Every ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

The ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ films chart the bond between Hiccup and Toothless across a sweeping, tech-forward DreamWorks trilogy, each entry expanding the world of Berk, its dragons, and the stakes they face. Below, you’ll find every feature-length film in the franchise—presented as a clean countdown—so you can quickly see what each one covers, who made it, and how it fits into the larger story.

‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ (2014)

Written and directed by Dean DeBlois, this sequel returns the original voice cast and adds Cate Blanchett as Valka, Djimon Hounsou as Drago Bludvist, and Kit Harington as Eret. The story jumps forward to a time when dragon-riding is commonplace in Berk, as Hiccup and Toothless uncover an ice-cave full of wild dragons and clash with a warlord building a dragon army. DreamWorks introduced new scalable multi-core processing and lighting tools for the production, while composer John Powell returned to score with contributions from Jónsi. The film grossed over $621 million worldwide.

‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ (2019)

Serving as the trilogy’s conclusion, the film follows Hiccup as chieftain of New Berk and Toothless as he meets a white Light Fury, while the dragon hunter Grimmel targets Night Furies. Dean DeBlois wrote and directed, with returning voices including Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, and F. Murray Abraham. DreamWorks updated and invented new software to handle complex visuals—such as lighting work for the Light Fury—during production. The movie earned about $540 million worldwide and received nominations at the Annie Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Academy Awards.

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)

Co-directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the series opener adapts Cressida Cowell’s book and introduces the Viking village of Berk, where Hiccup befriends a rare Night Fury he names Toothless. The voice cast features Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, and more, with John Powell composing a widely celebrated score. Cinematographer Roger Deakins served as a visual consultant to shape the film’s lighting and live-action feel. The film was a global box-office success, taking in roughly $495 million and launching a major DreamWorks franchise.

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2025)

Dean DeBlois writes and directs this live-action adaptation for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks, reimagining the story of Hiccup and Toothless with real actors and practical environments alongside CG creatures. The principal cast announced includes Mason Thames as Hiccup, Nico Parker as Astrid, and Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast. The project adapts elements from Cressida Cowell’s book series and the animated trilogy, with updated designs and effects workflows to translate dragon-flying and Berk’s Viking world to live action. Universal is handling a wide theatrical rollout.

What’s your own order—drop your list in the comments and tell us why!