By John Corrado
The live-action remake of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon was a slam-dunk hit at the box office earlier this summer, and now it’s available on physical media, including 4K Ultra HD.
I reviewed this one in theatres (you can read my full thoughts on the film here), and was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Yes, the original animated film from 2010 is still superior. But returning writer-director Dean DeBlois does a solid job of adapting it to a new medium.
The film is also helped by the casting of young actors Mason Thames as Hiccup and Nico Thomas as Astrid, with Gerard Butler reprising his role as Hiccup’s Viking dad. And that iconic John Powell score is what ties it all together.
I won’t say much more about the movie itself. But a VFX-heavy film such as this, which includes a lot of sweeping visuals and some darker scenes, really benefits from the 2160p resolution and HDR. So the striking 4K Ultra HD disc is the way to go for fans to experience it at home.
Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)
Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):
The 4K disc boasts over 75 minutes of bonus material. A regular Blu-ray disc is also included in the package, which ships with a slipcover.
• Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Director/Writer Dean Deblois (Play All – 5 minutes, 11 seconds): Two brief moments from the animated film that were cut from this version for time.
- Village Sneaking (3 minutes)
- Beach Break (2 minutes, 9 seconds)
• Gag Reel (2 minutes, 47 seconds): Footage of the young actors flubbing lines and goofing off on set.
• Love and Legacy: Making How to Train Your Dragon (45 minutes, 44 seconds): This expands on the individual featurettes to offer a very good extended look at the film’s production, culminating in the special bond that formed between the young cast members.
• Building Berk (8 minutes, 6 seconds): Looks at building the practical sets and props for the film, including the village of Berk and a massive Viking ship.
• Dreaming Up the Dragons (8 minutes, 30 seconds): Focuses on designing the look of the dragons so that they match the animated film and fit in a live-action world, the process of filming with puppets on set, and the elaborate rigs used for the flying scenes.
• Fit for a Viking (5 minutes, 4 seconds): Looks at the hundreds of costumes and accessories designed for the film, including the ninety pounds of costume worn by Butler.
• Forbidden Friendship with Introduction by Director/Writer Dean Deblois (6 minutes, 38 seconds): We get to see the early bonding moment between Hiccup and Toothless, as it was filmed on-set with Thames performing alongside a puppeteer performing as the dragon. It’s interesting to see the process behind bringing this scene to life.
• Test Drive with Introduction by Director/Writer Dean Deblois (3 minutes, 32 seconds): The iconic test drive scene, presented side-by-side in various stages of development, from Thames performing against a blue screen atop an animatronic bull being jostled around on a six-point gimbal, to early visual effects. Again, it’s interesting to watch the scene come to life.
• Feature Commentary with Director/Writer Dean Deblois
The Joy of Movies 