How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie features Gerard Butler, Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Julian Dennison, and Bronwyn James.

In a roundtable interview attended by ScreenRant, DeBlois discussed how he approached adapting some of the animated film's most "iconic" scenes. The director was asked, "Were there moments where you were thinking along the lines of the audience and what they'd love to see, or were you finding new approaches?" He responded that there were "key moments" that he felt that "people see as iconic to the original trilogy." He decided to "mimic those scenes almost shot for shot." Check out the full quote from DeBlois below:

I took the stance that there are key moments that people see as iconic to the original trilogy. Like where [Hiccup and Toothless] are drawing in the sand, where they touch the first time, the test drive where they're flying for the first time. We very carefully tried, with the live-action crew on our set and our camera set-up, to mimic those scenes almost shot for shot.

What This Means For How To Train Your Dragon

Fans Did Not Initially Like Its Shot-for-Shot Moments

The very first How to Train Your Dragon live-action trailer showed the first meeting between Hiccup and Toothless. This scene mimics the original version where Toothless first wakes up, and Hiccup holds his hand out to the dragon. The trailer's marketing emphasized the shot-for-shot nature of these moments, but this recreation was harshly criticized. This first trailer gave audiences the impression that the film overall would feature ample shot-for-shot recreation.

However, DeBlois clarifies that the shot-for-shot sequences were used more sparingly. They were only made to cover the iconic scenes, including the first flight, the touching, and Hiccup drawing a picture of Toothless in the sand on the beaches of Berk. By using these select moments for exact recreation, the filmmaker made sure to pay enough homage to the original How to Train Your Dragon movies while not making the whole film a replica. He has already hinted at some differences, sharing in the same interview that Astrid will have a backstory in the live-action version.

Our Take On How To Train Your Dragon's Shot-for-Shot Moments

There Is Always A Risk To Recreating A Scene Shot For Shot

Making these scenes shot-for-shot is a complicated choice. Those scenes will risk comparison to the original and be more apt to have the audience question why the live-action version needed to be made. This already sparked that conversation when the first teaser dropped, but it does seem that the live-action movie will bring some new details. The just-released How to Train Your Dragon full trailer shows some additional Astrid sequences as well as other shots not included in the original animated film. Perhaps that would be enough for the remake to stand out and change some divided opinions.