How to Train Your Dragon seems to have the potential to start an exciting live-action trend for DreamWorks, which would be similar to the one set by Disney’s live-action films. Live-action remakes of animated movies are often met with immense skepticism, and rightfully so. Since animation is a significantly distinct visual storytelling medium, translating it to live-action is often challenging. Yet, Disney has proven that it is possible to bring a new live-action spin on familiar animated stories with critical and commercial hits, like The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, and Cruella, among others.
With How to Train Your Dragon‘s live-action, DreamWorks is now walking into the same domain, which might prove to be the stepping stone for the studio to kick off a fascinating trend. While only time will tell whether expanding the animated franchise with a live-action movie will benefit the studio, How to Train Your Dragon seems to mark the beginning of something incredible for DreamWorks. The live-action movie’s success will depend on several factors, but it is worth exploring how it could set the stage for the studio to explore a new avenue of storytelling.
How To Train Your Dragon Looks To Be A Hit In The Making
Its Positive Early Reviews Are Setting It Up For Success
Like most live-action adaptations, How to Train Your Dragon was initially met with some doubt and skepticism. Many viewers could not help but wonder whether adapting the original animated movies as live-action films was a good idea. While the skepticism made sense because of how imaginative and visually stylized the animated flicks are, the live-action film has given enough reasons for audiences to grow more positive about its release. The people behind the film have shown how much they care about the adaptation, which is always a great sign.
Live-action How To Train Your Dragon 2 has already been confirmed and is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2027.
Even from the trailers and early visuals, How to Train Your Dragon seems to look as spectacular and immersive as the original animated films. The movie’s casting is right on the money, and its CGI seems to have been handled with immense care and attention to detail. Not to mention, How To Train Your Dragon‘s first reactions have been nothing but positive, which will eventually be a driving factor for many viewers to watch it on the day it premieres. With so many things working in its favor, the film seems to be on the right path to succeed both critically and commercially.
All three animated How to Train Your Dragon movies have performed well at the global box office. With a combined budget of around $439 million, the films have raked in over $1.6 billion worldwide. If all goes well for the live-action adaptation, it could effectively leverage its source material performance and repeat its success.
Most DreamWorks Movies Wouldn’t Work In Live-Action
They Are A Little Too Fairytale-Esque
Since How to Train Your Dragon features a mix of fantastical and human characters, it was always easy to visualize it as a live-action film. However, the same cannot be said about other renowned DreamWorks animated films, like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and Chicken Run. Most of these films primarily revolve around anthropomorphic animals and barely feature any human characters. They are also more fairytale-esque in the sense that they lean heavily on cartoonish humor, whimsical settings, and stylized animation that may not work in the live-action medium.
With the advancements in CGI, it is becoming increasingly possible to adapt anything and everything into the live-action format. However, some animated IPs are better off being left alone because of how disastrous they could potentially be if stripped of the very elements that made them successful in the first place. With that said, however, even though the live-action remakes of many animated DreamWorks movies would never be as good as their original versions, a few others can be considered for a live-action adaptation if How to Train Your Dragon succeeds.
Which DreamWorks Movies Should Get Live-Action Remakes?
A Few Movies Can Still Work Well As Live-Action Flicks
A long list of DreamWorks’ animated movies needs to be left alone. However, several others, like Road to El Dorado, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Megamind, The Croods, and Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken, seemingly have good potential for live-action. Road to El Dorado unfolds more as a journey for two human swindlers, which should not be too difficult to translate into a live-action adventure. However, considering its mixed critical reception, it seems unlikely its live-action will ever see the light of day.
For the same reason, the studio may also never consider a live-action remake of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and Ruby Gillman. The Croods and Megamind, however, seemingly have everything from a strong narrative foundation to visually adaptable worlds that could lend themselves well in live-action.
…Megamind‘s live-action could leverage the ever-growing popularity of the superhero genre and bring something new to it with its subversion of the typical good vs. evil narratives.
The Croods‘ live-action adaptation could be a fun, family-friendly drama that could expand the original movie series’ targeted audience. Meanwhile, Megamind‘s live-action could leverage the ever-growing popularity of the superhero genre and bring something new to it with its subversion of the typical good vs. evil narratives.
What DreamWorks’ Live-Action Movies Need To Learn From Disney
Disney Has Set The Blueprint With Many Critical & Commercial Hits
More often than not, Disney has not only used live-action remakes to leverage the popularity and commercial value of animated movies but also to rectify the mistakes made by the originals. For instance, despite being highly acclaimed, the original Aladdin was riddled with many stereotypes that did not age well. The 2019 live-action remake, however, took deliberate steps to update its narrative to ensure cultural sensitivity.
Beauty and the Beast, too, enhanced the original’s narrative heft by rising above its portrayal of a typical romance and making it more about inclusion and empowerment. To be able to etch its name in the world of live-action remakes, DreamWorks needs to tread a similar path. Instead of merely attempting to recreate the magic of the original animated films, the studio must strive to enhance them, which, thankfully, is what it is seemingly doing with How to Train Your Dragon.
