It almost feels a little strange to have a How to Train Your Dragon movie releasing in 2025. On one hand, the classic animated franchise ended its run with its third and final film in 2019; on the other, it feels strange to have a remake of a film made as recently as 2010. But this isn't really a remake - well, not in the traditional sense at least - it's a live-action retelling, bringing the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless to a completely new medium.
The original animated trilogy from DreamWorks is a fan-favorite among families and has remained one of the most appealing from the studio's catalog. But does the flavor of these light-hearted adventures translate to the live-action field too? For the most part, yes, but the grander scope and more realistic special effects make it a little more intense than its animated counterpart.
If you're planning on taking your kids to see How to Train Your Dragon at the cinema (or even watching it together when it comes to streaming), here's what you need to know.
How to Train Your Dragon is rated PG for intense action scenes
How to Train Your Dragon is rated PG for sequences of intense action and peril. That's to be expected from a fantasy movie about Vikings and their long history of fighting dragons so if you're all aware of that going in, the live-action movie shouldn't offer too many intense surprises. But it is worth noting that PG does stand for "Parental Guidance", so it is best that you know everything before going into the theaters.
With that in mind, here is what you can expect from the movie:
Violence: Mild. Given that the Vikings go up against fire-breathing dragons, there are some scenes that come off as slightly more violent than their animated counterparts. Some Vikings are thrown from their ships as the fire rains down upon them while others are tossed off into the distance.
Although we don't actually see any dragons being killed, the Vikings do brandish weaponry when battling them, including axes, swords and even pocket knives. One character threatens to use a knife on a dragon but ultimately doesn't.
Scariness: This is probably the element of the movie that requires most consideration. Although How to Train Your Dragon is almost a shot-for-shot remake, the dragons are understandably a lot scarier than their animated counterparts. This is live-action, after all.
Toothless closely resembles his animated source material, but the other dragons look a lot more like the typical dragons you would see in fantasy dramas like Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. They are large, breathe fire, and one of them is even on fire permanently. Another has two heads like a snake, and a larger, bigger one that eats other dragons is particularly scary to look at.
The film doesn't have the dragons do anything too scary but their appearances are quite intimidating. You can see all of them in the film's various trailers, so watch those before you make any definitive decisions. But, if your child has seen live-action dragons on film or TV shows before, How to Train Your Dragon likely won't be too different of an experience for them.
Language: Mild. There are no direct swear words with only the word "bloody" used in frustration whenever a character is upset with another character. "Oh Gods" and "Oh for God's Sake!" are also used.
Alcohol and Drugs: None. As How to Train Your Dragon is a medieval / fantasy movie aimed at younger audiences, there are no references to drugs or alcohol at all.
Sex and Nudity: None. There are no scenes of a mature sexual nature in this movie, with no sex references whatsoever. There is a mild romantic subplot in which two characters eventually share a kiss.
How to Train Your Dragon is a bit darker than its animated counterpart but still suitable for younger audiences
Taking all of that into account How to Train Your Dragon is still suitable for a younger audience. It's aimed at younger audiences while also hoping to appeal to the young adults who watched the original animated movies growing up. On a whole, it is a generally family-friendly adventure movie that finds the balance well.
All that being said, the film may tell the same story as the animated movie but some of the dragon scenes are a bit more intense than they were in the source material, so it's worth bearing that in mind before watching the movie.
You know your kids and if they are familiar with fantasy / dragon adventures (or even the Jurassic Park movies), then How to Train Your Dragon is probably going to be for them.