How to Train Your Dragon (2025) parents guide

How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Parent Guide

This live action adaptation is unnecessary, but at least it's competently made and occasionally funny.

Overall B+

Theaters: The people of Berk are determined to kill the dragons that threaten them - but then Hiccup, their chief's son, befriends an injured dragon.

Release date June 13, 2025

Violence C+
Sexual Content A-
Profanity A
Substance Use A

Why is How to Train Your Dragon (2025) rated PG? The MPAA rated How to Train Your Dragon (2025) PG for sequences of intense action, and peril.

Run Time: 125 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Life is hard on the bleak island of Berk. The resident Vikings scratch out a living, but their primary occupation is killing the dragons that prey on their flocks and fellow islanders. Stoick (Gerard Butler), their hardy warrior chief, is determined to take the fight to the dragons by finding their nest and exterminating them.

Desperate to win his father’s approval, Stoick’s son, Hiccup (Mason Thames), dreams of becoming a great dragon hunter. But when his attempts to shoot down a dangerous night fury fail, he faces the scorn of his community and the disappointment of his father.

There’s just one catch: Hiccup really did shoot down the legendary dragon. Once he finds the injured creature, Hiccup makes choices that change his life and force the Vikings of Berk to reassess everything they thought they believed.

I have to lead out with my biggest complaint: this movie has no reason to exist. The book, written by Cressida Cowell, is better (and far funnier) than any movie adaptation. The 2010 animated film is also funnier and less scary for young viewers. But it looks like Hollywood studios are determined to wring every possible penny out of their intellectual property, so my complaints about unnecessary live action adaptations aren’t going to change their filmmaking plans.

That said, if you have to watch a live action reboot, How to Train Your Dragon is pretty good. It’s long – a full half hour longer than the animated original – but it doesn’t usually drag. The cast are capable, the digital effects usually competent (and occasionally breathtaking), and the story emotionally compelling. Parents will be pleased to know that the movie is replete with positive messages about friendship, loyalty, teamwork, and the importance of family relationships. It even digs into the meatier issues of rejecting stereotypes, abandoning prejudice, and making peace by trying to understand the perspectives of others.

Best of all, the abundant positive themes are not overwhelmed by negative content issues. The only thing to worry about here is fantasy violence, almost entirely consisting of dragon battles. Dragons breathe fire at humans and other dragons and humans try to kill or capture dragons. There’s plenty of flame and peril but no blood, burns, or corpses. If your child can tolerate other dragon flicks, they should be just fine with this one. Sensitive youngsters, however, or those easily alarmed by jump scares, should probably give this one a miss. However, if you’re looking for two hours of kid-friendly action, imaginary creatures, and a few laughs, How to Train Your Dragon should fit the bill.

Directed by Dean DeBlois. Starring Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler. Running time: 125 minutes. Theatrical release June 13, 2025. Updated

Watch the trailer for How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
Rating & Content Info

Why is How to Train Your Dragon (2025) rated PG? How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is rated PG by the MPAA for sequences of intense action, and peril.

Violence: There are frequent scenes of combat between humans and dragons. Dragon fire surrounds people (although no one is seen with burns), bursts across the sky, and burns down buildings. People are pinned and thrown by dragons. People hurl weapons at dragons. People are seen with prosthetic limbs, but are never seen with bloody injuries. Dragons fight each other in the sky and on the ground. A human repeatedly strikes a dragon in the eye with a weapon. Dragons are kept in cages and one is seen chained. People are seen menacing dragons with bladed weapons. A giant dragon eats smaller dragons.
Sexual Content:   A teenage boy and girl kiss.
Profanity: None.
Alcohol / Drug Use:   None.

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Loved this movie? Try these books…

As always, the books are better than the film. Cressida Cowell has written a twelve novel series about the adventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, beginning with How to Train Your Dragon.

Young readers looking for a funny dragon tale in an urban setting will get a kick out of Dragons in a Bag, which is written by Zetta Elliott and illustrated by Geneva B.

In Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Bruce Coville and illustrator Gary A Lippincott share the story of a boy who finds himself with a dragon’s egg. When it hatches, keeping the fire-breathing pet secret is a real challenge.

Less comedic but adventurous and enchanting is Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures, which features not only a dragon but numerous magical creatures.

Home Video

Related home video titles:

There are three animated films from this franchise, How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

There are more animated films about humans befriending dragons. In Raya and the Last Dragon, a girl needs to find a mythical dragon to help her end an enchantment on her kingdom. Wish Dragon tells the story of a young man who finds a dragon who can make wishes come true – but getting what you want might not be a good thing. A boy befriends a creature he finds in the woods in Pete’s Dragon, which Disney produced in both animated and live action versions. The Netflix original film My Father’s Dragon mixes memorable animation with a kid-friendly story. Older kids might enjoy Eragon, the tale of a young man whose bond with a dragon has the power to bring down an evil king.