How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
What started as fire and fury will become friendship.
As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 18 March 2010 |
| Genre | Fantasy, Adventure, Animation, Family |
| Director | Chris Sanders |
| Starring | Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson |
| Runtime | 98 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes 99% · Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.0/10 · Metacritic 75/100 · TMDB users 7.9/10 |
| Budget | $165 million |
| Box office | $495 million worldwide |
Where to watch How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon is streaming on Paramount+ ($13.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Paramount+ is $13.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 12 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 animated fantasy directed by Chris Sanders. It runs 98 minutes, a tight fit for a story about a shy Viking boy who befriends the dragon he was supposed to kill. The hook is simple: Hiccup refuses to finish the job, naming the beast Toothless instead. His warrior father is not amused by this sudden change in career path. The film trades fire and fury for a quiet bond. It is a dry, clever take on childhood rites of passage. It works because the friendship feels earned, not just cute.
What the critics said
Critics barely blinked. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 99% approval rating as of November 2024, averaging 8.0 out of 10. Metacritic settles on 75, a solid "generally favorable." Matt Risley of Variety called it "undoubtedly Dreamworks' best film yet." Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times wasn't so sure, arguing that character development was sidelined for visual spectacle. He still liked the energy.
How it did with audiences
The budget hit $165 million. The worldwide total came in at $495 million, with $218 million of that from the United States. It opened with $43.7 million in its first weekend, a solid start for a dragon story. DreamWorks later noted it as their highest-grossing film in North America, excluding the Shrek franchise. On TMDB, users give it a 7.9 rating. The numbers suggest the audience was ready to fly, even if the studio was just learning how.
What came next for the cast
Jay Baruchel moved from Night at the Museum to Cosmopolis, a shift in tone that feels accidental. Gerard Butler went from 300 to Geostorm. America Ferrera jumped from Lords of Dogtown to Barbie. The credits list these as separate events. They do not claim the dragon caused the shift. It just happened, which is often how careers work.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched How to Train Your Dragon.
Sources
- How to Train Your Dragon on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q373096 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the movie you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add How to Train Your Dragon to your list