How To Train Your Dragon’s Live-Action Version Embarrasses Disney’s Recent Remakes(Photo Credit –Facebook)
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How to Train Your Dragon has crash-landed into Hollywood’s remake frenzy, with its debut catapulting Universal Pictures into Disney’s long-held arena of recycled IP. The difference? It landed a Herculean victory in its very first outing.
While the House of Mouse has spent the last decade churning out a march of half-baked and largely middling translations of its animated catalog, Universal seems to have cracked the formula right out of the gate — and the Rotten Tomatoes scoreboard says it all. This isn’t a modest success; it’s a mic-drop moment, and suddenly, the Mouse House looks stiff.
How to Train Your Dragon — Toothless’ Live-Action Revival Ain’t Soulless
Critics have declared that How to Train Your Dragon isn’t a hollow tribute. The movie reboots the 2010 DreamWorks animated sensation, bringing Gerard Butler and the voice cast back for their roles. When the review embargo lifted Monday, critics had no mercy — and for once, that’s a compliment. HTTYD snagged an 84% certified fresh rating on (Rotten Tomatoes), with 40 out of 47 reviews giving it a thumbs up.
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The impressive verdict trounces the year’s lukewarm Disney offerings like Snow White 40% and Lilo & Stitch72% without breaking a sweat. Thus, How to Train Your Dragon has correspondingly claimed remix supremacy this year. The dragon-duo scored a respectable mid-60s on Metacritic (around 61–65), another reminder that this reboot is a beast critics can’t ignore — and no negative media spin could bring it down.
Dragon vs. Dragon: Live-Action vs. Animated Originals
The live-action entry could not brush the sky with the same wingspan as the animated originals. The 2010 film earned a near-perfect score of 99%, with its sequels following the lead at 92% and 90%, respectively.
However, comparing live-action remakes to their animated counterparts is a fool’s errand. The latter are almost always better received critically, and Disney can attest to that better than anyone. What matters is relative success within the live-action remake sandbox. And by that measure, DreamWorks just stole the torch.
“How to Remake Your Animated Films,” Universal Shows, While Smacking Down Disney
With How to Train Your Dragon’s big win, Universal didn’t just beat the recent crop, but humbled every single Disney live-action echo of the last nine years. In fact, the latest adventure comedy has vanquished every Disney live-action reimagining ever made except two: The Jungle Book 94% and Cinderella 84%. Not only Universal’s dragon now matches Cindy in raw charm, and might even overtake it in a matter of days, the former is also approaching a full decade in age.
The entirety of Disney’s output since then — from The Lion King 52% to Aladdin 57% — continues to limp across the finish line. Meanwhile, Universal has entered the game with minimal baggage and already seized a silver medal. And if early reactions of How to Train Your Dragon are any indication, that box office gold may not be far behind.
