00:00Not to be full of myself, but the animators often took notes from me back in the animation where I was doing like, you know, hiccup, it was rough, I almost gave up.
00:08There's times you've got to be careful about that and stay away from the cartoonishness and maybe any kind of caricature.
00:13And then there's moments you go, okay, these moments can be enjoyed.
00:16You know, the awkwardness between father and son.
00:18I got you, I know you.
00:20And he played it great too.
00:22I can't kill dragons.
00:24But you will.
00:30Y'all had said in the past that you hadn't yet been in contact with Jay in America.
00:35I was wondering if you have met them yet and talked to them.
00:38I haven't.
00:38I would love to.
00:40I have not, but I'd love to because Jay did such an iconic performance of Hiccup and, you know, it was my childhood.
00:45I see a dragon and I have to just kill it, you know?
00:49We've kind of spoken to them through deep in a way.
00:51It's been like an owl situation.
00:53But, I mean, they are like, oh my God, they're incredible.
00:56I don't even know what I would do.
00:57I don't know what I would say.
00:58Like, I would probably just, like, shake his hand and say thank you.
01:02I think we'd both go normal at that.
01:03In a dream scenario, what are you putting on Glover's hand?
01:06Uh, I cook a lot.
01:08So maybe a big, a lovely chef's knife.
01:09I think I'd like that.
01:11That chopping action.
01:12Yeah.
01:13Um, maybe, maybe like a hand that could fire out.
01:17And, uh, if my children misbehave, I could just fire a spanking over it over at them.
01:22What is the one moment from the animated original that you were stoked on recreating it?
01:29Uh, I think my favourite was Favit.
01:34Um, was when the trainees, like, we entered the arena.
01:38Yeah.
01:38And I remember, like, the two weeks we spent shooting there and Nick Frost as well was playing
01:41Gobba there.
01:42And we were kind of all there.
01:43It was really cold.
01:44And we were all kind of, I could feel like we were all a little bit nervous, but really
01:48excited.
01:49And you could feel the energy.
01:50And the gate would come up.
01:51Yeah.
01:51And the gate, yeah, it was like a real heavy gate.
01:54And, you know, I don't know.
01:56That, that, that for me was most exciting.
01:59Yeah.
01:59Yeah.
01:59And it was like cooler than I thought it would be.
02:02And I thought it would be so, like, it was.
02:04I thought I was cool and I thought I could like be cool in a moment.
02:08And then that happened and I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, this is cool.
02:11And it was also one of the first things that we shot as well.
02:13So it was, it really felt like the beginning of it, we're like entering this world and it was
02:17literally us as we were like entering, entering the arena was like, yeah.
02:21And it was so big.
02:22It was so big.
02:23And it had like gouge, like the level of detail in it.
02:26Like I would like, I would almost want to pause each shot and so you could like zoom in and
02:29see the amount of detail with the set designers and the, and the people of like the gouges
02:34that are in the rock.
02:35Like it felt so real when you're walking.
02:36Yeah.
02:36There's dragon claw marks in the concrete.
02:38Yeah.
02:39Of the, of the.
02:39Like squads.
02:40You're like, kick a pit bull and a sick dick would be like, mm, don't, don't.
02:43Yeah.
02:44Oh, sorry.
02:45That was a special one.
02:46Yeah.
02:46I mean, there were so many, you know, the animated is so iconic in so many scenes that are,
02:51also very iconic and, you know, getting to do all of that in live action and elevating
02:55it, it was, it was incredible, but a lot of, a lot of our stuff just because, you know,
03:00it was the chemistry and, and it's kind of where it all started with super fun for me
03:03and then test drive.
03:05Yeah.
03:05I think a lot of the scenes of me and Mason one-on-one were really special because they
03:09were very, those were all of the scenes that I auditioned with.
03:12And it was also the scenes that kind of got us the jobs was the scenes that we did together
03:16in our chemistry.
03:17And so it felt very, all of those scenes felt like a very big deal because it felt
03:21super full circle to the whole kind of experience.
03:23I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon.
03:27First to ride one though.
03:29The, the original animated movie is such a pivotal part of your career.
03:32Was revisiting it in this capacity an incredibly emotional experience for you?
03:36Revisiting my own stories is sort of a bizarre, surreal experience because I thought I'd put
03:42it to bed and, and here we were going back into it.
03:45It did open up opportunities, however, to, to kind of deepen the mythology, you know,
03:51and enrich certain characters that were kind of underserved in the animated version just
03:55due to time and whatnot and get really immersive with action scenes as well, using all of the,
04:00all the bells and whistles of live action.
04:02So, so it did take you back to the booth then you had that kind of nostalgia.
04:05It did take me, it did take me back to the booth.
04:08Yeah, you prefer, no, I, the booth was amazing, but getting a chance to put on that costume
04:18and step into that world.
04:20It's like a kid, you know, I mean, you take the responsibility seriously, but also you're
04:24like, how'd I get to do this?
04:25Yeah.
04:25You know, how'd I get to step in here and really, I've always loved fantasy.
04:29I love living in my dreams and this is kind of like a dream world and you go in there,
04:34but fortunately we have a great story that we can tell as well.
04:37Great characters to get involved in, but we're living in this enchanted, magical world and
04:42I think that's one of the amazing things.
04:44Like there's times I've seen the screening and the tears coming down people's eyes and
04:48it's just because they're overwhelmed by the beauty of what they're seeing, you know,
04:52it's just kind of those moments of wonder, pure wonder and adventure are awesome.
04:57That's what I keep saying, there's like always a tear hiding behind, like the entire
05:00movie, you're like, it's coming.
05:02I know, I know.
05:02And tears for different reasons.
05:04Sometimes it's because of breaking your heart, sometimes it's because it's uplifting you.
05:07Other times you're just overpowered by wonder.
05:10Watch out!
05:11Pick up!
05:15There was a chance that you may not have been able to do it, you know?
05:18Yeah.
05:18If that is how it had worked out, would there have been this kind of empty, raw kind of bitterness?
05:24Yeah, that's a good question actually.
05:26I don't know if I would say bitterness, at least not on camera.
05:29But I would have been sad, definitely sad, and probably have picked a part, whoever played
05:37it, you know, being like, yeah, that was good.
05:38But I would have.
05:39It's just like in the movie, you know, when Stoic, when Hiccup comes in, he pulls the knife
05:43and I go, I would have chosen a hammer.
05:46I'd probably have been like that.
05:47Every time I look into Toothless' sad eyes, I would see my puppy.
05:52That's what I love so much about, you know, Toothless, is you can really put your pet in
05:56and God, it gets you.
05:58Like, it's not fair.
06:00To be honest, it's messed up.
06:02Like, they should not be allowed to mess with my heart like that.
06:04I know, it really does.
06:05It's so, oh my God, every time.
06:07But not even just sad, when Toothless, like, sits like a dog, it makes me want to kill people.
06:13Like, it doesn't even have to be a sad scene to see Toothless and you just want to cry.
06:17It's just, I can't either.
06:19Oh, that's adorable.
06:20And we get to work with him again?
06:21Oh my God, are you kidding?
06:22I was wondering, with Toothless, was there ever a moment where people were trying to steer
06:26it in a direction away from the animated version and you had to, like, fight for that?
06:29Yeah, we steered it.
06:30I was part of that committee that we were trying to think backward.
06:34Like, if Toothless was a simplified version of a real creature, then what did that real
06:39creature look like?
06:40And the more exploration we did, the more we realized that there are certain proportions
06:44that make him iconic.
06:46And so we tried making his eyes smaller because no animal on Earth has eyes that big, not even
06:50a blue whale.
06:51But as we did, we lost his personality.
06:54And we tried making his mouth smaller.
06:55And as we did, we lost his personality.
06:57And so there are just stitch-like proportions to Toothless's head that made, that are just
07:03who the character is.
07:05That scene where y'all come flying in on dragons to save the day, essentially, right?
07:10Well, I'm wondering if at this age, in those moments, you're thinking, like, I'm going to
07:15remember this for the rest of my life.
07:16Yeah.
07:17Well, we did it all alone, those bits.
07:20That was all shot separately over, I think it was a week each?
07:24Something like that.
07:24We wanted all our dragons.
07:26And so it was, we did so much of it together and so much of it was about being together.
07:31And then the dragon stuff was solo.
07:33And so it was-
07:33And kind of all at the end as well.
07:34And all at the end.
07:35And like, I think even, you may have gone home at that point.
07:37Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:38Because you did it first.
07:38And so it was even seeing us together, like, is actually, I found it quite moving.
07:43Yeah.
07:43Because that's like the finale that we didn't get to actually shoot, really.
07:48Because I think it was, because every other scene, it was basically all of us all together.
07:51So it was, yeah, it was quite weird at the end, it was kind of like, it was the one thing
07:54that we kind of did separate.
07:55Obviously we didn't, but because we were on the same dragon.
07:58But yeah, so it was, it was, it was so lovely seeing that.
08:01Yeah, the thing together, we weren't together.
08:03Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:04Being a part of something that is like, so nostalgic and like, important for, I think
08:11all of us, like, we all kind of grew up on this film.
08:14And kind of being a part of it and being like, oh, maybe like one day my own kid's going
08:19to watch this and be like.
08:19Like, and then they'll do a remake of the remake.
08:22Yes.
08:23And then the cycle continues.
08:25Wow.
08:26And that's America.
08:27And that's show business.
08:28And that's show business, baby.
08:29So you're all going to live forever.
08:31Yes.
08:31Yeah.
08:31That is the plan from this film.
08:33That's the moral.
08:34As you know, you've become something of an unexpected gay icon.
08:39A la the Golden Girls or the Babadook.
08:41And I'm wondering if you've heard the fan theories about Gobber's gayness.
08:47I think it, I think it's true.
08:49I don't think it's a theory, right?
08:51Has it been, I don't think Dean has confirmed.
08:55But yeah, I think potentially Gobber is gay, which is great.
09:00I think he'd have a lovely gay dragon as well.
09:02But then, you know, we've been greenlit for two.
09:04So again, this is an aspect of Gobber's personality that we will start to see hopefully bloom.
09:10There's moments in the movie where, like, punching dragons, where, like, I feel like if somebody told me that's going to be in the live action movie, I'd be like, I don't know if that's going to work.
09:19And then you see it and you're like, somehow it works, you know?
09:22Yeah, that's funny.
09:23I had the same questions myself.
09:24Like, really?
09:25Am I going to hit this thing with a hammer?
09:26It's going to, yeah.
09:28I remember when we were preparing our stunts and moving around and they're going, you're going to hit it.
09:32Then you're going to headbutt it.
09:33And I was like, really?
09:35And then you see the movie and it really, it works, you know?
09:38Yeah.
09:38Yeah.
09:38He's just a maniac.
09:40It's such a great introduction to Stoic, especially in this movie, watching him fight these dragons that are, like, five times the size of him.
09:46And he doesn't care.
09:47He's like, come on!
09:49What are you most excited to tackle for the sequel?
09:51God, I'm not.
09:51Be honest.
09:52We know what you want.
09:53I want the armor.
09:55I want the armor and I want my fire sword.
09:57Mason only wants the suit.
09:58That's all I'm there for.
10:00I'm just there for the zipline.
10:01I don't know.
10:01I just think the fact that we even get to do another one is ridiculous.
10:04So I don't, I'm not sure what part of it is the most exciting to me.
10:08But I think the second movie, honestly, as a child, was my favorite film.
10:11Agreed.
10:12And so I think just to get to do, I don't know, it's very exciting.
10:16There's a fantastic response to the trailer.
10:18Were you afraid of living up to that expectation?
10:20I was afraid of any response, honestly, because I didn't want to be one of those disappointing remakes that we're all accustomed to.
10:27And I don't like the trend, like I, as an animator, I don't like seeing animated classics being replaced by, by, you know, lesser than live action films, which is often the case.
10:38So it, this whole thing put my convictions to the test because I thought if I'm going to, if I'm going to do it, then I have to try to preserve the heart and the personality and the grandeur and the wish fulfillment of it or die trying.
10:50And I'll see you next time.
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