How to Train Your Dragon has been one of Dreamworks’ flagship franchises for over a decade, and the 2010 film spawned a series of movies, shows and games focused on the fantastic world of dragons. Now, the full-length series is taking its biggest leap in Dragons: The Nine Kingdoms. Released on Hulu and Peacock on December 23, the new version of the franchise takes place more than 1,300 years after Hiccup and Toothless first teamed up. Set in the present day, the series follows a group of teenagers who live with their parents in an ecological excavation located in a huge natural fault. When they venture deep into the Earth, they discover a path that leads directly to the lost kingdom of dragons, hidden centuries ago.
In an interview with CBR, the executive producer and director of Dragons: The Nine Realms, executive producer and series director John Tellegen pointed to the heart of the franchise, regardless of the time period in which it is set. He also explained the differences between Hiccup and the leads of the new series, what he hopes fans young and old will take away from the series, and much more.
CBR: This carries the franchise of How to Train Your Dragon to a whole new world, almost. It’s a totally different cast. It’s a completely different new set of dragons. Placing the series in modern times represents a fundamental change for the series. Was that idea always at the center of the concept of Dragons: The Nine Kingdoms?
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John Tellegen: Dreamworks was talking internally about what they wanted to do with the franchise, the different directions they felt the franchise could take, and one of them was exploring dragons in the modern world. Once we got down to talking about it, and the idea of today’s kids meeting dragons, mingling with them, flying on dragons … we enthuse. So the question was, “Well, how do we keep the soul of the franchise moving 1300 years into the future?” That was something I really took seriously. I feel like we’ve been successful in keeping the heartbeat of the franchise going. Although we are 1,300 years in the future, it still seems How to Train Your Dragon, which I find wonderful.
It really keeps the spirit of the series, especially the heart. There may be less fantasy and fewer Vikings, but the core of the story is a boy and his dragon, a person who creates a bond with an animal. The human element of the story is really easy to relate to, and that’s the most important thing about the series. How did you choose the central cast and their ties to dragons?
The old version of the franchise was mainly focused on Hiccup and Toothless, and that was wonderful. Our series focuses on Tom and Thunder and their journey, but I would say that this series is more of a set than the others. [entradas de la franquicia]. Jun, D’Angelo, Alex, they all have their own arcs and stories to tell within the series, and I think it’s wonderful to see them, not just Tom and Thunder and their fate, but also exploring the supporting cast surrounding Tom. , which I think is a bit different from what we have done in the past.
This franchise has changed a lot in many different mediums. How to Train Your Dragon It started out as a series of books, then moved on to movies, and then has grown and evolved on television. This story is one that I think really benefits from this approach, being in a televised format.
Yes, I agree with that. As a franchise, “How to train your dragons “It tells universal human stories about friendship and family, about finding your place and your destiny. These themes resonate with everyone, young and old, around the world. I think with this franchise there is such a rich landscape that it can be expanded into Any direction, I think that’s the beauty of this series, and the Dragons franchise in general.
Especially in the original movies, we had a lot of father-son material with Hiccup and Stoick. We have a lot of mentor-student material, and we have some maternal connections explored in the second movie, but then not much in the third, while this series really leans almost immediately on maternal bonds. You have Tom’s mother, you have June’s mother, you finally have Alexandra’s mothers. Was that a goal in the writing room? Where did that approach and direction come from?
It was a conscious direction. In the Viking world, he was very patriarchal. In a way, it was very brutal because it involved Vikings carrying maces and hitting each other on the head. We are in modern times, so we wanted to tell a slightly more sophisticated story, but keeping the fun and the spirit of the franchise. For us, the fact that Tom has a strong connection to his mother was the starting point for that idea. While Hiccup and Stoick had a very adverse relationship, we wanted Tom and Olivia to have a very close relationship. This makes it much more difficult for Tom when he has to keep the dragons secret from his mother, with whom he has a very strong relationship.
What are you most excited about the new audience taking away from the show?
When we got to the series, we wanted to attract a totally new audience to the franchise, and introduce a younger audience to the franchise, which perhaps hadn’t been introduced before. So we have a ton of new dragons, and obviously exciting new locations with the Nine Kingdoms. And for the legacy fans, we’ve brought back … some of our old legacy dragons are going to make an appearance in the series, and then we have to learn new and exciting things about old friends. This is how we’ve approached it, so there will be something for everyone on the show, and I’m excited about that.
When I was a kid, my father took me to see James Bond movies, and I was a kid from the 80s. So when I went to see James Bond … it was Roger Moore. I was like, “Oh, Roger Moore is the best 007 ever!” And my father said: “It can’t be, Sean Connery is the best 007 ever! And I said:” No, no, no, I like this Roger Moore “, because he was the first one I saw, because he was a boy So I would love for there to be a version of that argument: “I love the iteration of! the nine kingdoms! “” I love the iteration of Hiccup and Toothless! “, For the fans to face it like my father and I did when I was a kid. I think it would be fun. As long as everyone likes it and talks about it, we’ll be in the good way.
It is a series much loved around the world. As a creator, as a creative, is it a challenge to carry that weight of expectations when entering this new iteration of the franchise?
Well, the interesting thing about the franchise is that it fits the way of telling stories that I like to have. I like to tell strong character stories with action, comedy, and heart, and the franchise is built around that. Therefore, whenever I consider a series of dragons, I do it from a character point of view. That connection to dragons, protecting dragons, that love for dragons, and then the characters learning about themselves, and about each other, and about friendship and family.
Those themes resonate throughout the franchise, whether in Viking times or today. It’s so rewarding to write stories so comprehensive that they make you laugh, cry, and cheer from episode to episode. I think that’s what I like best about the franchise and, if I had to guess, that’s why it’s also a global and appreciated phenomenon, because it has a good balance of all those elements and themes.
Plus, dry dragons are cool too. It’s like the little glitter on top.
Yes absolutely. And the fact that dragons have their own personalities, and are not just decoration pieces. They are also characters. Sometimes the dragon has its own destiny, its own path, and that’s great too. As long as you respect where you come from and where you are going, the public will feel that respect and you can take some shots.
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