Written Interview: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon)
Today’s interview is with Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, co-writers and co-directors of the wonderful new movie How to Train Your Dragon. Previous credits: Mulan (1998) and Lilo & Stitch (2002). Here are some key excerpts from the interview:
How did you go about adapting the book? You made some big changes.
CS: The main reason Dean and I were asked to come into the film was to “age it up,” giving it a little more weight, more adventure, and one of the very first decisions we made was that in the book there were elements of humans and dragons being in a symbiotic relationship but also elements of humans and dragons being at war. We decided it had to be one or the other. We made the decision that they were mortal enemies, which made it possible for Hiccup to take the greatest risk possible by befriending one. It allowed us to have Hiccup live this double life in the second act. At night he’s repairing a dragon and learning to ride a dragon. By day he is learning to fight one. This is not going to last. This has to get discovered. Everything else came from that.
The movie is very rich, very exciting, but also exceptionally well-paced and satisfying.
CS: A lot of movies do not have much in the second act, but we really had one packed with events. But it is also important to have moments when the characters are quiet. There are three moments in the film where we let the camera and the acting and the music tell the story.
I liked the fact that he is really an engineer, a problem-solver. And he doesn’t get it right away.
DD: In the concept of the book Hiccup was much younger and they collect eggs and teach the dragons to do tricks. We kept the spirit of the runt Viking who changes the world but we had to give him a dragon who could be ferocious and at the same time cuddly. We thought he’s a nuisance, he’s the bane of the Viking community. He is made an apprentice to get him out of the way but in the shop he learns to compensate for what he doesn’t have. We combined this organic form with early mechanics.
CS: He also discovers that he has to operate it. He is only really himself when they’re together.
The movie has resonated strongly with audiences. It has an unprecedented 98% rating on RottenTomatoes.com, has grossed over $374M worldwide, and just this week it was announced Dreamworks Animation will do a sequel scheduled for 2013.
For more of the interview, go here, the “Movie Mom” blog on beliefnet.com.
Here is the movie trailer:
I’m hoping to finish an analysis of the movie over the weekend. It’s a terrific film.