From hidden Viking references to behind-the-scenes secrets, discover fascinating facts about DreamWorks' beloved dragon-riding adventure! Join us as we explore the lesser-known details about Hiccup and Toothless's journey, including original concept designs, Norse mythology connections, and production challenges that shaped this animated masterpiece.
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00:00everything we know about you guys is wrong welcome to ms mojo and today we're counting down our picks
00:07for unique things about how to train your dragon that you probably didn't know i just happened to
00:12notice the book had nothing on night furies is there like another book or a sequel maybe a little
00:18night fury pamphlet number 10 based on a book before hiccup's story soared onto the big screen
00:25it first came to life in cressida cowell's 2003 novel the starting point for my books was
00:32imagining a real a viking world in which dragons really were real and then i get very inspired
00:39also by by people i know i suppose i shouldn't say who they are while dreamworks adaptation and the
00:47book differ in many ways they share core ideas characters and themes both are set in a fictional
00:53viking world and follow hiccup's heroic journey i brought breakfast i hope i hope you're hungry
00:59okay that's disgusting uh i've got some salmon some nice icelandic cod and a whole smoked eel
01:09fans of both narrative media may have noticed that the book caters more to a younger audience
01:14while the animated film takes a broader approach this shift was intentional as directors dean de blois
01:21and chris sanders aimed to create an animation that resonated with a more mature audience a
01:26decision that paid off the film won hearts launched a highly successful trilogy and even
01:32received cowell's enthusiastic approval i absolutely love the film so i am very happy that they're making
01:39three of them number nine dreamworks first teen protagonist dreamworks has created plenty of
01:45fascinating characters but hiccup is widely regarded as its first teenage protagonist oh come on let me
01:51out please i need to make my mark oh you made plenty of marks all in the wrong places others before him
01:58like shrek and poe were either adults or non-human characters with unclear ages about 15 years old when
02:04the film started hiccups unlike anyone in his viking village despite being the son of the mighty stoic
02:10he's often ridiculed you're thinking about this all wrong it's not so much what you look like it's
02:16what's inside that he can't stand thank you for summing that up but that's precisely what makes
02:23this underdog story so endearing we watch him grow from a terrified awkward boy into someone who changed
02:29everything by daring to be different anyone who has looked into hiccups a voice actor will notice striking
02:35similarities between hiccup and jay baruchel it's almost as if they're one in the same though hiccup's
02:41traits draw inspiration from others too okay so are we done because i've got some things i need to uh
02:48yep see you tomorrow number eight toothless's size is changed to bring their ideas to life
02:55sanders and de blois had to do more than storyline changes one of the biggest alterations they made
03:01is toothless's size and design
03:04in the book the burks boys visit a dragon nest to find their dragons after giving up his first hiccup
03:18ended up with toothless a green iguana sized dragon small enough to perch on his arm for the film the
03:24directors enlarged toothless to make it more menacing rideable and rare all right let's go to it let's go to it
03:31with their unique design toothless became a mix between a panther and salamander and was also
03:37transformed into the night fury still it retained those big innocent eyes and a special bond with
03:43hiccup that made their friendship so adorable well try this on oh you're feeling it yet number seven
03:51toothless is a combination of many animals the more you learn about hiccups loyal companion and the
03:57creativity behind its creation the more impressive it becomes
04:09to design a creature that felt rare yet relatable the animators let their imagination run wild look
04:14closely and you'll notice that toothless looks like a combination of a cat giant salamander and panther
04:20far from the traditional looking dragon at times he even behaves like a dog
04:29that's because the animators drew inspiration from a variety of animals like horses snakes kangaroos
04:35dogs and even more unusual ones how cool is that it's no wonder toothless is so unique and amazing with
04:42that extra pet-like touch even more fascinating is the fact that the animators attended flight school to
04:48perfect its breathtaking flight sequences
04:56number six the touch scene and other mistakes before hiccup and toothless formed their unbreakable
05:02bond there was some level of distrust between the two one of the most memorable moments reflecting
05:08their gradual bonding is the touch scene where toothless hesitates as hiccup tries to touch him
05:13this was actually an animation error but since it worked so well the filmmakers decided to keep it
05:24another powerful moment that began as an error is the scene where hiccup celebrates capturing toothless
05:29oh i did it this this fixes everything yes i have brought down this mighty beast as hiccup approaches
05:37the camera pans over toothless's closed eyes which instantly open creating a chilling yet beautiful
05:43shot also the heartwarming gift of the night fury scene where hiccup attaches a new tail for his buddy
05:49came to life after an animator experimented with his own cat no no no toothless stop please wait
05:56number five terrible terror inspired by a dog toothless would have been a tiny green colored dragon if the
06:03directors hadn't decided to make him larger while he was spared from looking like a terrible terror we
06:08still get to see these feisty pint-sized pranksters in the film they're more of a nuisance and comic relief
06:21of the dragon world small but mighty you don't want to mess with them their yappy sound is spot on chihuahua
06:28which makes sense since that was the source of inspiration the animal responsible for these
06:38troublemakers sound is none other than a chihuahua named paco discovered by the film's sound designer on
06:44youtube allegedly paco was paid 100 for lending its voice to the film isn't that adorable
06:50number four the hippo cameo it's not uncommon for franchises to drop cameos or references to other
07:02works and dreamworks did just that in how to train your dragon all right i admit it this is pretty cool
07:11it's amazing this easter egg occurs during a really dark scene so not everyone will catch the cameo of the
07:18hippo gloria it happens during astrid's excursion on toothless when he suddenly joins a flock of
07:24dragons headed to the dragon's nest what's going on i don't know among them one deadly dragon bears
07:30what looks like a cow but if you pause you'll see it's actually a hippo the animators confirmed in the
07:36film commentary that it's none other than poor gloria from madagascar this subtle reference may raise
07:42questions whether httyd and madagascar share the same universe but it's likely just dreamworks way
07:48of keeping viewers intrigued astrid we have to think this through carefully number three directed
07:54and written by lilo and stitch directors before sanders and de blois took the reins how to train your
08:00dragon was headed in a different direction aiming for a more faithful adaptation nice of you to join the
08:06party i thought you've been carried off me no come on this would have resulted in a version that
08:11appealed mostly to a younger audience but when sanders and de blois came on board they changed the
08:17game creating a film as heartwarming and rare as lilo and stitch hi oh hi wow so if you've ever
08:29wondered why toothless resembles stitch it's because the same creative minds worked on both films the
08:34directors were part of disney when lilo and stitch was released in 2002 but reportedly began working
08:40for dreamworks in 2008. now it makes sense why toothless and stitch share similar vibe and look
08:46from their melon-shaped head and big eyes to their huge hearts oh he's beautiful
08:52oh oh oh incredible he might very well be the last of his kind oh and look he's your age wow
09:07no wonder you get along so well number two astrid is different in the book one character that adds more
09:13depth to the story doesn't really exist in the book well she does but under a different name and her story
09:19arc is different astrid in the book hiccup has no clearly defined love interest instead there's
09:28kamikaze one of hiccups friends who's fierce and proud much like astrid she also owns stormfly just
09:35like astrid however the directors chose to enrich astrid's character by giving her a stronger connection
09:41to hiccup which we must admit was a smart move what are you gonna do about it
09:47uh probably something stupid good but you've already done that
09:53then something crazy that's more like her development aligns better with the film's tone
10:00it's truly amazing how she evolves from hiccups rival to his friend and eventually falls in love with
10:06him the film simply wouldn't be the same without their bond see i told you it was in here
10:14still doing that one that's hilarious come here you
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10:36number one hiccup the dragon slayer in this beloved animated film dragons are initially seen as enemies
10:43and the goal of the vikings of burke is to destroy them the only problems are the pests
10:49you see most places have mice or mosquitoes we have
10:54dragons most people would leave not us we're vikings we have stubbornness issues some tales
11:08including hiccup's mom's flashback reveal a long-standing war between them however while
11:13many vikings talk about wiping out these creatures it's hiccup who can't bring himself to harm one i
11:18wouldn't kill him because he looked as frightened as i was i looked at him and i saw myself this
11:26happens at the end of the first film where hiccup faces off against the terrifying red death though
11:31it's toothless's fire that ultimately defeats the bad dragon it's hiccup's bravery that spurs them
11:37into action making the victory possible together both rider and dragon deserve credit for being the true
11:43heroes of the film what do you think is the most heartwarming moment in the how to train your dragon
12:00films let us know in the comments what you're searching for isn't out there hiccup it's in here
12:08maybe you just don't see it yet oh maybe