Latest news with #CressidaCowell
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'How to Train Your Dragon' review: Live-action redo soars just like original
The making of a live-action redo of a classic animated movie should embrace the same sort of good sense as being a doctor: Do no harm. And while you're at it, don't ruin anyone's childhood. On all counts, the new 'How to Train Your Dragon' (★★★½ out of four; rated PG; in theaters now) manages to be a rousing success. For the past 15 years, the first spectacular adaptation of the Cressida Cowell book has thrilled audiences as the most emotionally stirring cartoon not made by Pixar. Original writer/director Dean DeBlois returns for a revamped 'Dragon' that feels like a different experience but is just as good as the original, with moments of wonder and awe featuring characters fleshed out in new ways – literally and figuratively. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and smartly, the new take sticks mostly to the first film's script. On the island of Berk, Hiccup (Mason Thames) is an awkward but likable kid who's not the most rough-and-tough Viking of all time, much to the chagrin of his gruff dad Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role). Stoick and the adults fight and slay dragons, and pass on this generational aggression to their youngsters. During a dragon raid, Hiccup winds up wounding a Night Fury, an ultra-rare and little-known species, and tracks him down. But instead of killing the creature, who's got big eyes and is adorable even when somewhat dangerous, the inventive Hiccup befriends and names him Toothless, fixes his injured tail so he can fly, and they bond airborne-style as ride-or-die besties. The animated Hiccup and Toothless were cool enough swooping through the air. But now, watching Thames soar atop a computer-generated dragon is like the exhilaration of a theme-park flight simulator matched with the adrenaline rush of 'Top Gun,' all while landing squarely in the feels. The various dragons really pop as digital creations given new dimension, including the ginormous monster that acts as a final boss requiring an epic human/beast team-up to defeat. The live-action interactions between characters also hit differently, especially for teens and tweens, though 'Dragon' is still very much an all-ages family movie. With human actors, there's more of a high-school movie vibe as Hiccup becomes more accepted among the young Vikings, and the relationship between Thames' Hiccup and his frenemy/crush Astrid (Nico Parker) is built out a little more here. The two actors have a natural chemistry that animated characters just can't replicate. Astrid doesn't think much of Hiccup in the beginning, yet he grows on her – and the audience – the more he gains needed confidence and even a smidge of swagger. (Or as much as one can boast wearing their mom's breastplate as a helmet.) Rather than repeat Jay Baruchel's enjoyably nerdy Hiccup from the 2010 'Dragon,' Thames plays our hero as a teen still figuring a lot of things out but inherently knowing he needs to be true to himself. It leads to some enjoyable and a few really heated exchanges between empathetic Hiccup and his stubborn dad. Butler has done a lot of action movies since his early 'Dragon' days, but he brings the needed gravitas to make this not just a boy-and-his-dragon tale but a strong father-and-son journey as well. 'How to Train Your Dragon' is a lesson for anybody tackling a remake. It doesn't try to half do something old and something new, like 'Snow White,' and makes the case for being actually necessary, unlike 'Lilo & Stitch.' As it was back in the day, Toothless is a joy to watch and the movie's best special effect but he's also a symbol of growth: as watchable and lovable as ever, yet with a slightly more mature sheen. Fortunately, the new 'How to Train Your Dragon' does no harm. Instead, it lets loose a heartwarming, meaty adventure perfect for a new generation of young film fan but doesn't forget to entertain the older movie kids, either. "How to Train Your Dragon," the live-action remake of the 2010 animated adventure, is in theaters June 13. The movie is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association "for sequences of intense action, and peril." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'How to Train Your Dragon' review: Live action remake is worthy
CBC
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
How a run-in with a giant eel influenced Cressida Cowell's bestselling book series
How to Train Your Dragon is one of the most successful children's franchises of all time, spanning books, animated movies and a new live-action remake that just hit the big screen. With its focus on mythical fire-breathing creatures, this fantasy series might seem as far from reality as you can get. But author Cressida Cowell, the creator of the original book series, says a lot of the story was inspired by her real-life childhood experiences. Growing up in the 1970s, Cowell spent every summer holiday roughing it with her family on a remote Scottish island without electricity. Her father, a businessman, was an avid outdoorsman who took every opportunity to live off-the-grid in nature. "His heart was in the wilderness," Cowell tells Q guest host Gill Deacon in an interview. "Every year from when I was a baby, we would be dropped off on this uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland and picked up again two weeks later." When Cowell was nine, her dad built a house on the island so their family could vacation there all summer. She remembers him telling her stories about the Vikings who had once invaded the area. This gigantic six-and-a-half foot conger eel was writhing around in the lobster pot. "This was Viking Scotland, basically, it was the first place the Vikings came to when they invaded Great Britain and it was the last place they left," she says. "Lots of the stories from the islands … were about dragons because Vikings thought that dragons were real." One day, while out fishing with her dad, Cowell had a surprise encounter with a real-life monster. "My dad put this lobster pot over the side and he jumped back on the boat and this gigantic six-and-a-half foot conger eel was writhing around in the lobster pot," she says with a laugh. "He had to tie it to the back of the boat because he couldn't take it on, you know, these things are huge! … You can see why Vikings believed that dragons were real." The author says her relationship with her father, whom she describes as being "fearless," is very much reflected in her books. Cowell has just released a new spin-off novel, How To Train Your Dragon School: Doom of the Darkwing, which is out now.
Edinburgh Reporter
25-06-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
Government pledges more funding for the Edinburgh International Book Festival
A grant of £300,000 announced on Wednesday morning by The Scottish Government to the Edinburgh International Book Festival will ensure the continuation of free events for schoolchildren. This funding will replace financial backing from Baillie Gifford which was lost last year after protests against the investment company's involvement in fossil fuel industries. Baillie Gifford was the major sponsor of the schools programme. This year there will be more than 60 in-person and livestreamed events, including author talks with How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell and award-winning storyteller Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The grant will also maintain travel cost support and free tickets for pupils whose families are unable to cover the cost of ticketed events, ensuring young people of all backgrounds in Edinburgh have the chance to take part in the internationally renowned festival. Children attending will also receive a free book through the philanthropy of Book Festival donors. The Scottish Government also announced that it is spending an additional £4 million on Scottish festivals in Edinburgh and Glasgow. This is part of a commitment by the government to invest an additional £100 million annually in arts and culture by 2028-29. Creative Scotland has already awarded the Edinburgh International Book Festival £1,88 million in public multi-year funding for the next three years, more than doubling previous support. Minister for Business and Employment Richard Lochhead said: 'The Edinburgh International Book Festival is one the country's most significant cultural institutions. Its schools programme has been crucial in fostering literacy and cultural engagement among young people, with thousands of pupils benefiting annually from free events and resources. 'This funding secures those benefits for young readers across Edinburgh, helping schools that might otherwise struggle with travel costs, and ensuring they have the same opportunity to take part in one of the world's leading literary festivals.' Jenny Niven, Festival Director & CEO of Edinburgh International Book Festival said: 'The work the Book Festival does for children and young people is a cornerstone of what we do. Publishing for children and young people has never been more vibrant, and the benefits of reading never better evidenced. 'The Festival is perfectly positioned to help children engage with the amazing range and breadth of stories around them, to support teachers to use books imaginatively and creatively in learning, and to supply older kids with the tools to think critically, and learn to evaluate the deluge of info around them. This aspect of what we do is vital, and we're delighted to have specific public funding support to develop this work further in the coming years. 'We've identified the cost of transport as a key barrier to a wider cohort of schools joining us in August, and are committed to maintaining free access for as many children as possible. We're delighted that the Scottish Government's increased support for festivals has delivered public funding to develop this work further in the coming years and we look forward to widening our reach across Scotland and exploring further the digital potential of what we do.' Earlier protest at The Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2023. © 2023 Martin McAdam Baillie Gifford funding ended last year In August last year the book festival board announced they would end their 20 year relationship with Baillie Gifford. At the time Allan Little, chair of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: 'Our team cannot be expected to deliver a safe and sustainable festival this August under the constant threat of disruption from activists. This was a pragmatic response to that reality. 'Funding for the arts is now in a perilous position and we should all be clear that without the support of our partners and donors, the future of festivals like ours – and all of the benefits these events bring to authors and readers alike – is in jeopardy. 'We are a charity that provides an important platform for authors and readers of all views and political opinions to agree, disagree, challenge, and provoke. Book festivals around the world are forums in which rigorous, intelligent debate can take place. Our festival should be a place where progressive and nuanced discussion can happen in a safe and respectful space. 'Indeed, our programme this year is designed to give a voice to those directly affected by conflict and those engaged at the most senior levels in its resolution. We will explore the real challenges involved in transition, green tech and climate finance, misinformation and the need for new economic models. 'We are determined to have those debates and to have them out in the open, but we need everyone to come to the table. We have made several invitations to Fossil Free Books, and other groups, to attend this year's festival and regret that they have not responded to those offers.' And also in 2024 Nick Thomas, partner, Baillie Gifford, said: 'Our collaboration with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, spanning decades, was rooted in our shared interest in making Edinburgh a thriving and culturally vibrant place to live and work. In recent years we have been proud to support the Schools' and Children's programmes, providing free books and creating opportunities for young readers to meet authors. 'The activists' anonymous campaign of coercion and misinformation has put intolerable pressure on authors and the festival community. We step back with the hope that the festival will thrive this year and into the future. We hold the activists squarely responsible for the inhibiting effect their action will have on funding for the arts in this country. 'Baillie Gifford is a long-term investor with high ethical standards and a complete focus on doing what is right by our clients. The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, NVIDIA, and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon. 'Nor is Baillie Gifford a significant fossil fuel investor. Only 2% of our clients' money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy. 'We remain committed to contributing positively to our community through philanthropic support.' Jenny Niven Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh International Book Festival: Highlights for Children & Young Adults
As well as the usual line-up of children's writers, this year's EIBF will also have a dedicated Young Adult strand, writes Susan Mansfield Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This year, the Book Festival has a dedicated programme of events for Young Adults for the first time, including a YA takeover of the Spiegeltent on 11 August promising a day of events, discussions and workshops aimed at teenagers hosted by writer Cynthia Murphy. Some of the most exciting YA writers in the world will be guests at the festival, including Alice Oseman, creator of the smash-hit graphic novel series Heartstoppers. On the series' tenth anniversary, she will talk about where it all began for Charlie and Nick (17 August). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Molly X Chang will talk about her epic romantasy The Nightblood Prince, inspired by Chinese myth, about a reckless princess who forms a bond with a runaway prince who commands an army of vampires (15 August). Rebecca F Kuang Japanese novelist Asako Yuzuki is in both the adult and the YA programmes with her word-of-mouth sensation Butter, about a chef turned serial killer who poisons her lovers (23 August), as is bestselling American novelist RF Kuang, author of Yellowface, whose new novel Katabasis is a story of two magical PhD students who band together to rescue the soul of their academic adviser from hell (24 August). Another author taking part in both sections is Scottish writer Kirsty Logan, with a new collection of short stories, No & Other Love Stories, about female desire down the centuries from a medieval monastery to a 1990s high school (22 August). Writer, activist and model Monroe Bergdorf is to speak to young people about the thorny question of truth as it relates to a range of topics from beauty standards to cancel culture (21 August). The festival promises additional facilities for children and families this year, and a wide-ranging programme for readers of all ages, from the tenth birthday celebrations for Ross Collins' There's A Bear on my Chair (10 August), to Michael Rosen's introduction to Shakespeare for older children (23 August). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jacqueline Wilson is such an enduring and well-loved figure in children's literature that some of her fans now have children of their own. She will be at the Book Festival for a special event looking at her life as a writer with a back catalogue of more than 100 books (24 August). Cressida Cowell Cressida Cowell will read from How to Train Your Dragon School, the latest book in her enormously popular series (22 August). AF Steadman promises a new story in the blockbuster Skandar series, with curses, bloodthirsty unicorns, epic adventures and unlikely heroes (11 August). Dr Lucia Perez-Dias will explore how the world repairs itself, and how we can help, taking young readers on an epic journey through time and space to witness what the planet was like, why it changed, and what the future holds (9 August). Polly Faber openes up the surprisingly fascinating subject of recycling, looking at what happens to the things we throw away (10 August).
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Does the Live Action 'How to Train Your Dragon' Compare to the Original?
It's been 15 years since the original How to Train Your Dragon hit screens, which means it's time for a live-action reboot to cash in on that mid-aughts nostalgia. Based upon Cressida Crowell's 2003 YA novel, the original How to Train Your Dragon juiced a waning theatrical animation market with its combination of sharp design and airtight screenwriting. Two animated sequels followed, neither of which rose to the original's heights, and now original co-director Dean DeBlois is back with a Disney-style live-action remake. But does this new version of How to Train Your Dragon do anything different from the original, or is it largely a scene-by-scene remake? The Viking isle of Berk has for centuries waged war with dragons who have invaded their village, robbing inhabitants of both limbs and family members. But Hiccup (Mason Thames), the son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), goes against his brethren by befriending Toothless, one of the feared Night Fury dragons. Even as their bond repairs the relationship between humans and dragons, Chief Stoick sees an opportunity to wipe out the Night Dragons once and for all. With the help of Astrid (Nico Parker), Hiccup tries to protect his newfound friend's family and his you can tell from that plot description, DeBlois doesn't stray far at all from the confines of his and Chris Sanders's animated original, though there are a few tweaked elements which play nicely into the live-action element. One gets the sense (and sincerely hopes) that if there are future live-action Dragon sequels, they'll be allowed to deviate a bit from their animated predecessors, because the divergent elements are also the strongest. As far as remaking a valuable property goes, you can't blame anyone involved for playing the hits—look no further than the online furor over Astrid's revised appearance for evidence as to why this remake plays it so safe—but like most of Disney's live action reimaginings, it feels completely pointless by the end. (Universal, which produced this retread, was clearly inspired by the Mouse House.) Scenes are recycled almost shot-for-shot, with the script largely unchanged. This is 27 minutes longer than the original, but you'd be hard pressed to explain why. How do you lengthen something by nearly a half hour without adding anything that drastically alters the story? The elongated length proves deadly, allowing too much downtime for the audience to ponder the story's holes. Part of the trouble is that animation suited this story perfectly, and in transitioning to live action, the filmmakers have rather jumbled the tone. This iteration of How to Train Your Dragon is much more serious than any of its predecessors and, perhaps predictably for 2025, far more concerned with CGI destruction than witty characterization. (Truthfully, despite the label, a whole lot of this is still animated.) Practically gone is the warmth and whimsy which made the original stand out, which then seems at odds with the film pitching itself squarely to the under-10 market. There's a peculiar lack of mirth, yet the movie also goes out of its way not to address any darkness or grittiness associated with the Viking lifestyle. In the end, it feels neither here nor there—too limp to excite but not charming enough to be things that do work about the movie are largely to do with Butler (reprising his role from the original) and Thames. They perfectly understand the tone and go a long way towards making the transition from animation to live action less rocky than it could have been, but their efforts are dampened as the movie becomes increasingly action-driven. Thames, who was particularly good in The Black Phone, is a tremendously amiable screen presence and does some interesting character work here, hinting at a long and likely more interesting career ahead. Though some of the early sequences are an unwieldy combination of CGI and live action, everything comes together for a pleasantly psychedelic finale, which, though too extended, at least looks exciting. How to Train Your Dragon 2025 doesn't distinguish itself enough from the original to warrant a recommendation, though it has enough going for it that you consistently hope it will break out and try something different. It's passable entertainment, albeit unlikely to engage adults nearly as much as kids. For devotees of the franchise, there will undoubtedly be much to celebrate here. Most viewers will walk away feeling as though they've seen a rather baggy carbon copy of a classic animation, which would be Does the Live Action 'How to Train Your Dragon' Compare to the Original? first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025
