'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAHhAAAgICAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAhBREGEjH/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEBAgMSIv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Ayfj+Dt1+Ha1HZV68KNMEcksAoJPWtd5LTyGWRFcjbD2OgfuMYevTY3JOiip//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
DreamWorks is officially entering the live-action realm with the remake of How to Train Your Dragon, their 2010 animated film that followed a Viking doing what the title suggests. It is a goofy and disarming affair that manages to charm viewers even after a decade of its initial release. Unlike the usual depictions, the dragon here is not threatening but adorable. Even his fangs do not feel as scary as they usually do. So, it became a myth-busting exercise and a buddy comedy wrapped in one package. So, it received a lot of acclaim and two Oscar nods.
Along with the love from critics, it also fared exceptionally well at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. Its success led to two follow-up projects, both animated movies, which also proved commercially lucrative for the studio. Now, 15 years after the original, the studio is bringing the same story to the screen in the live-action format. From the looks of it, the project might capture the innocence and the sense of wonder of the original. However, if it succeeds, it might follow a trend that Disney has hopped on since the early 2010s.
Disclaimer: This article contains the author's opinion about How to Train Your Dragon. Reader's discretion is advised.
The success of How to Train Your Dragon might push DreamWorks to work on more live-action remakes
In 2010, Disney offered us a live-action version of Alice in Wonderland through Tim Burton's eyes. It led to a series of similar live-action projects that reimagined previously successful animated movies. Whether it's Cinderella (2015) or Beauty and the Beast (2017), they envisioned the stories that many people have grown to love over the years. They were based on existing IPs that many viewers were already familiar with.
After the recent commercial failure of Snow White, Disney has reportedly halted the production of its live-action remake of Tangled. In a recent article, I summarised how it can be the end of Disney's live-action remake trend. The issue isn't just in making IP-based projects, it is also in the lack of reinvention of its stories and offering a fresh spin on them.
Although not a live-action remake, Robert Eggers' Nosferatu offered a fresh perspective on Bram Stoker's well-known story. It was not focused on how horrifying the monster is, but on the woman who gets attached to him despite his monstrous roots. That vampire listened to her desires and did not silence her like every other man around her. So, even if we know what will eventually happen, it was shown through a refreshing perspective.
Dreamworks live-action remakes shouldn't just be copies of the originals
With two more Disney live-action remakes on the way, some viewers might be skeptical. Why make newer versions of movies if we can just watch the older ones? It's not clear whether these remakes will follow the exact stories in the exact ways as the originals. However, the studio might leverage the existing popularity or nostalgia associated with them and offer what the audience would expect. That would make them highly predictable.
Trending
The success of How to Train Your Dragon might lead DreamWorks to hop on a similar trend. However, I hope that instead of being a frame-by-frame imitation of their animated counterparts, they explore a different story that exists in the same universe with the same characters or offer a fresh spin. After all, we did get the second and third animated How to Train Your Dragon movies that continued the stories, not remade them.
On the other hand, the feasibility of its remake doesn't seem to be a matter of concern since How to Train Your Dragon also brings Dragons on screen in a different format, even though dragons do not exist! Neither Mufasa: The Lion King nor The Lion King used real lions to bring their stories to life. So, anything is technically possible. My only hope is that How To Train Your Dragon's looming success leads the studio into the zone of refreshing live-action remakes instead of plainly rehashing what's already known.
Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!
Reply
