How Many How to Train Your Dragon Movies Are There?
Key takeaways
- There are four theatrical How to Train Your Dragon movies released through 2025: three animated films and one live-action remake.
- If you mean the original animated storyline, the answer is three.
- For a first-time viewer, the simplest watch order is 2010 → 2014 → 2019.
- The 2025 movie returns to the beginning, adapting the first film’s story in live action.
Table of contents
- How Many How to Train Your Dragon Movies Are There?
- All How to Train Your Dragon Movies in Release Order
- What Is the Best How to Train Your Dragon Watch Order?
- Do the Shorts and TV Shows Count as Movies?
- Is There a Fourth Animated How to Train Your Dragon Movie?
- The Bottom Line
There are four theatrical How to Train Your Dragon movies released through 2025: three animated films and one live-action remake. If you mean the original animated storyline, the answer is three.
The distinction matters because How to Train Your Dragon (2025) retells the first movie’s story. It isn’t a fourth chapter following The Hidden World. Universal describes the 2025 film as a live-action reimagining of the original.
For a first-time viewer, the simplest watch order is 2010 → 2014 → 2019. You can watch the 2025 remake separately, either before or after the animated trilogy.
All How to Train Your Dragon Movies in Release Order
Here’s the theatrical film list, with the two versions of the first story clearly separated:
| Movie | Release year | Format | Place in the story |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Train Your Dragon | 2010 | Animated | First film in the original trilogy |
| How to Train Your Dragon 2 | 2014 | Animated | Sequel to the 2010 film |
| How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | 2019 | Animated | Third film and conclusion of the animated trilogy |
| How to Train Your Dragon | 2025 | Live-action | Reimagining of the first film, not a sequel to The Hidden World |
The franchise filmography lists the three animated features and the live-action adaptation. Shorts, television specials, and TV series belong to the wider franchise but aren’t included in this theatrical movie count.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
The first animated movie introduces Hiccup, a young Viking living on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is an expected part of life. His encounter with Toothless, a Night Fury, challenges what he has been taught about them.
This is the starting point for the original screen story. It establishes the central friendship and the relationships that develop across the sequels. DreamWorks’ official movie page identifies the original film and its premise.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
The second animated film continues Hiccup and Toothless’s story rather than starting over. With their world expanding beyond Berk, the characters face new responsibilities and conflicts.
Watch it after the 2010 film. Although it introduces a new adventure, it builds on the first movie’s relationships and the changes in how Berk’s residents live alongside dragons.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
The Hidden World is the third animated feature and the conclusion of the original trilogy. Its subtitle sometimes causes confusion: it’s How to Train Your Dragon 3, even though the number doesn’t appear in the title.
For viewers following the animated films, this is the final stop in the main movie storyline. There’s no need to watch the live-action remake afterward to complete that trilogy.
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
The 2025 movie returns to the beginning, adapting the first film’s story in live action. Dean DeBlois directs the reimagining, as detailed in Universal’s official release information.
Think of it as another version of Hiccup and Toothless’s introduction—not the next adventure after The Hidden World. It shares its title with the 2010 movie, so checking the release year is the easiest way to tell them apart when browsing a catalog.
What Is the Best How to Train Your Dragon Watch Order?
To follow the original story
Watch the animated trilogy in release order:
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
Release order is also the story order for these three films. There’s no prequel to move ahead of the first movie and no alternate sequence needed.
This is the clearest choice if you want one continuous movie storyline, from Hiccup and Toothless’s first meeting through the trilogy’s conclusion.
To watch every theatrical movie
Watch the three animated films above, then add:
- How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
That gives you theatrical release order across the franchise. However, the fourth viewing takes you back to a retelling of the beginning rather than moving the animated story forward.
You can also start with the 2025 film if you prefer live action. Just keep the versions separate: if you then decide to watch the animated trilogy, begin with the 2010 original rather than treating the remake as its replacement.
Do the Shorts and TV Shows Count as Movies?
Not in the four-theatrical-movie total. The franchise also includes shorter productions and television stories, which can make a streaming search look much longer than the feature-film list.
Examples include:
- Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon — a short film.
- Book of Dragons — a short film.
- Gift of the Night Fury — a short film.
- How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming — a television special.
These are listed alongside the films in the wider franchise overview, but they’re different types of releases. A service may group a short or special under “movies” for browsing purposes; that doesn’t make it another theatrical feature.
The television series also expand the dragon world without adding to the movie count. You don’t need to complete those shows to follow the three-film animated storyline.
Is There a Fourth Animated How to Train Your Dragon Movie?
The released animated movie series covered here is a trilogy, not a four-film series. Its third film is The Hidden World.
The title that raises the theatrical count to four is the 2025 live-action remake. Calling it “the fourth movie” is accurate in release-order terms, but calling it “the fourth animated movie” or “a sequel to The Hidden World” is not.
Likewise, an announced or planned future film shouldn’t be counted as already released. The total here covers theatrical features released through 2025.
The Bottom Line
There are three animated How to Train Your Dragon movies, or four theatrical movies when you include the 2025 live-action remake.
If you’re deciding where to start, choose the 2010 animated film and follow it with How to Train Your Dragon 2 and The Hidden World. Treat the 2025 movie as a separate retelling of the beginning—not a continuation of the trilogy.
