‘How to Train Your Dragon’ trailer shows off more beasts and ‘expanded mythology’ of live-action remake

Attention all Berkians! Hiccup and Toothless have officially taken flight together in the first full-length trailer for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon.

Peeks at many more winged beasts and several key moments from the animated original appear here in all their live-action glory, including: The young Vikings learning to fight dragons in the ring, Hiccup’s first encounter and unsuccessful hunting of Toothless, their emotional first connection, and their epic first flights together. The massive big bad dragon known as Red Death also gets notable screen time, in the clip, below.

Voiceover from Gerard Butler’s Stoick the Vast also teases what director, writer, and producer Dean DeBlois calls the “expanded mythology” fans can expect from the remake. “We’re all descendants of the finest dragon fighters from everywhere the Vikings have ever traveled,” Stoick can be heard saying. “These beasts are a threat to all of our lives.”

“The expanded mythology of this particular take is that the Vikings had gathered the best dragon-fighting warriors from everywhere they had traveled, which was far and wide, and so they’ve come to this island with purpose, which is different from the animated movie where they just happened to be there,” DeBlois tells Entertainment Weekly.

In this case, they long ago moved to the island of Berk because the Vikings know it’s within spitting distance of a key dragon’s nest. “It benefits all of their tribes and cultures if they can deal with the dragon menace, but they’ve been very unsuccessful at it for generations, so it puts more pressure on Stoick’s reign as chief and his hapless son that constantly makes it more difficult,” the three-time Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner adds.

It also explains how different cultures come to be represented in the film, as evident in everything from the textiles to the clothing design and weaponry used. “Berk is less just a Viking village and more like a collection of warriors under the Viking banner, and it allows for characters of different ethnicities to naturally populate the island — they’ve been the best of those who came together originally,” DeBlois says.

Like the beloved original animated trilogy, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon follows Hiccup (Mason Thames), the inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, who defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

The trailer also features more from the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Nico Parker), who helps Hiccup confront a world torn by fear and misunderstanding (and who plays a bigger role here than in the original).

The film also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), BAFTA nominee Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).

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How to Train Your Dragon is also produced by three-time Oscar nominee Marc Platt and Emmy winner Adam Siegel. The project is part of the Filmed For IMAX Program, which offers filmmakers IMAX technology to help them deliver the most immersive movie experience to audiences around the world.

Chris Sanders and DeBlois co-directed and co-wrote (alongside Will Davies) the original 2010 film How to Train Your Dragon, with DeBlois helming and writing the 2014 and 2019 sequels solo. Each of the films in the series was Oscar-nominated in Best Animated Feature, and grossed an eye-popping $1.6 billion at the global box office.

How to Train Your Dragon flies into theaters June 13. Watch the full trailer above.