The first reactions to 2025’s How to Train Your Dragon have arrived. The live-action movie, which follows a young Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) who befriends a wounded dragon and fights to help his island community learn to stop fearing dragons, is a remake of the DreamWorks animated movie of the same name, which itself is an adaptation of the 2003 children’s book by Cressida Cowell. The upcoming How to Train Your Dragon, which was helmed by original co-director Dean DeBlois, also stars Julian Dennison, Nico Parker, Bronwyn James, Nick Frost, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz, and Gerard Butler.

The world premiere screening of How to Train Your Dragon has just been held at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and the first reactions to the live-action remake have now come pouring in from across social media. The majority of the reactions are resoundingly positive, saying that the movie justifies its existence, particularly praising the cast, the dragon designs, and the cinematography. While none have said it surpᴀsses the original at the time of writing, many say that it matches it and honors its legacy. See select reaction posts below:

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Tessa Smith said the movie “has all the charm of the original enhanced into something I never thought it could accomplish,” also praising the cast and the design of Toothless.

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Scott Menzel called the movie “spectacular,” saying that “Dean DeBlois recreates the magic of the original.”

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Jeffrey Harris said that the movie “does live action remakes of animated classic right,” adding that “it exceeded all my expectations!“

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Emmanuel Gomez also praised the cast and the Toothless design, calling it “one of the most faithful animation to live-action [movies] I’ve seen.”

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Chalice, who admitted to not having seen the original movie, said that the remake was “beautiful and amazing” and that “I just CRIED MY EYES OUT,” praising the cinematography and the score.

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The Hollywood Handle heaped even more praise on DeBlois, saying that the director “once again proves his brilliance, seamlessly bringing his animated masterpiece to live-action while preserving its heart and spectacle.“

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The HoloFiles called the movie “the rare animated to live-action remake that truly justifies its existence.“

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Daniel Howat has quibbles with the movie’s “obvious sets” and says it is not better than the original, but praises Mason Thames and cinematographer Bill Pope, also saying that “it’s thoroughly entertaining nonetheless.”

What This Means For How To Train Your Dragon

The Live-Action Remake Could Be A Major Success

So far all signs point to the new live-action installment being a worthy follow-up to the original How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. However, it is important to note that CinemaCon is a convention designed specifically to promote upcoming movies to theater owners who will be deciding what to screen in the coming months. As it is not a public-facing event, reactions to the movie may be skewed and may not accurately represent how the public will react to the movie when it premieres in just over two months.

Regardless, this is a good first step in the rollout for the movie. Should critics’ reactions and the Rotten Tomatoes score prove to be just as positive, 2025’s How to Train Your Dragon could eventually build up to a landmark premiere. Although its box office prospects are somewhat unprecedented, given the fact that it is DreamWorks’ first live-action remake, Disney has proven time and again that live-action remakes can become billion-dollar movies with тιтles like 2019’s The Lion King and 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, and the DreamWorks movie could potentially join that club if its current trajectory holds.

Our Take On The How To Train Your Dragon Reactions

It Could Help Revive The Prospects Of Live-Action Remakes