The How to Train Your Dragon franchise has been a success since its first film debuted in 2010, and the universe of the DreamWorks movie has only continued to grow over time thanks to several sequels and TV spinoffs. How To Train Your Dragon has become an epic trilogy of animated movies, several shows, and even a live-action remake.
The series concerns Hiccup, a teen who matures into the Viking he’s meant to be. He learns the Viking way, but he ultimately uses his moral compᴀss to determine the right path for his group of dragon riders, and the whole island of Berk. He grows up on the big and small screen right in front of viewers’ eyes.
While everything released in the franchise is important to Hiccup’s growth, it’s worth noting that every How To Train Your Dragon movie was released in sequence. The shows are interspersed between the films, and offer more insights into the characters. Meanwhile, the live-action remake stands alone outside the original animated continuity.
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
The first film in the How To Train Your Dragon franchise was a great opener and introduction to the series. It instantly captured the imaginations of viewers and opened up a new avenue for DreamWorks to expand the lore of its newest franchise.
It’s funny, smart, and has characters that make the film lovable right from the start. The original How To Train Your Dragon movie opens with the island of Berk at constant war with dragons. Outcast youngster, Hiccup, befriends a peaceful dragon named Toothless, and the film ends with Berk accepting dragons. This all set the stage for the ongoing series.
DreamWorks Dragons – Riders Of Berk & Defenders Of Berk (2012-2015)
DreamWorks Dragons was an animated show that ran on Cartoon Network for four seasons after the first film. The animation wasn’t quite of the same quality as the 2010 movie, but it helped expand its universe beyond what was possible in one film alone. It was split into two seasons of different names — Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk.
The show picks up where the first movie ended, exploring the difficulties of Dragons becoming a part of Berk, and the Vikings who don’t want change. It also explores Hiccup’s journey to becoming a better dragon trainer. The series moved to Netflix for new episodes and merged into the second successful show in the franchise, Race to the Edge.
Dragons: Gift Of The Night Fury (2011)
Every holiday for years, DreamWorks released a collection of shorts that pulled from several of their most popular films. This included How To Train Your Dragon’s first Christmas special — Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury. While it doesn’t affect the movies, it does fall within the timeframe of DreamWorks Dragons, and there’s nothing to suggest that it isn’t canon.
In Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury, it’s discovered that the dragons go away for mating season around Snoggletog, but they all eventually return for the holiday. It’s a cute and short way to revisit the fandom, and also helps give the universe its own spin on the holiday tradition.
Dragons: Race To The Edge (2015-2018)
After Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, Dragons: Race to the Edge grew the universe immensely. It follows Hiccup and his friends as they’re turning 18. The show follows them beyond the boundaries of their world into a new sea system. There, they create an island stronghold for themselves and start their lives.
As well as featuring the same dragon-fueled fantasy that made the franchise popular, Race To The Edge also had several coming-of-age themes, with Hiccup and his group’s journey feeling reminiscent of young adults starting to be independent. Most importantly, the show sets up Hiccup and Astrid’s romance, which is already in full swing in How To Train Your Dragon 2.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is one of the best animated sequels ever, taking everything that made the 2010 original so beloved and building on it. Jumping forward in the timeline a little bit, the second movie takes place two years after the ending of Dragons: Race to the Edge.
The sequel introduced a surprise dragon villain and prepared Hiccup for the loss of his father. This film is the perfect middle ground and has the main protagonist facing the struggles of becoming an adult, and facing the possibility of becoming a leader. It also introduced Hiccup’s mother, who shares his affinity with dragons, explaining his disdain for killing them.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
The third installment in the franchise, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, is a beautifully animated film that explores new worlds and new species of dragons. Unfortunately for Hiccup, the problems from the second installment seem to grow bigger in the third.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ups the stakes significantly, and ends on a surprisingly bittersweet note. Not only does Hiccup face the throes of leadership, but his dragon does as well. They part ways at the end of The Hidden World, but when it skips several years in the future, the best friends reunite with their kids.
How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming was a Christmas short released following How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. It’s set between the end of the movie and the epilogue that concludes the main franchise. Toothless’ children get intrigued about what humans do, and so they travel to the island of Berk to watch everyone celebrate Snoggletog.
There are also several heartwarming scenes, such as Gobber and Astrid starting a pageant to remind the citizens of New Berk how important the late Stoick is to their history. It also shows just how intelligent the dragons in the franchise actually are, with Toothless drawing a diagram in the sand to explain to his offspring about Berk.
Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021-2023)
Chronologically, the last show in the How to Train Your Dragon universe is set hundreds of years after the original films. Dragons: The Nine Realms follows Tom, a descendant of Hiccup, as he and a group of ragtag friends discover dragons again because of a cavern beneath their parents’ science base.
Dragons: The Nine Realms‘ story sees the characters go through realms with different types of dragons, and have to protect them from being seen. The show has several nods to the original characters, like the book of dragons being used, Hiccup’s family seal being found, and Tom’s dragon even being a descendant of Toothless.
DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019-2022)
Unlike the other Dragons TV series, Rescue Riders takes place outside the continuity. The series is aimed at a pre-school audience, and is set in a far-off corner of the How to Train Your Dragons universe. In the PAW Patrol tradition, the series concerns Dak and Layla, a pair of young humans who protect the dragons and people of Huttsgalor.
Rescue Riders began on Netflix before jumping to Peacock for its final few seasons.
Because the series isn’t connected to the Berk continuity, Rescue Riders isn’t necessarily required viewing. However, it’s the perfect way to introduce younger viewers to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise because it is light and fun fare with none of the drama and action that might frighten youngsters.
