Disney tends to dominate the headlines when it comes to reimagining its animated classics, but DreamWorks may have delivered the most attention-grabbing live-action remake yet with its new take on How to Train Your Dragon.

If 2025’s Lilo & Stitch felt premature to some, resurrecting a 2002 film for modern audiences, then How to Train Your Dragon, from the ancient year of 2010, might inspire similar skepticism. Shouldn’t a movie be old enough to vote before it’s reimagined for a new generation? Still, despite my “get off my lawn” inclinations, this latest version brings a surprisingly fresh energy.

Starring Mason Thames as Hiccup and Nico Parker as Astrid, the real standout, as in the original, is Toothless. Now rendered in lifelike CG, he may have lost a touch of the animated version’s unfiltered cuteness, but his charm remains intact.

The story stays largely faithful to the original. For those familiar with the animated film, there won’t be many surprises—but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing new to enjoy. The pacing is brisk, the storytelling is tight, and the emotional beats still land. It’s a family-friendly ride that delivers warmth and excitement, even if it treads familiar ground.

As someone who’s more intimately acquainted with Disney’s recent remakes like Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and yes, Lilo & Stitch, I admit I’m not as well-versed in the world of Hiccup and Toothless. That makes me all the more curious to see how fans who grew up with the original will respond. For them, this could be the moment when childhood nostalgia is filtered through the Hollywood remake machine—just as my generation has already experienced.

How to Train Your Dragon delivers spectacle and heart in equal measure, much like the film it remakes. Newcomers will find it an engaging introduction to the franchise, while longtime fans may find themselves measuring every frame against the original. Whether this reimagining earns a place in their hearts, or lands with a dull thud, remains to be seen.