DreamWorks Makes History With 2027's How To Train Your Dragon 2 - MCE Notices | California State Portal

DreamWork’s upcoming live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 isn’t just shaping up to be yet another blockbuster, but the sequel will also make history for the studio. 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon set a new standard for CGI animation, and ushered in a golden period for DreamWorks. The franchise is unmatched in terms of visual splendor and deft writing, and it has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon.

The newest phase in the franchise’s development came in 2025 with the hugely successful live-action adaptation of the first film. How to Train Your Dragon recaptured some of the magic of the 15-year-old original, but accentuated it with new touches of humor and heart. Not to mention, seeing characters like Hiccup and Astrid brought to life in live-action was a special treat for longtime fans.

Striking while the iron was hot, DreamWorks wasted no time putting a live-action How to Train Your Dragon sequel into production. The opportunity to build a new off-shoot of the franchise was just too enticing, and DreamWorks has made the right call by expediting the next movie. Two years after the first film’s debut, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is due to hit theaters in June 2027.

There’s little doubt that the live-action sequel will be a success, especially with cast members like Cate Blanchett joining the fun. The authenticity of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon franchise is its strongest asset, and that trend continues in the sequel. Without much fanfare, DreamWorks is also subtly making history with its upcoming movie.

2027’s How To Train Your Dragon 2 Is The First Live-Action Remake To Adapt A Sequel

Live-action adaptations of beloved animated films are commonplace this day and age, but How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the first to adapt a sequel to an animated movie. The 2027 film is based on 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2, which is itself a perfect sequel to the original flick. Instead of dreaming up some new plot that fractures the franchise narrative, director Dean Deblois is running back what worked so well the first time.

There have been sequels to live-action adaptations before, but they were wholly original stories and had nothing to do with the sequels of their source material. For example, 102 Dalmatians brought back Glen Close’s Cruella de Vil, but it actually predated 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure. Even Disney’s recent Mufasa film was divorced from the extended lore of the Lion King animated franchise.

Therefore, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is already a history-making film before it even hits theaters. If the sequel is truly a smash-hit, there’s no reason to think that DreamWorks won’t continue the series with a third live-action movie. The animated trilogy tells a complete and satisfying story, so things would feel incomplete if the live-action series was abandoned midway through.

Why Animated Sequels Haven’t Been Adapted In The Past

Toothless the Night Fury staring with wide eyes in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon

With so many live-action adaptations of animated films in history, it stands to reason that at least one of them would have tackled a sequel by this point. The reason there hasn’t been an animated sequel adaptation yet comes down to the simple fact that there aren’t that many great animated sequels out there. Especially when looking at the films that get live-action remakes.

Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast have made for intriguing live-action movies, but their original sequels aren’t worth writing home about. The biggest reason for their inferior quality is the fact that they are typically of a smaller scale, many of which have gone straight to video over the years. The How to Train Your Dragon franchise is unique because each movie is a gem.

With around a year to go until How to Train Your Dragon 2 hits theaters, it’s intriguing to see how DreamWork’s experiment plays out. Making history can sometimes be a risky proposition, but the sequel sounds like a pretty safe bet. Audiences and critics are notoriously fickle with live-action adaptations, though they’ll likely have every reason to love the upcoming sequel.