Latest Teaser for Live-Action How to Train Your Dragon Shows Semi-Realistic Dragons, But Leaves Questions About Toothless’s Design

Universal Pictures has unveiled a new teaser trailer for the live-action rendition of How To Train Your Dragon, and let me tell you, the winged lizards are looking eerily lifelike—perhaps a bit too much, if you ask me.

When they first dropped the trailer for this adaptation last year, it left me scratching my head and wondering a simple question: why? This weekend brought us a second tease, and quite frankly, that same question lingers. The new teaser doesn’t reveal much more than its predecessor, aside from showcasing a lot more dragons. This surplus has me pondering yet another question: what’s up with Toothless? Our beloved dragon appears pretty much unchanged from the animated version, only with a realistic twist on texture. Yet, the other dragons have a strikingly authentic look that makes you wonder if they’ve wandered out of a more serious film.

Now, we all know dragons are fantasy creatures—hate to burst your bubble—but there’s a limit to how true-to-life they can truly appear. While some designs maintain a slightly cartoonish flair, most could easily blend into a more somber dragon-themed movie without causing a stir. In contrast, Toothless comes off looking a tad more goofy than usual, which is odd, especially given that the original film presented a variety of dragon designs, often even more whimsical than Toothless himself.

It’s a bit late to make changes now, though. On the bright side, Dean DeBlois, who directed the animated classic, is back at the helm, and Gerard Butler is returning as Stoick the Vast. So, there should be a measure of consistency, even if the dragon designs are a bit off-kilter. However, we’ll all have to exercise a little patience before we see how it all turns out, as the film isn’t set to release until June 13 later this year.