1 2 3 01A_fea_howtotraindragon.indd 28 1/6/11 4:11 PM 1. The bond between Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and the feared Night Fury dragon he names Toothless was inspired ANATOMY OF A CONTENDER by Disney’s 1979 filmThe Black Stallion. 2. Toothless and Hiccup, from artist’s rendering to finished product. 3. The father-son relationship between Stoick (Gerard Butler) and Hiccup evolves during the course of the film. 4. Baruchel’s workload included nearly two dozen two-hour recording sessions. making of How to Train Your Dragon Two new directors, an award-winning cinematographer and wise words from a pair of filmmaking titans transformed a small story into a heartfelt epic By Tom Roston n OctOber 2008, Dream- when Jeffrey was trying to create Viking take on the “biggest, Works Animation CEO an identity for the studio.” baddest” dragon; and set a broad Jeffrey Katzenberg handed But the early version of Dragon tone for the film that could rival Dean DeBlois and Chris wasn’t shaping up to be anything the grandest family films, e.g., Sanders the task of breath- that DreamWorks might want Harry Potter. ing new life into a moribund to hang its hat on. “We real- Sanders and DeBlois took feature-length animated film ized we needed something that two weeks reviewing the work project that had been in the would take us beyond the books,” that already had been done and iworks for nearly four years. If Arnold says. Indeed, the source came up with a new take. First, 4 that weren’t challenge enough, material — Cressida Cowell’s they wanted to “age up” the lead the co-directors had to reinvent 2003 children’s book series — kids in the story to early teens. How to Train Your Dragon in less might have conjured a wildly They also wanted to replace than 15 months — a task that imaginative mythical world of the book’s cowboys-and-horses usually takes three years. Vikings who cohabit with drag- dynamic between the Vikings There was more at stake than ons, but it also is a small story and dragons with one that was simply taking the reins from about 10-year-old Hiccup and his warlike and perilous. And last, previous director Peter Hastings pet dragon. they wanted to make Hiccup’s (The Country Bears), who left the Sanders, the director sug- pet dragon, Toothless — a cute, project when his wife died. In gested by Arnold as Hastings’ iguana-sized runt in the book — addition to the reported $165 mil- replacement, was immediately into a giant, fierce creature he’d lion budget, Dragon represented interested. (Sanders and Arnold have to befriend then fly. a major shift for DreamWorks had worked together at Disney Katzenberg liked what he Animation, which had a stellar on such films asTarzan and Toy heard and encouraged the direc- record with a green ogre (Shrek), Story.) He brought aboard his tors to “put the pedal to the displaced zoo animals (Madagas- Lilo & Stitch co-director, De- metal,” according to Arnold. car) and a bamboo-eating bear Blois, and together they met with “We knew we didn’t have time (Kung Fu Panda) but hadn’t fully Katzenberg, who declared the to explore,” Sanders says. “We had delivered on the human front. rock-solid release date of March to get this right the first time.” “Disney had done that,” pro- 26, 2010, and assigned his new They could build on the ducer Bonnie Arnold says. “This directors three tasks: They had work already done on the film’s was a little different for us. Here to hang the story on a father-son diverse population of dragons as was a kid protagonist at the time relationship; have the smallest well as keep the animated sets of animation. 2010 dreamworks images: capellaro; all other baruchel: lucian www.thr.com | The hollywood RepoRTeR | 29 01A_fea_howtotraindragon.indd 29 1/6/11 4:12 PM ANATOMY OF A CONTENDER 1 3 2 Toothless. They thought of him the change of directors had been to be very good but you work on as a giant pet — part horse, dog “nerve-racking” at first, but he the Viking village of Berk. The weekends anyway. In this case, and cat. And they worked in a was quickly won over by DeBlois voice cast was nearly set, with everybody felt confident.” damaged tail, which would bring and Sanders’ “massive vision.” Jay Baruchel as the voice of Hic- One of the key scenes they Hiccup closer to him when the With the new directors, cup, America Ferrera as tough focused on early was dubbed boy creates a prosthetic that Baruchel had to “mature” Viking chick Astrid and Gerard “forbidden friendship,” in which has a “Miyazaki vibe to it,” says his character’s voice, which Butler as Hiccup’s father, Hiccup and Toothless cross a DeBlois, referring to the Japa- remained very un-Vikinglike in Stoick. But the directors had threshold of trust. The outline nese animation master. contrast to the two elder leads, to dump most of their recorded was that the dragon is injured As the writing progressed, played by Scotsmen Butler and dialogue because the screenplay and the young Viking brings him scenes were pushed down the Craig Ferguson, who voices Gob- had to be rewritten. food. They knew that the scene pipeline: Storyboards were gener- ber, an adviser to father and son. Surrounded by bulletin boards would be musically driven “and ated, layouts were constructed, “It was this great audible way of filled with storyboard scenes, pretty,” DeBlois says, “but how and previsualizations created hammering home the genera- DeBlois and Sanders hunkered do they make that connection?” rough mock-ups of the scenes in tion gap,” Baruchel says. “Those down to write, sitting across from Sanders came up with the idea motion. (Scenes that were flagged guys have this brogue, and the each other in their office on the that Toothless would begin to as particularly conducive to 3D rest of the kids are, like, from main floor of DreamWorks Ani- mimic Hiccup’s gestures, like treatment were then developed by the mall in Sherman Oaks.” mation’s Glendale campus. his smile, which would create a dedicated 3D department.) Ferrera says the process of Although they were under the the bridge toward their budding DeBlois and Sanders also went voice acting could be mind- gun, DeBlois reports that the friendship. Inspired by the image back and forth to record dialogue numbing. “When you say the production mood was optimistic. of the encounter, Sanders illus- sessions with their cast, most same lines 25 different ways, the “I’ve worked on a lot of stink- trated the scene before writing it. of whom did about 10 two-hour words don’t sound like English ers,” he says. “There’s the term Disney’s 1979 filmThe Black recording sessions during the anymore,” says the actress, whose ‘polishing a turd,’ where you Stallion served as inspiration to course of three years; Baruchel did originally marginal character know that the movie’s not going the directors as they reinvented closer to two dozen. The actor says became Hiccup’s love interest. images: all other young; mathieu ferrara: eric liebowitz; shot: group everett eragon: collection. animation. 2010 dreamworks 30 | The hollywood RepoRTeR | JANUARY 2011 01A_fea_howtotraindragon.indd 30 1/6/11 4:12 PM 4 toward Celtic melodies. “We 1. Hiccup shows his fellow students during dragon-fighting lessons that there’s fudged the lines a little bit,” says a gentler way. 2. America Ferrera voices Powell, who wanted to comple- the spunky Astrid. 3. Hiccup meets the Fire wounded Toothless up close for the first ment the Scottish brogue of the time. 4. (From left) Director Chris cast elders. Sanders, Craig Ferguson, producer Breathers An unlikely addition to the Bonnie Arnold and director Dean DeBlois. How films with dragon Dragon team was cinematogra- characters have fared pher Roger Deakins, an eight- felt pat with Hiccup defeating time Oscar nominee best known the goliath and everything being 1. How to train Your Dragon for working with Joel and Ethan fine in the end.” 2010 Coen on such films asNo Country So again, DeBlois and Sanders $217.6M for Old Men and Fargo — a far went to their office to come up n 2. MuLa 1998 cry from the world of animation. with a proposal. They recalled DeBlois and Sanders had asked an idea that had been batted $120.6M Deakins to come in to talk about around about Hiccup getting 3. Eragon 2006 his “theories of light” in a couple hurt in a way that mirrors Tooth- $75M of workshops in the hope that the less’ broken tail. They decided Dragon animators could integrate to have him wake up after the 4. DragonHEart 1996 dramatic realism into their work. final battle, alone, missing a leg. $51.4M When Deakins and the anima- Arnold acknowledges that there E 5. r ign of firE 2002 tors clicked, DeBlois and Sanders were concerns that young view- $43.1M decided to hire him as a full-time ers might be disturbed, but test consultant, which helped create a screenings allayed those fears. 6. QuEst for CaMELot 1998 unique look for the film, start- Katzenberg wasn’t the only $22.5M At the same time, other teams ing with the shadowy opening DreamWorks titan to put his fin- 7. DungEons & Dragons 2000 of filmmakers were at work. Sound scene when the dragons invade gerprint on Dragon. The directors designer Randy Thom was put- Berk at night, with parts of the were well into production on that $15.2M ting in long days at the Skywalker frame falling into total darkness.