The How to Train Your Dragon Movies in Order
Here is everything you need to know about the How to Train Your Dragon movies, based on the bestselling books by children’s author Cressida Cowell.
Loosely inspired by the books written by Cressida Cowell, there are currently three animated How to Train Your Dragon movies, with a live action adaptation currently in the works for 2025. There are also five short films as well as three television series.
Long predating the films, the first How to Train Your Dragon book was published back in 2003 and introduces the series protagonist Hiccup and his dragon Toothless. Set in a fantasy Viking world, there are now 12 books in the series, with the final book How to Fight a Dragon's Fury having published in 2015.
Cressida Cowell is a much loved children’s author who has written several other book series including The Treetop Twins, The Tiny Detectives, The Wizards and the Emily Brown books. She served as Children’s Laureate from 2019 - 2022, and has sold more than 11 million books around the world.
Here are all of the How to Train Your Dragon movies in order, complete with synopses and trailers for each one. Enjoy!
How to Train Your Dragon, 2010 (PG)
Released in theatres in 2010, the original How to Train Your Dragon movie was well reviewed and received Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures.
Synopsis:
“Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it.
Instead, Hiccup and the dragon, whom he dubs Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged the species. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find that they must fight the destructive ignorance plaguing their world.” - from Kenneth Chisholm on IMDb
How to Train Your Dragon 2, 2015 (PG)
This second How to Train Your Dragon movie follows Hiccup and Toothless 5 years after the first film. It was nominated for one Oscar, Best Animated Feature Film of the Year that same year.
Synopsis:
“It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds.
When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.” - Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation on IMDb.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, 2019 (PG)
This is the final movie in the original animated trilogy. As with the previous two films, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was also nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars.
Synopsis:
“As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless' discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup's reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.” - JC Jamison on IMDb
How to Train Your Dragon: Live Action, 2025
This long awaited live action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon follows the same story as the original animated film, starring Mason Thames as Hiccup and Nico Parker as Astrid.
Synopsis:
“From three-time Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Dean DeBlois, the creative visionary behind DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, comes a stunning live-action reimagining of the film that launched the beloved franchise.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (BAFTA nominee Nico Parker; Dumbo, The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Snow White and the Huntsman, Shaun of the Dead) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding.
As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.”
The How to Train Your Dragon Books in Order
How to Train Your Dragon, 2003
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Be a Pirate, 2004
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Speak Dragonese, 2005
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse, 2006
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, 2007
How to Train Your Dragon: A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons, 2008
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm, 2008
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Break a Dragon’s Heart, 2009
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Steal a Dragon’s Sword, 2011
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Seize a Dragon’s Jewel, 2012
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Betray a Dragon’s Hero, 2013
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury, 2015
You can buy books 1 to 6 as a boxed set here, and books 7 - 12 as a boxed set here.
Are you excited to see the How to Train Your Dragon live action movie? Leave a comment and let me know.
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