonseems to have made Toothless' first appearance less scary, looking more like he does in later films. An important aspect of all the films is the relationship between Toothless and Hiccup, and that naturally starts off very antagonistic, as the dragons and humans are sworn enemies. In the animated film, Toothless starts as a scary creature, something thata casual viewer could see as a monster that would kill Hiccupwithout a second thought.
The live-action trailer shows this moment with Toothless' eyes round, looking more like Toothless from the later films, a cute pet as opposed to a ferocious animal.
There is one moment in thenewHow to Train Your Dragontrailerthat showcases this disconnect, when Hiccup is about to kill Toothless after knocking him down to the ground. In the original, Toothless' eyes are narrowed and reptilian during this scene, giving hima much more animalistic and monstrous look, reflecting the audience and Hiccup’s preconceived beliefs about him. However, the live-action trailer shows this moment with Toothless' eyes round, looking more like Toothless from the later films, a cute pet as opposed to a ferocious animal.
Toothless Being Scary At The Beginning Makes The Movie’s Payoff Much Better
Toothless' Transition From Monster To Friend Is Well-Defined In The Original
While making Toothless look less scary might not seem like a big deal, as in the originalHow to Train Your Dragon,Toothless and Hiccupend up as friends quickly anyway, it is actually a pretty important part of the film, especially when it comes to Hiccup’s character.When he makes the decision to spare Toothless' life, he doesn’t do so because of how innocent and sweet the dragon looks, he does it because he knows it would be wrong, no matter what kind of creature it is.
It would be easy to spare the cute cat-eyed Toothless, but Hiccup choosing not to kill the evil Night Fury gives a great look into the deeply empathetic nature of the character, and makes Toothless choosing not to kill Hiccup a much more interesting plot development. The eventual friendship that develops between the two is made all the stronger because of how antagonistic the characters are, to begin with. By toning down that aspect of the first act, the live-actionHow to Train Your Dragonwill suffer, especially when compared to the original.
How to Train Your Dragon
Cast
How to Train Your Dragon, released in 2025, depicts the story of Hiccup, a young Viking who defies tradition on the isle of Berk by befriending Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their friendship uncovers the true nature of dragons, challenging entrenched Viking perceptions and societal norms.
