In 2010, Dreamworks released a brand-new animated fantasy movie based on a book, and 16 years later, it remains one of the greatest fantasy movies released in this century, with a legacy that has continued to build. Fantasy movies based on books are far from new; in fact, many of the best book adaptations have been in the fantasy genre, from Harry Potter to The Lord of the Rings. However, adapting a fantasy book on the big screen is far from a slam dunk, and arguably, an animated movie has a hill that much higher to climb.
That makes the popularity, success, and staying power of How to Train Your Dragon all the more impressive. The original animated movie, which debuted on March 26, 2010, began as a 2003 book of the same name, written by Cressida Cowell. Not only was that movie a success both in terms of the box office and reception, but also, it has brought about a larger franchise that continues to find success today. In fact, How to Train Your Dragon has since had a great, largely well-received remake, which is a big ask for a popular animated movie.
How To Train Your Dragon Was A Near-Perfect Fantasy Movie
How to Train Your Dragon was widely seen as a box office success when it debuted in 2010, grossing a very respectable $494 million worldwide after costing approximately $165 million to make. Perhaps even more impressive than those numbers, however, is the fact that How to Train Your Dragon quite literally has a near-perfect score with critics. Even 16 years later, the movie is holding steady at a 99% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score isn’t far behind at 91%. Among other things, the movie was praised for its animation, storytelling, performances, and heart.
The latter is perhaps what has made How to Train Your Dragon the standout that it is—not to discredit the other factors, which also hold true. Yet, what really sets this movie apart is its story, which centers on the young unlikely hero Hiccup, a Viking and the son of Stoick the Vast, the chief of their tribe. Hiccup (who isn’t exactly what one would expect of a Viking, physically) has been raised to both hate and fear dragons, and at the beginning of the movie, he’s mostly bought into that ideology.
However, that changes when he meets the Night Fury dragon he names Toothless, who is effectively a puppy dressed up like a dragon. If that premise didn’t sound charming and touching enough, How to Train Your Dragon goes on to explore themes of family, trauma, heritage, morality, and love, all in a one hour and 33 minute run time. That solid foundation is precisely what subsequent spinoffs, sequels, and remakes of How to Train Your Dragon—of which there have been many—have built upon, and thus far, they’ve largely found comparable success.
The Original Had Many Successful Spinoffs And Sequels
How to Train Your Dragon had two direct film sequels, How to Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019. In addition to those two movies, the franchise includes a short film, How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming, which was also released in 2019, and several TV shows, including Dragons: Race to the Edge and Dragons: The Nine Realms. While not all installments in a franchise are going to be equal, even in the best of circumstances, the How to Train Your Dragon spinoffs and sequels have generally performed well.
In fact, How to Train Your Dragon 2 grossed even higher than the original movie at $621 million worldwide, and although The Hidden World saw a slight dip from that movie, it also grossed higher than the original, at $539 million worldwide. Both likewise have solid track records on Rotten Tomatoes, with How to Train Your Dragon 2 currently sitting at a 92% critic score and 90% audience score and The Hidden World coming in slightly below that, with a 90% critic score and 87% audience score.
All said, these numbers reflect a massively successful franchise, which is truly impressive for an animated fantasy trilogy that is primarily geared toward younger audiences. Yet, How to Train Your Dragon hasn’t stopped there. While the original is already seen as one of the most rewatchable fantasy movies, and the sequels have clearly done well for themselves, this story has now tapped into the live-action remake market as well. Unsurprisingly, that, too, has gone better than might typically be expected.
Even The Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon Was Well-Received
In 2025, How to Train Your Dragon took the leap with a live-action remake, and while it’s generally agreed upon that there’s no beating the original, the movie was largely well-received. Like its predecessor, the live-action remake performed well at the box office, grossing $636 million worldwide, and it has a very solid Rotten Tomatoes audience score at 97%. However, critics apparently disagreed, as that score for the remake is currently 77%—a record low for the franchise.
Even so, at a time when so many live-action remakes are receiving scathing criticisms and even backlash, this was certainly a win for How to Train Your Dragon. What’s more, this new branch of the franchise is getting another go, as a live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 is already in the works. Hopefully, like the first, this remake will stay true to the original, as it’s clear that this animated trilogy knew what it was doing.
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