HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — From the studio that brought you Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda comes How to Train Your Dragon—an adventure comedy set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild fire-breathing dragons, based on the book by Cressida Cowell.
The story centers around a Viking teenager named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), who lives on the Island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen’s rather progressive views and offbeat sense of humor don’t sit too well with his tribe or its chief…who just happens to be Hiccup’s father, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). When Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens—Astrid (America Ferrera), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and twins Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) and Tuffnut (T.J. Miller)—he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup’s one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.
Also starring is Craig Ferguson as Gobber, the village Blacksmith and Dragon Training instructor, who sees the potential in Hiccup’s unique skill set, even when Stoick does not.
It was nearly six years ago when the book series of British author Cressida Cowell came to the attention of creative executives at DreamWorks Animation. With an established reputation for taking small but well-respected titles and spinning them into box office success, it didn’t take more than a Norse minute for them to see the cinematic potential in the exploits of a scrawny kid named Hiccup trying to find his niche in the brawny world of Vikings.
"If you’re writing about Vikings and Dragons it has got to be something that is going to be on a grand scale," says Cowell. "I was incredibly excited when DreamWorks expressed interest in the books, as I knew they could do the movie on a scale that I could barely even imagine!"
Watch: How to Train Your Dragon Cast Interviews
