Taking flight again

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NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, June 13th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming up on The World and Everything in It, a remake of the film How to Train Your Dragon.

Even though remakes like this rarely live up to the original, this one reminds us why live-action adaptations of animated classics remain popular with families.

Here’s reviewer Joseph Holmes.

HICCUP: Everything we know about dragons has changed.

JOSEPH HOLMES: Some folks complain every time another live-action remake of an animated classic gets released. I admit I include myself in that group but these remakes can serve a real need. They give families a chance to experience the magic of the movies in the theater together in a low-risk way. Parents have seen the original, so in a sense, they’ve “pre-screened” the movie for their kids. They go in with a good idea of whether the message fits their family’s values.

Disney has a long track record of success in this area, most recently with their live-action Lilo and Stitch. So it’s unsurprising DreamWorks decided to follow their lead in mining its own impressive animated library for live-action potential. The studio landed on its 2010 classic, How To Train Your Dragon, hoping parents who loved the animated version will find everything they want here.

HICCUP: I don’t want to fight dragons

STOIC: Oh, come on. Yes, you do.

HICCUP: No, let me rephrase. I can't kill dragons.

STOIC: But you will.

The new How To Train Your Dragon sticks closely to the original. It follows the inventive Viking Hiccup, on the island of Berk. Hiccup defies his people’s rules to befriend the Night Fury dragon “Toothless” and save humans and dragons from their never-ending war against each other.

Dean DeBlois co-created the original film and wrote and directed this version, too. It largely delivers by being almost beat-for-beat and line-for-line faithful to the original film. This is both a blessing and a curse. The remake benefits from everything that made the original great, but it also invites comparison, which isn’t always favorable.

The remake’s biggest strengths are its cinematography, production design and cast. The scenes of aerial acrobatics filmed with IMAX in mind are truly stunning. Impressive costumes and sets take the very particular child-friendly, fanciful Viking aesthetic from animation and make it work with real people.

The remake gives a nod to diversity by reimagining the dragon-hunting Vikings of Berk as a multicultural people. But the film does take the time to explain why Asians and Africans live in this Scandinavian tribe. Nearly all the main cast is likable and believable. Mason Thames convincingly balances the bumbling and inspiring qualities of Hiccup. Nico Parker captures both the warm and cranky sides of Hiccup’s rival and love interest Astrid. And Gerard Butler’s Chief Stoick feels lifted from the animated version– not a stretch because Butler voiced him in the original.

STOIC: The reign of the dragons ends right here, right now!

But staying so close to the animated film sometimes creates technical problems. Animation can move faster and be more expressive than live-action, and in comparison, some of the new scenes feel dull. Conversely, the cast is good. Still the actors sometimes appear to forget this film is not a cartoon and seem to be imitating the iconic voice actors from the first film.

GOBBER: That young man actually wants to make you proud.

STOIC: But he’s got a mind of his own. Gets that from his mother.

If the live-action actors had just a bit more room to create their own versions of these characters, we might fall in love with them almost as much as the originals.

While these problems might annoy critics like me, I doubt the film’s target audience will be bothered. Families will be pleased that this version preserves the positive messages of compassion and courage from the original. And despite the dragons being a little scarier in live action than in animation, the movie maintains its PG rating—so parents fine with the original will probably be fine with this one too.

FISHLEGS: Call me boring but I’m just excited to see some real, live dragons up close. You know, I could do without the permanent injuries.

ASTRID: Oh come on, it’s only fun if you get a scar out of it.

I’m always rooting for live-action remakes to be the best version of themselves—becoming distinct high-quality works in their own right. This remake doesn’t achieve that, exactly. But because it sticks so closely to the powerful and satisfying animated version, the new How to Train Your Dragon proves to be a moving experience.

I’m Joseph Holmes.

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