How to Train Your Dragon was one of the things I loved as a kid, the films, the shows, books, I grew up next to all these characters. However, unlike several other pieces of media which eventually you end up moving over, this one is one of those rare exceptions that is able to still captivate you as if it were the first time watching it and even let’s you pick up several things you didn’t notice before as you watch it with a different perspective.
It is no secret that the story and arc of the characters of these films (and this is especially blatant on the first one) are based on the typical coming of age tale. However, very few works actually have the chance and successfully handle to age and mature with its audience. This is not only about having a long runtime but how the story itself depicts growth and translates it to its audience in order to be relevant back when were were growing up and now as we continue our journey through life.
Of course, the key to create a successful story capable of such relies heavily on its characters. In every good coming of age film we should be invited to grow up with them to experience how their world mirrors our reality. So, to look at how a film can mature with its audience we should take notice on how its characters develop.
When talking about a character arc, most will immediately think on the change of a character within a story and while this statement holds some truth in it, it would be inaccurate to assume that an arc can be solely evidenced by a character undergoing some major transformation. There is a difference between growth and change, between maturing and transforming, this key difference is what is capable to make a character not only layered and nuanced but also relatable to your audience, especially in a coming of age story like this one.
The How to Train Your Dragon saga utilizes this principle really well through Hiccup’s arc. This can be evidenced by the way we describe him, qualities like brave, humble, empathetic and merciful could all be used, but just think on this: all these qualities were evidenced in him sine the start of the story until the very conclusion of the franchise, he didn’t went through a transformation or a big character change that modified his goals, behavior or qualities. He is pretty much the same guy, but it is his views, purpose and the way he and others perceive himself what changes.
Hiccup’s main struggle is not only to learn to accept himself, take on his father’s responsibility or embrace change but the main underlying characteristic of his development is to find his purpose, all the other things he faced along the way were steps that made him mature. In fact the main conflict he constantly embraces consists on him finding his purpose: in the first film he thinks he needs to blend with the other viking to do so, in the second film this is even more blatant as he states that while his father expects him to be a chief he find his future uncertain, not really knowing what his identity is and in the third film he finally fulfills his purpose not as a chief but as a protector.
In fact, Stoick’s quote “a chief protects his own” summarizes Hiccup’s role as a chief to Berk, a friend to Toothless and a partner to Astrid. Is interesting that while Hiccup rejected the idea of him taking over his father’s role as a chief, he fully embraced the role of a protector. In fact notice how before Hiccup takes on the role of a chief, he rephrases his father’s words as “an alpha protects them all”. Is important to notice that when Hiccup accepts his role as a leader, he understood that it is not only about duty (as he thought of it during the beginning of the second film as he claimed that “speeches and running the village” is not his thing), but that there’s a far more altruistic purpose on being a chief which appealed to his selfless nature.
I find it interesting the use of the word protect instead of using the word defend, at first glance this may sound insignificant as both have a really similar meaning but I feel the choice of this word to define the role of Hiccup is more appropriate and really shows that his arc (and the thematic of the saga itself) was thoroughly considered, especially in the third film which explores this concept further more. Hiccup defined himself as a peacekeeper, which does fit him quite well actually. While the word “defend” means to take action to resist an attack or threat, “protect” means to keep something safe from harm or danger, in other words, defend means take action against an attack and protect to prevent an attack.
This “minor” difference is what makes the saga thematically consistent and the ending to be in line with Hiccup’s motivations and personality. At the end Hiccup realized the world was unable to adapt to change, despite his best efforts to try to champion peace. Is not a happy ending but is realistic. Hiccup’s decision at the ending reflected his selflessness as he fully understood that despite his efforts he couldn’t guarantee the safety of Toothless nor of the other dragons.
I also feel is key to analyze specifically two relationships Hiccup had through the story that largely influence his character arc and tell us a lot of these themes as well. I’ll address them separately to help this essay be better organized.
Hiccup and Toothless
It would be impossible to talk about this story without addressing what is undeniably the heart of it, in fact everything revolves around it. What I truly love about how Hiccup and Toothless’ friendship was portrayed is not only how nicely fleshed out it is but also how greatly narrated it is.
I think this is not talked about enough but I feel that if you let this project to someone other than Dean DeBlois this friendship wouldn’t be narrated as effectively. DeBlois was the director of Lilo and Stitch, which if you think about it, has a lot of aspects in common with this film: the unlikely friendship of a young girl (or in this case boy) with an unknown creature lacking any way to verbally communicate. It could have made the development of the story way easier to tell if they simply relied on anthropomorphism like the majority of animated films do but they didn’t and this is something worth praising.
Actually, on the making of How To Train Your Dragon is mentioned the particular effort put into making Toothless believable inside the stylized realism of the story and animation.
"We've applied realistic textures in a shape language that is pushed to the point of caricature but is still believable."
-Production Designer Kathy Altieri
“The image of the partially reconstructed dragon struck both of us right away, reminiscent of our favorite creations of Hayao Miyazaki, where early mechanics are coupled with something organic.”
-Dean DeBlois, Director
Their interactions consist of moments of unspoken brilliance with excellent visual narration, is incredible how the screenwriters managed to make two characters that never speak to one another say more about themselves, the themes of the movies and their relationship more than any piece of dialogue could ever accomplish. For example, the ending of the first film is perhaps the scene that encapsulates these two characters’s symbiotic relationships the best.
I find the parallelism between Hiccup losing his leg just like Toothless lost his tail to be thought-provoking. It states to how deeply tied these characters have become and also how dependent on one another they are, Toothless is incapable to fly without Hiccup while Hiccup is able to “stand up, an statement which is rather more symbolic, thanks to Toothless). This is why this shot is so relevant, it is not only showcasing the bond between these characters and mirroring them (as Hiccup stated how he was able to see himself within Toothless) but is also the most meaningful when you consider that the one that helped Hiccup to stand up after he lost his leg was Toothless.
As I mentioned, this is a more symbolic statement instead of being literal (as Hiccup could still walk without Toothless unlike the other way around). But this shot is stating that it was thanks to Toothless that Hiccup found a purpose, he was the one that provided that first “push” he needed to stand up and keep walking by his own. This choice is absolutely deliberate in my opinion, and gains further meaning when comparing it with how this situation was paralleled later on (but more on that later).
Hiccup and Astrid
Hiccup and Astrid’s romantic relationship is an aspect of the story that in my opinion is constantly overlooked and belittled as a mere secondary plot line, and while at first glance this is could be considered to be truth, actually this couldn’t be further from reality as this plot line helps to develop the themes and arc of Hiccup greatly.
If Toothless was the first “push” that Hiccup needed stand up and mature, then Astrid was the last (in context of the story) support Hiccup needed to keep walking. In my opinion, one of the main reasons of why the ending of the third movie works amazingly well is because of how cleverly it paralleled several points of the story to display how these characters have matured.
Not only the dialogue but also the scenery, situation and character interactions are mirrored.
This is an interesting parallelism when we consider that Astrid was the trigger for Hiccup taking action in both of these situations. Not only that, but also both of these are a turning points for Hiccup, while in both he lost Toothless and learnt to gain confidence in himself to solve each issue, in the first one he was able to get him back but in the second scenario he actually didn’t. Another way to see it is that afterwards in the first film he learnt to keep going with the help of Toothless and in third film he had to keep walking without him.
This is why this parallelism is so meaningful, because it is Astrid the one that is next to him when he made some of the most defining choices of his life. She has also (next to Toothless) being his support without him fully realizing it. And this character grow that is constructed thanks to the other is actually mutual, is not solely evidenced in Hiccup’s arc and decisions but in Astrid’s as well.
As Astrid herself said, Hiccup was the reason she was the person she became at that point in the story. Obviously this can be evidenced by the way she (and everyone on Berk) changed her mentality about dragons, but digging up a little bit Hiccup’s influence on her goes far beyond the surface. Notice the change on Astrid’s attitude and behavior during the first film and consequently in the rest of the franchise.
At first Astrid is seen as cold, distant and even unhappy, while determined and sure of what her goals were and what she had to do (and I want emphasize the use of the word have over want), it didn’t seem like she felt fulfillment with it. This can be primarily noticed on her body language, notice how through the first film her face expressions change from the first and the second half of the film.
Astrid is an ambitious and determined young girl, carrying the weight on her shoulders that is becoming a warrior and protecting the village. Through the first half of the film, she’s focused on hardworking, is tough with herself as she is a perfectionist but doesn’t seem to find any pleasure in it. She’s always wearing a frown and her posture is stiff.
The first time we saw Astrid smiling was during the romantic flight, an expression that thus far was really alien to her. Is really meaningful that this turning point for her character, this change of attitude we evidence in Astrid, is brought up by Hiccup.
Another way this is evidenced is by her fringe, after the romantic flight sequence we see Astrid pulling away her hair before kissing Hiccup. This is a visual cue of how she is starting to open up a little bit, removing that “shell” she had before that made her distant.
I would also like to bring into notice that the moment this particular interaction between them took place was right after Astrid questioned Hiccup whether he was serious about hiding the dragon’s nest to his dad just to protect Toothless, to which Hiccup firmly said he was willing to do so. Astrid was surprised to see Hiccup self-confident and determined about himself for the very first time, which is an important detail when you consider what happened in the third film.
Astrid’s doubts on marrying Hiccup on the Hidden World are rooted with Hiccup’s lack in confidence on himself, even a deleted scene explicitly states this (personally I prefer how the film hinted Astrid’s motives with a bit more of nuance rather than just having an scene explaining this through dialogue). That’s why the closure the franchise was truthfully satisfying, in the first film we see Astrid started to open up to Hiccup not only after he changed her mindset but also when she realized how determined he can be when it comes of protecting the ones he loves and in the third film he shows that self confidence again when he had the same motives. The difference is that in the third film he was, for the first time, aware of the self-confidence he did had.
In the first film this is what made their relationship start to blossom and in the third what convinced Astrid they were ready for marriage, just like Hiccup was the one that changed Astrid’s perspective and purpose, Astrid was the one that reasserted Hiccup’s self-confidence. Is the way these two characters complement one and other what makes them exceed from the typical romantic couple you’ll encounter in your average animated film.
Further more, and bringing up the parallelism we saw in the first movie I mentioned before, while on the first film after Hiccup lost his leg, it was Toothless the one that literally and symbolically help him to stand up. Now notice how in the third film this situation is replicated but now it is Astrid the one that helps Hiccup to stand up. This is a beautiful parallel on my eyes, it sums up perfectly and in a visual way the arcs of these characters and everything I have just analyzed.
And besides, I also have to praise how we got a romantic relationship that not only feels genuine, natural and develops organically within the story (especially if you also watch the series, but more on that later) but that also depicts a healthy relationship. In many acclaimed animated movies this is rarely seen, take as an example Beauty and the Beast, in which the romance takes place because the Beast kidnapped Beauty, “how romantic”. In Hiccup and Astrid’s relationship I couldn’t say that one of them had more authority over the other as we can clearly see both of them see each other as equals, there’s mutual respect and both characters have their own individuality. I dedicated this closure paragraph on this part of my essay because I feel is not talked about enough how important it is to depict healthy romantic relationships in media and I find it astounding that this is rarely seen even in live action movies, yet here we have an animated movie that did it better than dozens of modern romcoms.
Race to the Edge
I din’t mentioned Race to the Edge previously for two main reasons, firstly because I know not everyone knows about the How to Train Your Dragon shows so I wanted to save you from spoilers and encourage you to watch it for yourself if you haven’t seen it yet. And, secondly because I believe all its major contributions and merits deserve to have their own spot, not only in context of the story but also on its own.
If I had to point out what makes Race to the Edge such a compelling story and addition to the movies, I would undoubtedly say the characters are the main appeal. Not only the characters we originally see in the films are portrayed in a way that feels in line with what we know about them and even adds to their motivations, but also the new characters feel consistent with the story and are cleverly used by the screenwriters to enhance the themes and motivations of the original characters.
Viggo Grimborn, the villain introduced in Race to the Edge, is by far one of the most compelling characters of this franchise and even on the medium of animation as a whole. Many people compare him to Grimmel (from the third film) in the sense that both are bloodthirsty dragon hunters, but that is barely scratching the surface on my eyes.
Grimmel was the antithesis of Hiccup while Viggo was more of a a rival. What I mean by this is not only that Viggo’s motivations aren’t comparable to Grimmel’s, but also he contrasts Hiccup’s character in a different way. Grimmel showcases what Hiccup could have become if he killed Toothless on the first film as his ideals and motivations are the polar opposite of Hiccup’s, actually one of his motivations is abating the pacifist speech Hiccup spread.
On the other hand, Viggo’s rivalry with Hiccup started because the dragon riders became a hassle for his business, his motivation’s are not ideological like Grimmel’s. Like Dagur, this opened up a pathway towards the possibility of change for his character which (and this is key especially considering the second film) is witnessed by Hiccup.
It could be argued that by judging Hiccup’s actions solely based on the second installment of the franchise, his decisions are naive and him thinking that Drago could change his mind is rather unfounded. On my eyes Race to the Edge completely justifies his choices on the second film as on the series, Hiccup evidenced the sudden change of both Viggo and Dagur, both of which were influenced by him and his mindset.
He saw despicable people being capable of not only change but also redemption by being willing to sacrifice themselves if they needed to. I think the series does an amazing job on portraying this. For example, in episodes like Dire Straits we saw Viggo was willing to jeopardize all the civilians of Berk (even children) if he needed to, the show makes us lose our sympathy towards him, so we see Viggo in the same way Hiccup does: irremediable.
That’s the reason why Viggo’s redemption is so shocking. As the final season went on it was evidenced that Johan thought of Viggo as disposable, it was just a matter of time and Viggo also knew that. Like Dagur, losing everything he had and, finally being betrayed gave him the final push he needed to change his mindset and listen to the pacifist speech of his adversary (as he acknowledged to Hiccup).
This ratifies Hiccup’s pacifist mentality we saw on the second installment of the series, not only he changed his father’s mindset but through his benevolence he influenced some of the most vile men he came across with. This is also in line to why Hiccup didn’t even attempted to reason with Grimmel on the third film, is not only he took experience from what happened with Drago but also he understood that unlike Dagur or Viggo, Grimmel’s motivation weren’t impulsive (like Dagur’s) or selfish (like Viggo’s). Grimmel was outright preaching the opposite Hiccup believed in, his motivations were completely founded on hate so for Hiccup there was no room possible for that, as Popper’s paradox states: “in order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must retain the right to be intolerant of intolerance”.
Equally interesting is how Viggo impacted Hiccup through the series and eventually lead him to his more mature self we saw later on. While other villains introduced through the whole series were a physical threat, Hiccup always had the upper hand due to his intelligence, however Viggo became the first villain introduced that not only paired Hiccup intellectually but was even able to outsmart him on several occasions. That’s what makes their rivalry so jarring, is not the usual action-based combat that would typically be displayed on an animated show like this one, both characters are intellectually on pair, so most of the series is like watching a tug of war game, the protagonists don’t have the victory guaranteed just for the sake of it, there are actual stakes and in several occasions it is a tie or even a defeat, so you don’t know what to expect next.
The episodes Night of the Hunters part 1 and 2 on the second season is where the show truthfully started to become outstanding and Hiccup’s development starts to become noticeable. On the first part of these two episodes, he loses even after crafting a seemingly brilliant plan, while here he is outsmarted by Ryker (Viggo’s brother) this is an important turning point on the story and characters. During the previous series of Riders of Berk (which is, practically the first 2 seasons of Race to the Edge) Hiccup was over-reliant on Toothless, however since Hiccup’s encounter with the Dragon Hunters we see him for once realizing that even with the dragons by their side they are vulnerable. Of course Hiccup ends up with the upper hand but not solely by blasting in with Toothless as he would previously do but also thanks to his wit.
In fact as the series goes on and slowly Viggo starts to face the Riders more and more often, we see Hiccup becomes slowly less reliant on Toothless and more capable on standing by his own, even when it comes to physical combat (a clear example being the ending of Season 6).
This a really important point for his character arc and themes of the films which I already explained previously. Consider the point at which we pick up this story and characters on the second film, where we see a far more independent and mature Hiccup. He doesn’t realize it yet but all his victories, how he was capable of outsmarting his adversaries and even the leadership he clearly demonstrated he had in Race to the Edge weren’t solely achieved thanks to Toothless, slowly he was becoming a better version of himself capable of attain all his goals.
I also think is worth mentioning how this show handled the relationship between all these characters since this is actually one of the show's major strengths. Even filler episodes contribute to some characterization or even development of secondary characters of the films which would otherwise remain underdeveloped like Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins. Their interactions feel natural within the context of the story and the blend of comedy with all the drama going on works shockingly well. Is just nice to have some episodes focused on the daily lives of these characters which makes all their relationships feel real and it helps to see how much they have grown together as a group.
Fishlegs was established as this bookworm who loved to study, so of course it makes sense that he became a great friend to Hiccup and both enjoy doing research together. Snotlout was frequently shown as this proud, selfish and sometimes pedantic guy so I really liked how this was layered in Race to the Edge, it showcased where his attitudes came from as it displayed his insecurities through the relationship he had with his dad. He ends up becoming a likable character and his prepotent attitude towards Hiccup can be understood, so it is satisfying to see how each one of them end up gaining respect for each other. Ruffnut and Tuffnut are also vastly improved in the show, is nice to see how despite their silliness they do care for each other and the rest of the group and the way the writers take advantage of how zany these two are to either move the plot, or throw a joke really works.
Of course the relationships between the main characters were also explored. In episodes like the Darkest Night we see how Hiccup felt about the relationship he had with his father and something that I particularly liked is seeing him fighting against guilt. I feel like in the the second film this conflict within him regarding his father’s dead could have been fleshed more, so is nice that Race to the Edge adds this missing part of the puzzle and enhances the emotional resonance of the events of the second film, it even makes Grimmel’s words on the third movie regarding the death of Stoick all the most impactful for these characters because we actually saw Hiccup questioning himself for the same reasons. And all of this accompanied by Jay Baruchel’s excelling performance perfectly hits the nail.
If you have seen this show you will agree with me that Hiccup and Astrid’s relationship, which was already well developed when judging the films by their own, was also greatly utilized and fleshed out in Race to the Edge to the point it is one of the most compelling plot lines the series has to offer. I won’t repeat what I have already said about how their relationship added to the themes of the saga which is also evidenced here, but I wanted to mention how the writers of the series picked up the relationship between these two characters. They could have made their jobs easier and start the story with the two of them already being romantically involved, which is already implied in the ending of the first film, it was the obvious and comfortable choice yet they decided to focus on building up their platonic friendship first and eventually lead to their romantic relationship.
This was an excellent choice in my opinion, it makes Astrid’s affection for Hiccup all the most believable. Is sweet to see how these characters actually grown together and witness that the changes each of them go through is motivated not only by their philosophies but also by the unbreakable bond they share. Take the ending of season 4 as an example, up to this point Hiccup’s governing motivation and priority was gaining back the Dragon Eye, he even risked his life and Berk to try to achieve his goal. However, the moment that Astrid’s life was in danger he didn’t only gave up the Dragon Eye but was even willing of destroying it. I know this type of situations in which a character has to choose between a beloved one or all they’ve been fighting for are a bit cliched but nonetheless I think that this made an important point about his character and how slowly his priorities started to switch. His courage was evidenced in actions like that one which were supported by his selflessness, he would give up his life and goals for those he loved.
That’s the message of this story, courage is not about doing amazing feats and love is not about grandiose declarations of such. At the beginning of the story Hiccup thought he needed to prove himself by killing a dragon which was seen as an act of courage, but at the ending and through all his story he demonstrated he always was amongst the bravest despite him not fully realizing it. Is not only a “be yourself message” but also how it is through our day-to-day actions that we demonstrate our self worth. And it is not solely about achieving a goal but knowing that defeat is part of the process and what is important is that we are able to stand up and keep going.
Life is like a train, some people will enter and later leave and not everyone is capable to stay until the end of this journey but each person has made that journey possible, people are capable of shaping our personalities, goals and also bring that better version of ourselves. However, is up to us to embrace this and mature, those that love you will help you through this journey and make you realize your self worth but all your achievements is because of all the great qualities you always had, never forget that and never underestimate yourself.