I’m not one to root for remakes, but shoot, the new HTTYD surprised me. The live-action How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is THE example of a remake done right. To prove my point, I’m dragging the infamous Snow White remake (2025) into the fray.
Both remakes run on the nostalgia and strengths of past films. So, why did DreamWorks get it right? Director Dean DeBlois set the scene by following through on these goals:
“Preserve the heart and the personality” of the original.
“Deepen the mythology of certain characters.”
“Get really immersive with action scenes while using all the bells and whistles of live action.”
The remake had a strong spirit, whilst reverently resembling the original, and advertised it as such.
On the other hand, the Snow White team’s attempt to fix the original crashed and burned. Rachel Zegler (Snow White) and Gal Gadot (Evil Queen) advertised the remake as a story that would not entail a “weird” scenario where a girl is saved by a “stalker” handsome prince. Also, Snow White was let down by poor casting choices. The Evil Queen is an iconic character; she’s both vicious and refined, glamorous and gritty. Unfortunately, the innately sweet Gadot was ill-equipped to fulfil this role.
Conversely, Gerard Butler (Stoick the Vast) was a true anchor for HTTYD (2025). He was extremely involved in the original and brought even more passion and skill to the challenge of live action.
Rather than the shallow purpose of ‘fixing’, DeBlois succeeded in capturing the essence of the animated characters. The badass warrior Astrid (Nico Parker) received a further developed origin story of survival and ambition. The original 7 dragon riders are incomparable; therefore, DeBlois introduced new personalities that fulfilled similar archetypes.
What’s more is the further developed worldbuilding. DeBlois even explained the reason for diverse ethnicities in a 10th-century Scandinavian island: The most skilled combat tribes – from around the world – united under the shared dragon threat, bringing them together as an elite clan of warriors.
How epic is that!
Overall, DeBlois’s purpose for reimagining HTTYD was to reconstruct the world of Vikings and dragons. The remake’s success was catalysed by preserving its heart and using CGI as a tool to enhance the action and adventure.
Totally worth the watch!
Kathrynf 
Alexander Hanjin De Filippo 
Eabha Quinn
I agree, the remake felt faithful and respectful to the original, while still diverging enough to feel like a new twist on the narrative.