How to Train Your Dragon is one of DreamWorks Animations' most valuable franchises. The unlikely friendship of a young Viking boy named Hiccup and the dangerously powerful dragon Toothless delighted audiences for almost a whole decade and in 2019 the trilogy of films concluded. Fans had seen the relations between the humans and the dragons go from hostile to working together in a shared community. Hiccup and Toothless would change the world of Vikings and dragons forever by showing everyone that they could live in harmony. The two would face numerous threats together, from warlords, dragon hunters, and cannibalistic dragons. However, despite the unique threats and epic adventures, the series was always at its heart a story of growth, following the Viking heir from being a hopeless boy to a leader.
Updated March 19th, 2023: This article has been updated to reflect the recent seasons of Dragons: The Nine Realms and the announcement of a live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie.
The franchise is far bigger than just the films, though. There are three TV series based on the world of Berk. One is an eight-season follow-up to the 2010 film that continues the story of Hiccup and his friends leading up to the 2014 sequel. Then, there are two spin-off series with original stories, further expanding the family-friendly universe that fans have come to love. Just recently it was announced that Universal Pictures working on a live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie with franchise director Dean DeBlois set to return to write and direct the film. The live-action film is set for release on March 14, 2025, which will arrive fifteen years after the first How To Train Your Dragon opened in theaters. This is a long-running franchise with multiple entries and with that in mind here is a ranking of where each film and TV series stands.
6 DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms
Set over 1000 years after the film trilogy, dragons are now just myths and legends in the modern world. That all changes with the emergence of a large fissure in the earth descending for miles. Scientists and experts from across the globe race to the site to study the anomaly, but it's a group of misfit kids who discover its mysteries. The dragons still exist, and now these kids know where they've been. Now, it's up to them to protect the secret.
DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms reinvents the lore fans have come to know and love by bringing it into the modern world. It in many ways feels like the best way to keep the franchise going and updates the formula in a very natural way giving the franchise a greater sense of mythic history. This series boasts an ensemble cast of likable, though somewhat generic, characters. They each get an episode to meet and bond with their own respective dragons. The series has aired four seasons, with three of the season blocks premiering in 2022, and season five recently premiering on March 2, 2023.
5 DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Rider
Dragons: Rescue Riders stands out from all other entries on this list by targeting younger children. In the town of Huttsgalor, the Twins Dak and Leyla share an ability to talk to dragons. Together, the siblings use this magical ability to lead a team of dragons in saving other dragons and helping their fellow townsmen. They are the Rescue Riders.
Audiences from the other two Dragons series on this list may not enjoy this one as much as it does not focus on the more mature stories the franchise became known for. Instead, each episode showcases new dragons and interesting characters in fun adventures that tend to end with a moral lesson of some kind. The villains are of the comedic variety, and most threats are jokey. Due to the twins being able to communicate with them, the dragons have more personality than others shows/movies from this franchise.
This series doesn't try to be anything other than what it is, a basic yet enjoyable adventure show for small children. Older audiences won't enjoy it so much, but kids ages seven and under will love it and like any good franchise it is a wise idea to make material that appeals to younger kids as it helps introduce them to the franchise.
4 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Set a year after the 2014 sequel, Berk thrives as a Dragon and Viking utopia with Hiccup as its chieftain. But as happy as life may be, the villagers struggle with an overpopulation problem, prompting Toothless and his rider to take flight once more to find the prophesied hidden world where dragons can live freely. However, the adventure won’t be easy as a ruthless dragon hunter is after Toothless, looking to make the Night Fury his alpha. If that wasn’t bad enough, Toothless meets a female “Light Fury,” capturing his fascination and testing his bond with Hiccup. With everything on the line, hard choices must be made to change the fates of the Vikings and the dragons forever.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is the conclusion to Hiccup's story of growth. Although it's ranked lower than its predecessors, that doesn’t speak to the quality of this film. In fact, it’s a spectacular conclusion full of stunning visuals and deep storytelling that had fans weeping beyond the closing minutes. What it could have done without was the focus on members of Hiccup's lesser-explored friends Snotlout, Ruffnutt, and Tuffnutt. These minor characters have always been entertaining, but they're too irritating to add anything to the story.
Grimmel, the villain, is arguably the best in the entire series, being very similar to Hiccup yet getting the better of him and his band of heroes at every turn. But as fascinating as he may be, his appearance in the movie does feel like the film is trying to get a lot done to both be a stand-alone story and also wrap up three films worth of plotlines. Story choices aside, The Hidden World is stellar and if there were no more entries this would still be a great conclusion to a great trilogy.
3 How to Train Your Dragon 2
How To Train Your Dragon 2 is set five years after the first film, Hiccup is now an accomplished dragon rider and a hero to his people. He isn’t without his share of growing pains, however, as his father, Stoic, is pressuring him to fill his shoes as chieftain. He doesn’t feel ready for the role, especially not when he has the ruthless warrior Drago Bludvist to contend with. He must also come to grips with the re-emergence of his mother, who was long thought to be dead. With the fate of their established peace at risk, it's up to Hiccup to rise to the occasion once more to save Berk and all dragon kind from damnation.
This follow-up to the 2010 smash hit took a lot of inspiration from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by doubling the action and intensity. It serves as a mature exploration of the darker theme of war but is also a touching tale of responsibility and compassion. Unlike Hidden World, we never lose sight of the core characters that drew us into this wonderful universe as we see how much they have grown in their ever-changing world and handle tough choices. With expert handling of dark themes and a more serious story, many would consider this the best of the trilogy. These films are a tale of growth for Hiccup, and this one sees him realize his destiny by becoming the leader he was always meant to be in Berks's darkest hour.
2 DreamWorks Dragons
Taking place between the first two films, DreamWorks Dragons follows Hiccup as he tries to maintain the balance in the new harmony between dragons and Vikings. With the help of his fellow Viking teenagers, they explore new worlds that are far harsher than Berk. They also discover new species of dragons along the way, some of which can't be tamed. If that wasn't bad enough, they start to come across new enemies who don't seem to agree with the newly established order and will do anything to destroy it.
In the number two spot is this animated series that arguably gave the trilogy a run for its money. While most TV adaptations of animated films tend to be hit or miss, this one elevated the lore, and the world fans fell in love with by continuing Hiccup's story after ending the long-standing conflict. It starts directly after the first film with the Vikings and dragons still learning to live together. Fans watch them grow into a single community over time with many of the characters of the first film getting their first dragons.
We also see the introductions of original characters for the show, two of which include Viggo and Ryker, the series' primary antagonists with direct connections to Drago Bludvist. DreamWorks Dragons never slows down and only gets better with each season before eventually leading into How to Train Your Dragon 2. It is a series that both enriches the franchise, but also is not required viewing to enjoy the films which is what any great franchise extension should do.
1 How to Train Your Dragon
The number one spot on the list goes to the film that set the stage for the rest of the franchise. How to Train Your Dragon sees the Vikings of Berk embroiled in a longstanding conflict with the reptilian species. Hiccup, only fifteen here, is an outcast of sorts as he possesses no fighting ability and is scrawny compared to the rest of the community. However, everything changes when he captures a Night Fury, a rare breed that no one has ever seen up close. Rather than killing the beast, he befriends it. Through their growing bond, he begins to see that they were wrong about the creatures. Now, it's up to him to set things straight before his father leads an army to their nest to wipe them out forever.
Despite being over a decade old, this film still holds up. DreamWorks made a great choice in excluding pop culture references prevalent in titles like the Shrek franchise and Madagascar films, making this adventure a self-contained blast. The humor is not outdated, and the heartfelt moments still touch audiences both new and old. The movie also receives extra points on the backend for its stunning flight sequences, its Oscar and BAFTA-nominated score, and its positive depiction of disability, something rarely seen, especially in kids' films. The film was a box office hit grossing $494 million worldwide and was the tenth highest-grossing movie of 2010. While not all fans may connect with the other installments on this list, this one can bring joy to everyone of all ages. It's rare to find a film that can connect with multiple generations, and How to Train Your Dragon is sure to do so for many years to come.