This article is part of ScreenRant’s Exclusive Summer 2025 Movie Preview. Keep an eye out for the full feature next week!
ScreenRant exclusively reveals a new image from the upcoming movie How to Train Your Dragon. Set for release on June 13, the live-action DreamWorks movie is directed by Dean DeBlois, who was also behind the animated films. The How to Train Your Dragon cast sees Gerard Butler return as Stoick, with new additions including Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Nick Frost, Murray McArthur, and Harry Trevaldwyn.
As part of the Summer 2025 Movie Preview, ScreenRant can exclusively reveal a new image from How to Train Your Dragon. The image looks at three key characters from the new movie: Toothless, Hiccup (Thames), and Astrid (Parker). In the image, Hiccup faces Toothless, coordinating his arms as the dragon spreads its wings. Astrid stands behind him, looking somewhat concerned. Check out the image below:
What This Means For How To Train Your Dragon
The Live-Action Adaptation Maintains Some Key Elements Of The Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon maintains some core elements as it transitions into live action. One design that is kept pretty much the same is Toothless. As visible in the image, Toothless is still black and scaly, with his wing and back pattern being the same as the original. The How to Train Your Dragon trailers highlight the design similarities even more, showing a nearly identical-looking face for the critical dragon, including his wide eyes.
DeBlois has previously justified his approach by maintaining some of How to Train Your Dragon‘s key elements. In a roundtable interview that ScreenRant attended earlier this year, the director said that he adapted some of the animated movie’s most “iconic” sequences pretty directly. With moments such as the first flight, he made it a point to “mimic those scenes almost sH๏τ for sH๏τ.” The Toothless design is one way in which DeBlois and his team decided to directly adapt the animated film.
This also helps Hiccup and Astrid to grow closer, as their relationship is a huge plot point throughout all three movies, with the live-action sequel already confirmed.
The new image is seemingly recreating a scene from the original How to Train Your Dragon movie. After Hiccup abandons his test and attempts to run away with Toothless, Astrid follows him and eventually encounters the Night Fury for the first time. This means that the new image is likely to visualize Astrid’s first meeting with Toothless, as her support will be key to helping change the Viking’s perspective on dragons. This also helps Hiccup and Astrid to grow closer, as their relationship is a huge plot point throughout all three movies, with the live-action sequel already confirmed.
Our Take On The How To Train Your Dragon Image
Astrid’s Role Will Be Interesting
Though she is not the focal point of this image, another fascinating element of the How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie is Astrid. Unlike some scenes, she is one of the characters that the live-action will take more creative liberty. The team will expand her story from the animated movies, explaining more of her motivations. The image does not reveal any more specifics about Astrid’s role in the upcoming film, but I’m intrigued by her story nonetheless.
