BERK IN BUSINESS

AFTER MOVING FROM BOOKS TO ANIMATION, THE DRAGONS OF BERK ARE COMING TO LIVE-ACTION IN THE REMAKE OF HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

- WORDS: HENRY CALVERT

WHEN IT COMES to iconic animated trilogies, we're spoiled for choice: Kung Fu Panda, Toy Story, Despicable Me, Shrek... well, perhaps we should say iconic animated quadrilogies. But there is still one trilogy that remains untouched by studio-mandated sequels, a pillar of modern animation: the masterful How To Train Your Dragon. Based on the children's books by Cressida Cowell and directed by the talented Dean DeBlois, it led us on a near 10-year journey, following the adventures of dragon rider Hiccup and his trusty scaled friend Toothless as they navigated the tumultuous world of dragons and Vikings. It's fair to say the films were an instant success.

“I think it was when we started doing the press tour for How To Train Your Dragon 2 when I realised that there was quite a fervent, vocal and enthusiastic fanbase that was building around these films,” DeBlois tells SFX.

“It wasn't just general approval. It was like some people really were invested in the world and the characters, and I started to feel this greater responsibility, of not messing it up.”

With the loyal fanbase DeBlois's animated movies had created eventually colliding with a world more and more focused on remakes, it was only a matter of time before the franchise got a similar treatment. The pressure from fans to get the first live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon right isn’t lost on the returning director.

“If they're going to do it [the remake], then I want to be involved,” DeBlois emphasises. “I want to make sure that the characters and the story are honoured, whilst also leaning into the live-action aesthetic.