Review: How to train your dragon rises as a live-action and Disney remake should take notes

We have seen a flood of live-action remake in the last decade, and most of them, in particular from Disney, tends to fall into two categories … Cash for cash case or embarrassing reinterpretations that lose what has made the originals work.

That’s why DreamWorks How to train your dragon The live-action remake seems such a refreshing surprise. It is not limited to telling the same story, the honorable and, above all, includes what the animated film has made special.

Writer-Director Dean DebloisWhich also guided the original animated trilogy, returns with a firm hand and a clear vision. He does not try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it tilts into the strengths of the material of origin and makes the emotional beats speak for themselves.

The link between Hiccup and Dentiless is still the heart of the film, and here, it seems equally authentic, perhaps even more, with real actors who found the imagination.

Tamigi Mason makes a single hiccup with his embarrassing, but full of heart portrait, while Nico Parker It brings depth and strength for Astrid without the need to overturn or overwrite the character.

Gerard ButlerResuming his role as Stoick, he offers a live performance which is even more impactful than his original vocal work. AND Nick Frost It is perfectly chosen as Gobber, adding warmth and lightness to history. The cast seems to have lived, not as if they were imitating the versions of the cartoons of themselves.

Visually, the film is surprising. Berk’s world comes to life with a breathtaking scale, with a beautiful production design. Dragons are magnificently made through visual and teeth -free effects is still a complete stage heritage. The aerial sequences are absolutely exciting, the most silent emotional moments are effective and the entire film has a sense of wonder that I loved.

What distinguishes this remake is that it does not try to correct what is not broken. The temptation to tread the shoemaker in the modern messaging resists or update his characters for reasons of it. It does not straighten its emotional or flattened arches the story under the weight of trying to be “relevant”. It confides that the story of friendship, courage and learn to see the world still works.

Is this movie necessary? Not exactly. But it is earned here. There is not replacing the original animated, but to complete it, to give it to a new generation in a new format, and if you intend to redo films, that’s exactly how you should approach you.

I hope Disney is paying attention. They should take notes because that’s how it respects a story and an audience at the same time.

In the end, How to train your dragon It has all the fronts: it is fun, emotionally rich, visually stunning and completely faithful to history. He manages to feel both epic and intimate, full of adventure and rooted in the heart. DreamWorks has rekindled the magic of the franchise with this film.