Tegan Wusthoff ‘26, Photo Editor
On Nov. 19, people were shocked to see that another children’s animated film was being adapted to live action. This movie was none other than How to Train Your Dragon (2010). While most reactions for the movie seem to be positive with beautiful visuals and some impressive CGI, a lot of people are concerned about some of the casting choices made for the film.
First and foremost, a lot of people are upset that the actress playing Astrid Hofferson in the movie is not racially accurate to the animated source material. While Hofferson, in the 2010 version, is a white blonde-haired woman, Nico Parker—the live-action actress—has darker skin tones and darker hair. The argument also arises that the casting is not “historically accurate” with vikings and Nordics mostly being caucasian.
Some are also upset with the casting of Ruffnut and Tuffnut, the comedic relief twins throughout the film. They are not happy with it as the twins do not exactly look alike, with both of them having many different features such as different hair colors, height, body types, etcetera . However, this is not inaccurate to real life, as most twins, especially fraternal twins of different genders, have noticeable differences in their appearances. The argument is mostly stemming from the accuracy to the source, where the twins are both tall, blonde and look borderline identical, yet they are fraternal.
The director of both the animated and live action, Dean DeBlois, responded to the controversy by saying, “We auditioned lots of actors for the roles, including ones who looked like the animated characters. But we picked the actors who best captured the personality and spirit of the characters…the tribe includes people from all the places Vikings traveled to…but remember this is a fantasy, not a history.” Deblois is not trying to make a one-to-one replica of his animated classic—he is trying to honor the movie’s legacy. At the end of the day, it does not matter what the actor or actress looks like, or where they come from, but it matters how well they portray the character in their role.
Overall, the movie looks like it is headed on the right path and is set to release in June of 2025. Despite the unhappy people with the casting, the movie looks beautiful and will definitely be a gem in the sea of terrible live action adaptations.
Lyon Life 