From three-time Oscar ® nominee and Golden Globe winner Dean DeBlois, the creative visionary behind DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, comes a stunning live-action reimagining of the film that launched the beloved franchise. Following closely to the original, we talked with writer-director DeBlois about bringing the dragons to life, practical blended with visual effects to create the Isle of Berk and casting that led to a powerful father-son story with a personal connection to the material.
Interviewed for Family Entourage
Family Entourage: I have to tell you, our family absolutely loves the How to Train Your Dragon Franchise. So getting to see it in live action was nothing short of amazing! And I loved that you stayed so closely to the animation storyline, which we really appreciated. But for you, what was the most satisfying to see come into life this way?
Dean DeBlois: I think being able to have photo reel dragons in a real environment with these beautiful sets and amazing costumes, that was so much fun for me because it kind of makes it that much more wish fulfilling. You don’t have to lean upon fantasy. There’s no disconnection. It actually feels like a place you could go to in our world.
FE: I totally agree with you, and I loved all the interactions that we see with the dragons from the arena to the riding and flying, even to those more intimate moments with Hiccup and Toothless. So share a little bit about how you can make all those intangibles feel so real.
DD: Well, a big part of it, certainly with Hiccup and Toothless is all of the scenes in the Cove when they’re bonding. We wanted to get a really truthful reaction, a really truthful performance out of Mason Thames. And we weren’t going to be able to do that with a tennis ball on a stick and say, okay, look over here. This is where the dragon will be. So we employed puppeteers, master puppeteers to come in and operate these giant foam heads and bodies and tails of, in this case, toothless. So that he had, Mason had a scene partner, and it was so subtle. It was amazing. These puppeteers are really incredible. They can bring anything to life. And so Toothless was basically there as we were shooting those scenes and the one where they’re dancing or kind of stepping around and drawing in the sand and come to touch for the first time. That was a scene where we were actually playing John Powell’s music on stage and getting everybody into the spirit of it. And it felt really magical because we were deliberately trying to make that scene feel almost shot for shot with the animated original. We knew that scene was iconic. So it was really cool. That was a way that we brought Toothless to Life when he wasn’t there. Not only did we have something to frame for, but more importantly, the actors had something to react to and act with.
FE: That makes such a difference In talking about the actors, I mean, I think the casting was spot on, and I loved that you were able to get Gerard Butler to reprice his role because that was so familiar and so important. But what I think that that father-son relationship was honestly more powerful in this format than in the other. So maybe talk a little bit about the importance of that aspect of the story too.
DD: Yeah, I think having the wisdom of the entire animated trilogy behind us, we knew where the relationship was going, and we know that this father-son relationship isn’t going to last forever. And so it’s precious and being able to infuse their interactions with just a bit more maturity and the push and pull of love and expectation. They’re both trying to understand one another. They both have love for one another, and yet they can’t see one another. And that feels like a predicament that so many families have. I had that predicament with my father, just this idea of he’s proud of me, but just the way I was as a teenager, sort of talking back and having a lot of attitude. We had moments where we were abrasive, and there’s something very cathartic for me about the moment when Stoic says, whatever happens, I’m proud to call you my son. Because I didn’t have that. My father passed away when I was 19, and so we never really managed to sort of get past the tension that we had when I was a teenager. So it is cathartic, it’s therapeutic, it’s universal. We all know what it’s like to be disappointments as kids. We all know what it’s like to be maybe a little too harsh and judgmental as parents. So it’s something that travels far beyond Vikings and dragons. It’s applicable to everyone.
FE: Thank you for sharing that story because I do think that it’s something that parents can glean from as well as kids that are navigating, especially when they say, you went like this to all of me. And it’s like, yes, that’s true. There are times when all of you feel like you’re not fitting in and all of you feel like you’re exactly what was needed. And so that’s nice to see portrayed on screen as well. Talk to me a little bit, because I know that you shot in Ireland, you shot some on location, some with the practical, blending all of those so it’s seamless for us, so we can’t tell which scenes were done where. That’s in your hands in your magic there.
DD: Yes. We started actually by piling into helicopters and flying around Iceland and Scotland and the Faroe Islands, which sit between Iceland and Scotland. And we found our Isle of Berk… flew around and photographed the coastlines and scanned the sea stacks and the canyons. And we melded that with the beauty of Northern Ireland as well. They have an epic coastline, a beautiful forest as well. And so the Isle of Berk is based on a real place. It’s a real island in the Faroe Islands, but it’s dressed up with other elements that we found elsewhere and it’s all done. So photo realistically that it does feel like a place that you could fly to today and visit. And that was our goal.
FE: Thank you so much for taking the time today. I can’t wait for number two.
DD: Yes, I’m working on it now.
FE: That’s exactly what we want to hear! Well, thank you so much and I can’t wait for audiences to get experience How to Train Your Dragon in this way.
How to Train Your Dragon hits theatres June 13
