By Brandon T. McClure
Universal Studios has gotten into the live-action remake game with this year's How to Train Your Dragon. Directed by the original's co-director Dean Deblois, Universal is hoping that How To Train Your Dragon will revitalize interest in their animated franchise. Especially now that there's a theme park attached to it. They have loftier goals than that, as they announced that How To Train Your Dragon 2 will be making the jump to live-action as well. Unlike the original, there’s actually room for improvement when adapting this annimated film for a new audience, notably with the film's villain.
The original How to Train Your Dragon is a rather simple, yet effective film about a boy who learns to stand up to his father and forge his own path by freeing his people and the dragons they swore to kill from a never-ending cycle of violence. The closest thing the film has to an antagonist is Hiccup's dad, Stoic and the Red Death, the Queen Dragon. They both serve thematic and physical barriers for Hiccup to overcome that ultimately proves that Hiccup and Toothless are unstoppable together. Strengthening their bond and paving the way for a better future for everyone. To put it simply, the first film isn’t structured with a villain in mind. But both sequels have a primary antagonist that the heroes have to beat in order to protect their way of life.
The strongest aspect of How To Train Your Dragon 2 is the relationship between Hiccup, Stoic, and Hiccup's long lost mother. The reveal of the film is that Hiccup's mother did not die in a dragon attack, but was rather taken. She spent years amongst the dragons learning about their true nature. On the other side of that coin was the movie's villain, Drago Bludvist. This was a dragon tamer with only one goal, to unite all the viking clans under him through strength and fear. Drago spent years subjugating dragons so that they would do his bidding, thanks to a king dragon, known as the Bewilderbeast. While Djimon Hounsou delivers an excellent vocal performance, there’s not much in the script as far as character.
While Valca, Hiccup's mom, shows Hiccup the end of the path he’s on, Drago shows Hiccup the path he could have taken. While not explicitly stated in the film, Drago wears a cloak made of Night Fury skin. It’s a dark detail for a kids movie and so it is relegated to subtext. What is also in the subtext is that Drago may be responsible for wiping out the Night Fury species. Valka suggests that Toothless is likely the last of his kind afterall. Centering a film on a dark reflection of Hiccup, one that wiped out the Night Fury’s rather than befriending them, is an excellent starting point for a villain of this franchise. Yet, it’s a PG rated film at the end of the day, so all of Drago’s character and motivation is brought down to mere subtext. His name may send Stoic into fits of fear, but he has no depth. This is where Dean Deblois can put his money where his mouth is.
Since it’s unlikely that How To Train Your Dragon 2 won’t be a remake of the original, and it’s equally unlikely that Dean Deblois won’t return to direct the sequel, there’s a good chance that the film will adhere closely to its source material, like in How To Train Your Dragon. Speaking with THR, Deblois mentioned he considered the original animated film to be a first draft and wanted to use the live-action film to fix what he considered to be mistakes. He used this opportunity to expand Astrid’s character in the first film and will likely continue that new trajectory she’s on in the sequel. Nevertheless, if Astrid is anything to go by, then Drago could benefit from this same direction. With the animated film rated PG and the live-action film most likely aiming for PG-13, there is room to expand on the darker subtext of Drago’s character and enhance his role. Perhaps even going so far as to make the audience fear him as much as Stoic does. This adventure could be even more personal for Hiccup and Toothless due to Drago’s proposed history with the Night Fury’s. Bring the subtext into the text.
The biggest problem with live-action remakes of beloved animated films is that audiences know that they’re only made for money. Sure, Dean Deblois may have passion for the world he co-created, but studios are only interested in the bottom line. While that is true for all movies, it feels more egregious with this current trend. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean there aren't interesting things that can be done. If How To Train Your Dragon 2 is going to adhere close to its animated predecessor then meaningfully developing Drago is an easy way to help it stand out, and perhaps even surpass the original.