2025 • Universal Pictures
Rated: PG
Length: 2 hr 5min
Action ~ Adventure ~ Comedy ~ Family ~ Fantasy
Director: Dean DeBlois
Writer: Screenplay by Dean DeBlois
Actors: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James and Peter Serafinowicz.
The Legend Is Real!
Official Trailer
The Book
How To Train Your Dragon (2025) is based on the How To Train Your Dragon series of 12 Children’s Books written by Cressida Crowell and Published between 2003 and 2015.
In the book that started it all, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan by catching and training a dragon.
Can Hiccup do it without being torn limb from limb? Join his adventures and misadventures as he finds a new way to train dragons—and becomes a hero.
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How To Train Your Dragon (2025) – Review
For generations Vikings have lived on The Isle Of Berk, and for generations their lives have been a constant battle for survival. For generations the Dragon population of The Isle of Berk have terrorized the Vikings, killing their people, stealing their livestock and whatever other foods they can to survive. Viking children grow up knowing that they one day they will be old enough to join their elders in the fight against the dragons, and become dragon slayers in the everlasting fight between Vikings and Dragons. This generation’s Viking Chieftain, Stoick The Vast (Gerard Butler), is very concerned that his 16 year old son Hiccup (Mason Thames) just doesn’t measure up. He doesn’t possess the physical strength of the other Viking boys his age, and is often left behind when there is a battle.
Hiccup has a talent for making and engineering things, and secretly has made a device he thinks will take out the worst of the Dragons, The Night Fury. He gets a chance to test out his new contraption during a Dragon siege and, to his surprise, the device works! He manages to knock a Night Fury Dragon out of the sky. No one sees it happen and Hiccup decides he must track it down and finish it off. The only problem is that when Hiccup finds the Night Fury Dragon he knocked out of the sky, his big heart and compassion won’t allow himself to finish it off. After fighting with his heart full of compassion, and his Viking Warrior sense of Duty, he cuts the Night Fury loose. The Night Fury turns on him as if to kill him, but like Hiccup, it has a moment of compassion for the Viking Boy that spared his life. After growling at Hiccup it slips off into the forest leaving Hiccup unscathed.
That is the spark of change in the dynamic between the Vikings and the Dragons, and where the drama begins. It is the story of a boy and a dragon, of a father and his son, and a generational war between two species. It is a study in change, compassion, curiosity and how looking beyond the obvious can alter our perception of life. How we can enact change by seeing things differently through the eyes of a compassionate heart. Empathy and understanding of another’s environment and upbringing can end cycles of conflict and prejudice. It is a powerful message hidden in the scenes, story and dialogue of How To Train Your Dragon. I am not familiar with the previous animated versions, or the book upon which they were based (A 12 Book series by British Author Cressida Cowell Titled How To Train Your Dragon), but I am impressed with the story, the message and the movie.
In the beginning I had my doubts about How To Train Your Dragon. It is a Young Adult, Family film made for a younger audience, or so I thought. As the film moved along and I got caught up in Hiccup’s struggle to be different, I really started to have empathy for him. I realized that this wasn’t just a simple kids movie or a typical family flick. It’s actually a pretty deep look at what it takes to be the one person brave enough to stop a fight that’s been going on for hundreds of years. The movie doesn’t take the easy way out, either; it shows that making peace and choosing compassion often comes with a real personal cost. By the end, seeing Hiccup and the dragon together—both changed forever by their encounter—I walked away truly impressed. It’s a story that reminds us that while strength might win a battle, it’s a compassionate heart that actually wins the war.
Visually striking and with a great performance by the cast and the animatronics, I honestly can’t say enough about this movie. I went into the live-action How To Train Your Dragon thinking it was just a Young Adult family film, but I walked away deeply moved. It’s a powerful study in how one compassionate heart can end generations of conflict. If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t “measure up”, Hiccup’s journey will hit home. A must-watch for anyone who believes empathy is a superpower. With a sequel already in the works planned for a 2027 release, and Cate Blanchett set to join the cast, it looks like Hiccup’s journey of compassion is only just beginning. How To Train Your Dragon is Highly Recommended for Family Movie Night or for anyone of any age!
Turn off the lights and devices,
Make some popcorn 
Grab a beverage
and Stream
How To Train Your Dragon!
How To Train Your Dragon (2025) – Review by Bobby @ Streaming Movie Night.
Movie Stills
How To Train Your Dragon (2025) – Review © 2026 Streaming Movie Night
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