Third How to Train Your Dragon Film to Close Off Franchise & TV Spinoffs

September 15, 2018

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Dean DeBlois has confirmed that Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming animated film How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World will mark the conclusion of the entire How to Train Your Dragon franchise including its TV spinoffs.

“We thought about it for a long time and came up with what we think is a bittersweet way to say goodbye to these characters, but the right way,” DeBlois said “You will understand why Hiccup says, as you heard in the trailer, ‘There were dragons when I was a boy.’ And by the end of this film, you’ll have answered the question [of] what could have happened to them.”

DeBlois has revealed more details about the third film’s plot “The overall theme of the story is letting go, or finding the wisdom to let go, rather, [It applies to the non-human characters, too]… So much of Hiccup’s identity, as a leader and an adult, is because of his relationship with Toothless…But if Toothless is not there, who is Hiccup?”

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is the much-anticipated culmination of one of the most beloved animated film franchises in history. As Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.

Dean DeBlois returns as the series director alongside the all-star cast, including Jay Baruchel (Million Dollar Baby, This Is the End), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, End of Watch), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones, Pompeii), Cate Blanchett (The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Thor: Ragnarok), Gerard Butler (Den of Thieves, Geostorm), Kristen Wiig (The Last Man on Earth, Ghostbusters), Craig Ferguson (Doc Martin), and F. Murray Abraham (Homeland, Isle of Dogs) as the villain Grimmel.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is produced by Brad Lewis (Ratatouille, Antz) and How to Train Your Dragon series producer Bonnie Arnold (Toy Story, Tarzan). The first two films in the franchise received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and the first film was nominated for Best Original Score.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is set for release on Friday, March 1, 2019.