Happy 10th anniversary to one of the greatest animated films of all time. Like so many others, How to Train Your Dragon, especially the first one, was absolutely life changing for me. 10 years later and I'm still such a huge fan. I still find it unbelievable that they put a masterpiece like this together in a little over a year when most animated movies can take at least three years to make. That was after Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois came in to direct and did a complete rewrite. Personally, I'm happy with the revisions they made.
The Forbidden Friendship scene was the first sequence they worked on and I'm sure they had to have known then and there that something truly special was in the making. The first time I saw it, it really tugged at my heartstrings. There was barely any dialogue for this scene, save for the incredible music by John Powell, who definitely composed one of the most beautiful film scores of all time for the franchise.
It was such a joy witnessing such an amazing bond forming between Hiccup and Toothless and growing ever more stronger over time. These two characters and their story will always hold a special place in my heart.
Thanks How to Train Your Dragon for 10 years of making our hearts soar.
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For the Future of Dragons and Vikings
Soooo... I’ve had this ficlet sitting in my docs for... a while now. I had meant to have it uploaded on New Years, something hopeful for the fandom going forward... but then I never posted... nor did I post it on Hiccup’s birthday which was a bit of a missed opportunity. Part of it was because it felt... rough, like it needed polish, but I couldn’t bring myself to get back to it. However, with today being the tenth anniversary of this wonderful franchise, this wonderful film... well, figured it was about time to get this dumb thing out into the world. Hope yall like it.
Oh, just a heads up, this is gonna be a bit canon divergent from THW.
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It had been a few days since Snoggletog, the first Snoggletog the Berkians had since they’ve arrived on their new island home. Up atop the balcony of his still new home, Hiccup took in the sight of his village before taking a deep breath of air as he tried to get his mind off of the things that bothered him. New Berk had been coming along nicely, with only a couple places still needing a proper door or some shingles for their roofs. The Vikings who now called this island home were happy for the most part, some of the older ones still drunk from merriment of the holiday while the younger ones made the most of the considerable snowfall in some rather inventive ways. However, even as he tried to get lost in what he saw, Hiccup still felt like something was missing-or, rather, someone who he wished was still here.
His mind went back a few months, to when they only just been on what would become New Berk for a few days, most of the buildings he saw now not even existing as a thought on anyone’s mind yet, and the snow that currently covered the land was nowhere to be found, leaving only a sea of green. It seemed so peaceful in hindsight, Hiccup mused, which made it seem almost impossible that the final battle against Grimmel and the Warlords who had only taken place that same day. Hiccup and his tribe achieved victory, they managed to save the dragons, but nearly at the cost of his life as well as that of his best friend. In that moment, it seemed clear that they-no, he could not keep Toothless and the rest of dragonkind with them, that they needed to disappear. Toothless seemed to agree, and after one last moment together, the Night Fury motioned for the dragons to leave…
In that moment, something unexpected, something borderline miraculous happened.
While a plenty of the dragons flew off, some towards the hidden world and others towards who knows where, there were just as many that seemed to refuse to go. Many of them were the dragons that had been with the tribe since the defeat of the Red Death, had been with them through thick and thin. When Astrid took off Stormfly’s saddle and urged her to follow the rest, the dragon simply nudged her and took it back in her jaws, insisting on staying with her. Meanwhile, Hookfang simply smacked Snotlout with his jaw when he attempted to remove his own saddle before staying close, not intending on flying off either. Even Gobber’s dragon, Grump, got up only to lay atop and trap the older viking underneath, while Cloudjumper simply watched the other dragons for a moment before tilting his head back to Valka, the call of the wild paling in comparison to the bond that he shared with her. As the minutes went on and the number of dragons that were leaving dwindled, Toothless looked on, seeming to almost reconsider before Hiccup took the chance to wrap his arms around and give him one last squeeze. He meant to comfort his best friend, but it ended up helping him just as much. When he let go, Toothless gave him one last look back before taking off, slowly disappearing into the sunset, the light seeming to follow as night took hold and the stars started to speckle the sky.
Content as Hiccup was to be lost in his memories, the sound of a dragon landing behind him managed to catch his attention. Turning around, Hiccup saw a familiar blue and yellow nadder touch down before the dragon’s rider hopped off. He could see in her movements that she had just finished a dragon race, what with that confident sway in her steps being a bit more noticeable, and a slight shiver as the rush of victory was still coursing through her veins. This, along with a rather playful smirk on her face as she made eye contact with him, was all telling him what just happened while he was mentally away. Still, he always made it a point to ask what happened anyway when he had the chance, he just wouldn’t get the opportunity this time.
“There you are!” Astrid started, a bit more bounce in her step as she got closer still. “I was wondering what you were up to. I didn’t see you at the race, what’s up?”
“Oh, well…” Feeling like he was caught off guard, Hiccup scrambled to say something, a very clear stutter before he found some proper words. “Sorry I missed it, just was… busy.”
“Busy with what?” She asked, swinging her arms behind her back before she held them together, getting closer still with only a few feet separating the two at this point.
“I was just thinking… thinking about Toothless.” He let out a sigh, his thoughts pouring back in. “It’s weird, doing this without him. I never imagined doing all… this.” Hiccup gestured to the village, seeing juvenile dragons and viking kids playing together, while their elders ate and celebrated in their own ways… Hiccup silently thanked Odin that the dragons never developed a taste for mead and ale. “At least, not on my own, especially not after he became the alpha and I became chief. I’m still trying to make a better world for both dragons and vikings, but sometimes, it feels too much to bear on my own. I know I can’t do anything about it, and he’s probably happy out there, but… sometimes I wish he would just come back.”
“Hiccup...” Astrid took another step, lowering herself a little as his gaze started to drift down and away. “I know it hurts to go on without him, but… remember what I said, before we rescued the dragons that day?” She brought a hand under his chin, gently bringing his face up so blue eyes could meet green. “That he only helped bring out what made you… you? Made it easier for you to do that? I wasn’t kidding when I said that, and I know you can make the world a better place. Besides…”
Hiccup’s eyes stayed locked on her, the whole world seeming to fade out as his focus was solely on her. “You’re not alone. You know Stormfly and I got your back, and you know the other riders will help too, even if Snotlout and the twins still like to cause some trouble for you every now and again.” He couldn’t help but let a smile tug at his lips, especially when he saw a heartwarming grin on her expression. “We have something amazing with the dragons here, and it’s all thanks to what you and Toothless have done. In a way, he’s still here with us.”
“I guess he is, isn’t he?” A soft snort left Hiccup's nose before he looked back to the village. He felt like Toothless would be happy to see how the dragons were doing now… and part of him could still imagine a black mass bounding between buildings and running off with some fresh caught cod. Holding Astrid close, he felt better about going forward, feeling as though the future was going to be bright. “Thank you, I… I really needed that.”
“Mmmmm… I know.” The blonde smiled, content to stay in his arms and wrapping hers around him in return.
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Happy 10th Anniversary, HtTYD!
I’m so happy that 10 years ago, on March, the 1st How to Train Your Dragon film was released, and it soon kicked started an incredible franchise that continued with 2 sequel films, 5 short films and entire TV series shown on TV and later on Netflix!
I happily enjoyed every moment of the the first and the amazing legacy that followed, from an amazing story, to the fantastic cast of characters (and the voices that brought them to life), the animation and music, it was all just the very elements that made this film and the whole franchise an amazing success!
So once more, Happy 10th Anniversary, How to Train Your Dragon franchise, you very well deserved it. Remember the Dragons...
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Happy 10th Anniversary HTTYD!
It’s been 10 years since the first movie came out and as a few of you have seen, I’ve spent the countdown turning out one-short until today. My goal was to write yet another one for the 10 year anniversary but life (read: COVID-19 related issues had everyone at work scrambling) got in the way. I didn’t get off until super late and, honestly, I forgot all about it until this moment. So, this is my 10 year HTTYD Anniversary post.
Happy Anniversary How to Train Your Dragon and thank you Cressida Cowell and Dean DeBlois for giving us such wonderful characters that have touched not only my life, but countless others out there as well.
(Jack goes around hugging all Dragon Riders, Dragons, and Berkians alike: Remember, you are Loved!)
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