All 4 How To Train Your Dragon Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

2010's "How to Train Your Dragon" is one of those instances where the film adaptation has overshadowed its source material. Its origins stemmed from Cressida Cowell's book series of the same name. All 12 books act as memoirs from the perspective of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, in which the older Viking chronicles his adventures in taming dragons as a kid. After DreamWorks Animation spent years trying to faithfully adapt these stories, "Lilo & Stitch" directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois were brought in to make something more narratively compelling for the big screen.

Their reshuffling resulted in "How to Train Your Dragon" earning nearly $500 million, two Oscar nominations, and its place as one of DreamWorks' best animated films period. Any list of the best movies about dragons would be incomplete without it. Since then, the film has expanded into a multimedia franchise consisting of two animated sequels, three animated television shows, comics, a stage show, an entire theme park land and, as the cycle often goes, a live-action remake (along with a sequel to the remake on the way next summer). People just can't get enough of Hiccup, Toothless, and all the other inhabitants of Berk, as indicated by the glowing reception of all four films.

With that said, every How to Train Your Dragon movie has to be ranked into some kind of order, and we're going to do so by nature of which movies were most successful at telling their stories.

While there are definitely some good Disney live-action remakes, they've largely set a bad precedent where a soulless copy of a beloved animated film could make enough money to warrant more. It was only inevitable that DreamWorks Animation would follow suit with 2025's "How to Train Your Dragon." Director Dean DeBlois returns with a beat-for-beat redo of the animated film, following outcast Hiccup (Mason Thames) among the more strong-willed Vikings of Berk. To impress his father Chief Stoick the Vast (played again by Gerard Butler), the scrawny teenager sets out to capture a dragon and, eventually, shoots one down with an arrow. While treating the wounded Night Fury he names Toothless, Hiccup develops an empathy for dragons, and seeks to show Berk that they can co-exist.

Rather than following Cressida Crowell's books, DeBlois' remake plays things frustratingly close to the chest by not taking any risks at all. Narratively, it's the exact same movie with minor cosmetic changes to unnecessarily extend its runtime. This "How to Train Your Dragon" rides on brand recognition wavelength where nearly every shot composition, joke, music cue, and emotional beat is recreated in a lesser capacity. It's such an ugly-looking movie too, with its murky aesthetic and lack of colors. The film doesn't offer anything new, rendering the whole endeavor pointless barring the obvious driving financial factor.

It's not often that a successful animated franchise gets to end its story, so it's refreshing that "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" goes out with a definitive finale. In the year since becoming chieftain, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has been leading the dragon rescue missions and providing them sanctuary. Unfortunately, this draws the attention of Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham) a notorious dragon hunter who can predict his enemies' patterns. With all this mounting pressure, Hiccup upends Berk to seek out a dragon utopia called the Hidden World where they can all live in peace. Around the same time, Toothless forms a romantic connection with a Light Fury.

"The Hidden World" is the weakest of the animated films by hitting many of the same beats from its predecessor with a beautiful dragon refuge on the horizon and a malicious hunter threatening to muck things up. What it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for with the same heart and humor we've come to love. The Hidden World itself is a dazzling spectacle, making for some beautifully luminescent flying sequences. The movie's greatest strength lies in its characters having to make a difficult decision for the dragons' safety, therefore subverting a repeat of the last film's finale. It makes the touching epilogue that much more well-earned.

Given how quickly the original became a classic, the pressure was on for 2014's "How to Train Your Dragon 2." Thankfully, the film managed to be an excellent sequel with a slightly more mature tone and greater world-building. Taking place five years later, Berk has since become a peaceful place where Vikings and dragons live in harmony. While Hiccup is positioned to be the village's new chieftain, he yearns to explore the world alongside Toothless. Unfortunately, it puts him on the radar of Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou), a ruthless warlord who kills dragons and seeks to use them for his own world-conquering army. Around the same time, a mysterious dragon rescuer reveals herself as Valka (Cate Blanchett), Hiccup's long-lost mother, who may hold the key to warding off the incoming threat.

"How to Train Your Dragon 2" works well as a middle chapter that raises the stakes by having its characters face off against a twisted reflection of what Berk used to be. The hulking Drago is easily the series' best villain on account of his barbarous methods, especially when controlling the dragons. It's a movie that belongs to Stoick (Gerard Butler) as much as it does Hiccup, resulting in one of the boldest narrative decisions to any animated film within the 21st century. Couple in the exciting character developments, new dragon designs, and wondrous flying sequences, and you have yourself a worthy sequel.

Writer/directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders possess a magical touch when it comes to stories about human outcasts and their uniquely powered animal companion. They did it with "Lilo & Stitch" for Disney and did it again with "How to Train Your Dragon" for DreamWorks Animation. The fantasy-adventure classic wastes no time throwing you right into the middle of the fiery conflict between dragons and Vikings, bolstered by John Powell's majestic Oscar-nominated score. Although pretty tame by historical standards, these Vikings are driven by their hatred of these misunderstood creatures.

Having the squeaky-voiced Jay Baruchel play Hiccup sells the character's natural awkwardness. You underestimate him until he reveals his smarts through forming an emotional bond with a rare dragon, and then making him fly again. Bringing on Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins as a consultant does so much in imbuing the movie with its texture and atmosphere. The film is pure wonder whenever Hiccup and Toothless take to the skies; you feel the weight and excitement of soaring through the air at incredible speeds.

"How to Train Your Dragon" has everything you could want from a family movie that includes jokes for the kids and a pool of celebrity talent, while making bold consequential decisions. The film also serves as a rather timely lesson about sticking up for what's right even when it's unpopular among the casual populous.