How to Train Your Dragon is different to your typical animated movie. Although it might not have drawn the same level of critical acclaim as the likes of Toy Story or Shrek, its story was more ambitious by almost immediately mapping out a heroic multi-picture arc for its main character, Hiccup, treating him more like Harry Potter or Ironman, Tony Stark.
Attention to detail and careful character building has allowed How to Train Your Dragon to withstand the test of time and grow into a well-loved series of movies, including several spin-off seasons of shorts.
Another reason the animations are so highly regarded is the visuals and setting.
The Isle of Berk is synonymous with the franchise with Hiccup’s opening line of the first film being: “This is Berk. It’s 12 days north of Hopeless, and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death.”
In the books the fictional Scandinavian island is described as, “extremely cold and, above all, wet”. It should not come as a surprise that Belfast will double as Berk in the upcoming live action remake of the fire breathing, Viking flick.
It was revealed last year that the live action feature would be filmed between Belfast and Los Angeles, with preparations for filming at Belfast’s Titanic Studios beginning in July 2023.
However due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes production was put on hold until January 2024. The delays have pushed back the release of the film from March 2024 to June 2025.
The strikes also delayed the filming of the Blade Runner 2099 series in Belfast which ultimately led to the decision not to film in Northern Ireland at all, an announcement made in October.
Based on the bestselling books by Cressida Cowell, the live action How to Train Your Dragon is understood to follow the same story as the original 2010 animation, with Hiccup (Mason Thames) trying to fit in with the other Vikings by hunting dragons only to end up befriending one and changing the course of his people’s future.
Thames (The Black Phone) is joined by Nico Parker (The Last of Us) as Astrid, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as Gobber, Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2) as Fishlegs, Gabriel Howell (Nightsleeper) as Snotlout, Bronwyn James (Masters of the Air) as Ruffnut and Harry Trevaldwyn (Ten Percent) as Tuffnut.
This new venture may also explain why Scottish star Gerard Butler has been spotted in various Northern Ireland establishments in recent weeks, including the Culloden Estate and Spa in Cultra and the Merchant Hotel, Harp Bar in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and Deanes Meat Locker, located on Howard Street in the city.
Butler is reprising his role as Stoick the Vast (Hiccup’s dad) in the new film, helmed by Dean DeBlois, who also directed the animated trilogy.
How to Train Your Dragon is the latest in a long line of fantasy films to be shot in the north with other major productions including Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves; its locations included Glenarm Castle in Co Antrim, The Dún Briste Sea Stack in Co Mayo and the Causeway Coast.
Similarly, Game of Thrones is another dragon-themed drama that filmed all over Northern Ireland over the course of its eight seasons. Cushendun Caves, Murlough Bay, Ballintoy Harbour, Castle Ward, Downhill Strand, the Antrim plateau, Tollymore Forest Park outside Newcastle and, of course, the Dark Hedges at Gracehill are among the locations it made famous.
