Summary
Dreamworksrecently released the official live actionHow To Train Your Dragontrailer, and fans are noting its nearly one-to-one reproduction of the animated film. While some may find this off-putting, making real-life do-overs of classic cartoons has proven effective for Disney’s box office. Why notDreamworks?
Bringing back original visionary Dean Deblois to direct 2025’sHow To Train Your Dragonis a key factor for Dreamworks' live-action bet. Disney’s been a force in the animation space since 1937’sSnow White And The Seven Dwarfs, so it’s impractical to think they could do the same with theirs. Still, they had the opportunity with this year’s upcoming remake ofLilo And Stitch, whose original was coincidentally directed by Deblois, and chose not to. Hopefully, Deblois' new-ish Dreamworks film is successful in employing his original touch, and leaves the people at Disney asking “why not Disney?.”
Original Vs. Tribute
At a trailer-debut event, originalHow To Train Your Dragonwriter-director Dean Deblois spoke about adding a bit more depth to his characters. He didn’t speak of different battles, new characters, or alternate endings. He mentioned an opportunity to explore the existing elements just a bit deeper.This is where bread is buttered with live action remakes. Nuance is what matters. Subtle riffs are where the magic lives when watching something adored reproduced by the artist who made it.
In a conversation with Empire, Deblois said he had 15 months to rewrite and produce the originalHow To Train Your Dragon. He said that while he definitely strove for a live-action aesthetic, he wasn’t able to fully realize it the first time around. These comments lend a sense of purpose and virtue to the new remake that simply isn’t found withLilo And Stitch(2025), directed by Dean Fleischer Camp. Disney is opting to release a relatively unknown director’s remake of Deblois' original film at the same timeDeblois is renewing his vision withDreamwork’sHow To Train Your Dragon(2025).
When a legendary music act announces they’re playing the hits on a revival tour, that tour usually sells out. Those artists often amaze fans with their enduring capacity to impress, despite striking familiar notes. A person’s favorite artist playing their favorite songs will almost never betray their love for those tunes. Tribute Bands, on the other hand, just don’t hit the same way. Even when done well, there’s an element of karaoke that’s hard to shake when someone else sings the original song.
Critics Vs. Box Office
Disney once made a couple of truly spectacular remakes of its classic films. Following the successful 2015Cinderellafilm, which critics praised for being a shot-for-shot remake of the original, Disney presented fans with 2016’sThe Jungle Book. The Jon Favreau-helmed movie was an overwhelming critical and box office success, scoring a certified fresh 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and earning just under $1 billion in theaters worldwide. This feature was a critical anomaly, though, being one of only three films out of Disney’s 22 live action remakes to earn a Rotten Tomatoes Score of over 80 percent. 2015’sCinderellawas one of those three at 84 percent.
A decade later,it’s clear Disney doesn’t value critical reception over box office winnings, with almost half its remakes earning rotten scores of less than 60 percent. How long will audiences support increasing assembly line fare from a studio that used to produce genuine wonders? We’ve seen what’s happened to Marvel’s declining box office of late.
Disney is betting on this year’sLilo And Stitch, which was originally Dean Deblois' vision over at Disney. Deblois' is excited to be working on his Dreamworks live action project, while Disney is confident it can rest on brand recognition to attract audiences. Which film will come out on top?
Disney Vs. Dreamworks
For context when forecasting the best of Disney’s newest live action offering vs. Dreamworks' remake, the two studios had a fairly comparable 2024 critically. Last year, Disney’s family releases wereMoana 2(61% on Rotten Tomatoes),Mufasa(57% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the Oscar-nominatedInside Out 2(91% on Rotten Tomatoes.) Dreamworks served up Netflix’sOrion and the Dark(91% on Rotten Tomatoes),Kung Fu Panda 4(71% on Rotten Tomatoes), and its own Oscar-nomThe Wild Robot(97% on Rotten Tomatoes.)
Both studios boast Oscar nominees, while Dreamworks sees a higher critics average rating. That is only if Dreamworks’Megamind 2is omitted.Megamind 2managed a paltry nine percent on Rotten Tomatoes, after initially seeing 0%. Dreamworks' flop doesn’t fully discount their wins with three other films above 70% - a mark not reached by Disney last year.
Dreamworks' track record thus far,paired with its commitment to getting the band back togetherfor 2025’sHow To Train Your Dragon, promises a more quality return between the two films. Dean Deblois is a proven innovator who is unlikely to disappoint with a modernized version of his own classic film. Disney should’ve jumped at the opportunity to get him back forLilo And Stitchif they were going to remake it at all. For now,Dreamworkshas the better direction moving forward.
