Behind the Scenes of "How to Train Your Dragon
Though computer-animated films have become a common staple within multiplexes over the last several years, it’s interesting to note that there has never been a CG feature based on an ongoing series of novels. Plenty of movies have started out as stand-alone children’s books, however, with titles like Meet the Robinsons, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and The Tale of Despereaux taking their inspiration from the literary world.
(And although it’s deviated considerably from its source material, the Shrek series has its origins in a 32-page picture book written in 1993.)
This is set to change with the release of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, which has been adapted from the first book of British author Cressida Cowell’s ongoing fantasy series (with the latest installment, How to Break a Dragon’s Heart, receiving release in 2009). The basic storyline of the book (and movie) details the friendship that blossoms between Viking teenager Hiccup and a dragon named Toothless, with the illicit nature of the pair’s alliance eventually resulting in a battle between humans and dragons.
When the time came to transform Cowell’s well-received book into a script, DreamWorks, according to the film’s production notes, assembled a team of screenwriters that had collectively worked on such movies as Aliens in the Attic, Mulan, and The Lion King. The writers went to great lengths to retain many of the characters and plot twists found in the source material, although they did decide to include an origin story explaining the impact of Hiccup and Toothless’ friendship.
Directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders - who last worked together on 2002’s Lilo & Stitch - subsequently set out to bring Cowell’s vividly-realized world to life, with their efforts helped along by a team of seriously talented animators. Before a single pixel was brought to life, however, many of those animators buried themselves in research to flesh out the film’s expansive make-believe universe – which included trips to Iceland and a demonstration of the various fire effects utilized in the movie.
In terms of the movie’s visual style, the filmmakers, says DeBlois, “realized right away that this world was going to be something that had a level of caricature to it, but it needed to be rendered in a very realistic way.” The hiring of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins as a consultant pushed the movie’s creative team into cultivating a lush, almost photorealistic atmosphere, with the eye-popping visuals heightened by the cutting-edge use of 3D technology.
It wouldn’t be a modern animated movie without an all-star cast, and How to Train Your Dragon certainly has its share of A-listers lending their voices to the proceedings. The filmmakers' search for an actor to embody their main character eventually led them to up-and-comer Jay Baruchel, as the actor, according to DeBlois, “embodies a lot of what Hiccup is. He has a trim build, is very quick-witted, and very intelligent, and he brings that to the character, so that the lines that come out of Hiccup feel very genuine.”
When it came time to cast Hiccup’s fearsome father, Gerard Butler seemed to be the most obvious choice, as the actor’s “big booming voice,” utilized so memorably in Zack Snyder’s 300, made him a perfect fit for an imposing character appropriately named Stoick the Vast. The supporting cast has been rounded out with an eclectic cast that includes Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, and Craig Ferguson, while the dragons, which actually speak in Cowell’s books, have been infused with “animal-like” qualities designed to make them “more beasts, difficult to conquer, giving Hiccup and the Vikings a bigger obstacle to overcome.”
DreamWorks Animation’s impressive track record – their last five movies have earned almost $3 billion worldwide – certainly looks to continue with How to Train Your Dragon, though there’s little doubt that the year’s top computer-animated earner will most likely be the third (and possibly final) installment in the Toy Story series.
(And although it’s deviated considerably from its source material, the Shrek series has its origins in a 32-page picture book written in 1993.)
This is set to change with the release of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, which has been adapted from the first book of British author Cressida Cowell’s ongoing fantasy series (with the latest installment, How to Break a Dragon’s Heart, receiving release in 2009). The basic storyline of the book (and movie) details the friendship that blossoms between Viking teenager Hiccup and a dragon named Toothless, with the illicit nature of the pair’s alliance eventually resulting in a battle between humans and dragons.
When the time came to transform Cowell’s well-received book into a script, DreamWorks, according to the film’s production notes, assembled a team of screenwriters that had collectively worked on such movies as Aliens in the Attic, Mulan, and The Lion King. The writers went to great lengths to retain many of the characters and plot twists found in the source material, although they did decide to include an origin story explaining the impact of Hiccup and Toothless’ friendship.
Directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders - who last worked together on 2002’s Lilo & Stitch - subsequently set out to bring Cowell’s vividly-realized world to life, with their efforts helped along by a team of seriously talented animators. Before a single pixel was brought to life, however, many of those animators buried themselves in research to flesh out the film’s expansive make-believe universe – which included trips to Iceland and a demonstration of the various fire effects utilized in the movie.
In terms of the movie’s visual style, the filmmakers, says DeBlois, “realized right away that this world was going to be something that had a level of caricature to it, but it needed to be rendered in a very realistic way.” The hiring of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins as a consultant pushed the movie’s creative team into cultivating a lush, almost photorealistic atmosphere, with the eye-popping visuals heightened by the cutting-edge use of 3D technology.
It wouldn’t be a modern animated movie without an all-star cast, and How to Train Your Dragon certainly has its share of A-listers lending their voices to the proceedings. The filmmakers' search for an actor to embody their main character eventually led them to up-and-comer Jay Baruchel, as the actor, according to DeBlois, “embodies a lot of what Hiccup is. He has a trim build, is very quick-witted, and very intelligent, and he brings that to the character, so that the lines that come out of Hiccup feel very genuine.”
When it came time to cast Hiccup’s fearsome father, Gerard Butler seemed to be the most obvious choice, as the actor’s “big booming voice,” utilized so memorably in Zack Snyder’s 300, made him a perfect fit for an imposing character appropriately named Stoick the Vast. The supporting cast has been rounded out with an eclectic cast that includes Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, and Craig Ferguson, while the dragons, which actually speak in Cowell’s books, have been infused with “animal-like” qualities designed to make them “more beasts, difficult to conquer, giving Hiccup and the Vikings a bigger obstacle to overcome.”
DreamWorks Animation’s impressive track record – their last five movies have earned almost $3 billion worldwide – certainly looks to continue with How to Train Your Dragon, though there’s little doubt that the year’s top computer-animated earner will most likely be the third (and possibly final) installment in the Toy Story series.
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