Dragons, commonly referred to asDreamWorks Dragons, is an American animated television series based on the 2010 filmHow to Train Your Dragon. The series serves as a bridge between the first film and its2014 sequel.[2][3][4]
Dragons was announced byCartoon Network on October 12, 2010.[5] According toTim Johnson, executive producer for the film, the series was planned to be much darker and deeper thanDreamWorks Animation's previous television series spin-offs, with a similar tone to the film.Dragons was the first DreamWorks Animation series to air onCartoon Network rather thanNickelodeon.[6]
A one-hour preview consisting of two episodes aired on August 7, 2012, onCartoon Network,[7] with the official premiere of the series airing on September 5, 2012.[8] A total of 40 episodes aired on Cartoon Network during the first two seasons, subtitledRiders of Berk andDefenders of Berk respectively.
Afterwards, the series was subtitledRace to the Edge, the first season of which debuted on Netflix on June 26, 2015.[3] The second and third seasons ofDragons: Race to the Edge premiered on January 8 and June 24, 2016, respectively.[9][10] The fourth season was released on February 17, 2017.[11] The series was renewed for a fifth season, which was released on Netflix on August 25, 2017. The series (alongside the Netflix exclusive,All Hail King Julien) is syndicated as part of the newly rebrandedUniversal Kids on September 9, 2017.Dragons: Race to the Edge was renewed for the sixth and final[12] season which was released on February 16, 2018.
Taking place betweenHow to Train Your Dragon andHow to Train Your Dragon 2,DreamWorks Dragons follows Hiccup as he tries to keep balance within the new cohabitation of Dragons andNorsevikings. Alongside keeping up with Berk's newest installment—A Dragon Training Academy—Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of the Viking Teens are put to the test when they are faced with new worlds harsher than Berk, new dragons that can't all be trained, and new enemies who are looking for every reason to destroy the harmony between Vikings and Dragons altogether.
Jay Baruchel[13] as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, III- an awkward and underweight Viking and son of the chief of Berk. He and his dragon, Toothless, share the strongest bond of all riders and dragons.
Toothless (vocal effects byRandy Thom) - Toothless is an extremely rare, male Night Fury befriended by Hiccup, and the dragon that lost his left tail fin in the first feature film. He has dark black scales, retractable teeth, and the ability to shoot plasma blasts. He also has the unique ability to navigate in dark places usingecholocation.
America Ferrera[13] as Astrid Hofferson – Hiccup's close friend and love interest and the unofficial second-in-command of the dragon training academy. She has a strong character, is one of the most courageous of the Dragon Riders, and is very competitive. She has a strong bond with her dragon, Stormfly. During Season 5 ofRace to the Edge, Hiccup gives Astrid a betrothal necklace, making them officially engaged to be married.
Stormfly – A blue, female Deadly Nadder befriended by Astrid. Like Hiccup and Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly display exceptional teamwork. Stormfly and Toothless share a friendly rivalry in most of the competitions Hiccup and Astrid devise. In addition to her magnesium-fueled fire bursts, Stormfly can launch spines from her tail.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Ingerman – one of Hiccup's close friends who has a great encyclopedic knowledge of dragons. He is not as courageous as the other Dragon Riders, but is a loyal friend, especially to Hiccup and Astrid. He has formed a very close relationship with his dragon, Meatlug.
Meatlug – A brown, female Gronckle who bonded with Fishlegs. Because of her husky size and short wingspan, she lacks the aerobatic maneuverability and speed of the other dragons. She and Fishlegs have a very close, nurturing relationship. She also can eat a particular combination of iron ore and rocks and regurgitate a valuable metal known as "Gronckle iron".
Zack Pearlman as Snotlout Jorgenson – one of Hiccup's friends who is reckless, quarrelsome, and often seen mocking or annoying the other riders. He has a complicated relationship with his dragon, Hookfang.
Hookfang – A red, male Monstrous Nightmare, ridden by Snotlout. Hookfang has a habit of attacking Snotlout or abandoning him when Snotlout tries to assert dominance, and does not always pay attention to Snotlout. In battle, Hookfang covers his skin with his flammable saliva and sets it on fire, without harming himself; this ability is almost never used when Snotlout is riding him.
T. J. Miller[13] as Tuffnut Thorston, and Julie Marcus[14] (season 1) andAndree Vermeulen (seasons 2–8) as Ruffnut Thorston – male and female dimwitted fraternal twins and followers of Hiccup. They constantly quarrel and disobey commands.
Barf and Belch – A green, male, two-headed Hideous Zippleback jointly ridden by the twins, normally with Ruffnut riding the dragon's right head, named Barf (which can exhale explosive gas), and Tuffnut riding the dragon's left head, named Belch (which can ignite the gas). The heads are usually agreeable, but can have difficulty flying when their riders disagree, and sometimes quarrel as a result.
Nolan North[15] as Stoick the Vast – theChief of Berk and father to Hiccup who's immensely strong, fearless, fierce, and possessed of shrewd judgement and compassion. His first dragon is a Thunderdrum named Thornado, who is later released back into the wild. His second dragon is Skullcrusher, a Rumblehorn.
Chris Edgerly[8] as Gobber the Belch – theblacksmith of Berk, Stoick's closest friend, and Hiccup's mentor. Later he is seen riding a Hotburple named Grump.
David Tennant as Spitelout Jorgenson – Snotlout's father. Spitelout takes pride in his son's achievements but seldom forgives his failures. He is a member of the A-team and rides a Deadly Nadder named Kingstail.
Lucas Grabeel[16] as Gustav Larson – a teenager who aspires to be a Dragon Rider. He takes Snotlout as his model and hero, especially in the first two seasons. He becomes the leader of Berk's A-Team and he rides a Monstrous Nightmare named Fanghook, based on Hookfang's name.
Angela Bartys as Gothi – the village'sshaman. As a mute, she communicates by gesturing or drawing lines and hieroglyphic-like pictures, translated by Gobber or Fishlegs. She rides a Gronckle as part of the A-team.
Stephen Root as Mildew – is a cantankerous, spiteful, aged and generally disliked Berk local. He is a cabbage farmer and retains a strong hatred of dragons.
Thomas F. Wilson as Buckett – a mentally impaired Viking, named for the bucket he wears on his head, allegedly to conceal a missing part of his brain. When the bucket grows tighter, the locals regard this as an early storm warning.
Tim Conway (seasons 1–2) andTom Kenny (seasons 3–8) as Mulch – Bucket's closest friend, usually seen by his side and frequently picking up the slack for Bucket.
Michael Goldstrom[17] as Johann – a seafaring merchant who occasionally visits Berk and trades mostly in curiosities. Prior toDragons: Race to the Edge Season 5, he was thought to be an ally of the Dragon Riders. However, in the finale of Season 5, it is revealed that he has been undercover and is secretly working with Krogan to find and control a Bewilderbeast. He meets his end in "King of Dragons, Part 2", when the Bewilderbeast uses its ice to freeze him to death.
Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Krogan – the leader of the Dragon Flyers who works for Drago Bludvist. His overconfidence often clashes with Viggo's patience. When he fails to retrieve a Bewilderbeast for his master in “King of Dragons, Part 2”, Drago has him executed.
Alfred Molina as Viggo Grimborn – the leader of the Dragon Hunters and is usually accompanied by his older brother, Ryker Grimborn. Viggo is less strong than his brother, but for what he lacks in build he makes up for in intellect, frequently tricking and outsmarting the Dragon Riders. In "Triple Cross", he is betrayed by Johann and Krogan and has a change of heart before sacrificing himself to allow Hiccup and Toothless to escape.
JB Blanc as Ryker Grimborn – the second-in-command of the Dragon Hunters and the elder brother of Viggo Grimborn. Ryker is physically stronger and more stubborn than his younger brother. He is killed in "Shell Shocked, Part 2" when the Submaripper swallows his ship.
Paul Rugg as Savage – Alvin's right-hand man and later that of Dagur before he goes on his own inDragons: Race to the Edge Season 4. In "Something Rotten on Berserker Island", he attempts to overthrow Dagur to become the new Chief of the Berserker Tribe, only to be defeated and imprisoned by him.
Djimon Hounsou as Drago Bludvist – the warlord who commands all the hunters, trappers, and raiders that all the sub-villains commanded throughout all the various seasons of the show. He is the true villain behind Johann. He only made a cameo in the series finale of the show which tied the plot to the 2nd movie in the How to Train Your Dragon series, How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Mark Hamill[14] as Alvin the Treacherous – Exiled from Berk for unspecified treachery (later revealed to be catching innocent bystanders in the crossfire of a dragon attack), he plots to displace his old friend, Stoick. He later becomes an ally of Berk at the end of Season 2.
Mae Whitman as Heather – A mysterious teenage girl found by the Viking youths. Although she was at first introduced for actions against Berk, her true motive, to rescue her parents from Alvin the Treacherous, proved her loyalty. She returns in Season 3, bonding with a Razorwhip dragon named Windshear. She is later revealed to be Dagur's long-lost sister and pretends to be in league with him in order to get close to him and the newly unveiled dragon hunters. She leaves to parts unknown after her plot is uncovered by Viggo. She soon returns, showing romantic feelings for Fishlegs and joins the Dragon Riders. After being with the Dragon Riders for a while, she decides to leave for Berserker Island with her brother, Dagur.
David Faustino[14] as Dagur the Deranged[18] – a villain-turned-ally and leader of theBerserker Tribe. He becomes obsessed with plotting to hunt and capture Toothless. He is later revealed to be the long-lost brother of Heather. AfterDragons: Race to the Edge Season Two, he begins to acknowledge the aims of the Dragon Riders and starts to help them, along with his sister, Heather. Later, Dagur becomes a Dragon Rider with a Gronckle he named Shattermaster, and later on, Sleuther, a Triple Stryke that the Dragon Riders had previously rescued. In Season 6, he falls in love with and eventually marries Mala. Though he acts tough and aggressive, he is also rather sensitive.
Defenders of the Wing – A tribe of warriors who first appear in the episode "Defenders of the Wing: Part 1". They worship dragons as holy beings and are led by Queen Mala (voiced byAdelaide Kane). They are at war with the Dragon Hunters and are therefore extremely distrusting of outsiders. Prior to encountering the Dragon Riders, they know nothing of riding or training dragons, as their culture forbids it. They live on a volcanic island home to an enormous dragon called the Eruptodon. They worship and protect the Eruptodon at all cost, as it feeds on the volcano's lava and prevents their village from being destroyed. Mala later falls in love with and marries Dagur the Deranged.
Wingmaidens – An exclusively female warrior tribe led by their chieftess Atali (voiced byRose McIver) who first appear in the episode "Snotlout’s Angels". They care for baby Razorwhips who become their wings until they are old enough to fend for themselves because the adult males of the species would devour the infants and could drive the species to extinction.
On October 12, 2010, it was announced thatCartoon Network had acquired worldwide broadcast rights to a weekly animated series based on the film.[5] According toTim Johnson, executive producer forHow to Train Your Dragon, the series was planned to be much darker and deeper thanDreamWorks Animation's previous television series spin-offs, with a similar tone to the film, and would follow after the events of the first film.DreamWorks Dragons is the first (and only) DreamWorks Animation series to air on Cartoon Network; DreamWorks Animation's previous television series, includingThe Penguins of Madagascar,Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, and laterMonsters vs. Aliens, had aired onNickelodeon.[6]
Although it was initially announced that the series would be calledDragons: The Series,[13] theSan Diego Comic-Con schedule announced in June 2012 revealed the new title to beDragons: Riders of Berk.[19] The second season of the show was titledDragons: Defenders of Berk.[20] At the end of May 2014, DreamWorks Animation announced that the series would move toNetflix in spring 2015.[3]
Dragons: Riders of Berk has received positive reviews. Brian Lowry ofVariety reviewed the series: "The program is dazzling visually, and pretty effortlessly picks up where the narrative left off," although he noted the initial episodes' "lack of actual villains" and "not-particularly-stirring array of characters".[21] Mary McNamara ofLos Angeles Times said that it "retains both the personality and production value of its progenitor.Dragons promise to be lively and entertaining, with great visuals of dragons swooping and soaring." She praised its look: "It looks pretty dang spectacular even by today's standards. It's so crisply drawn and fluid that a person of a certain age would be forgiven for wondering how on earth we survived with things likeScooby-Doo andThe Perils of Penelope Pitstop."[22] According toNielsen Media Research, episodes of the first season ranked on average #1 in their time slot among boys 2–14.[23]
A 3DUnity-based in-browser game, titledDragons: Wild Skies, was launched on August 27, 2012, on CartoonNetwork.com.[33] Players will go through a tutorial with Hiccup, and train a Deadly Nadder, before being able to free roam around the several islands in the Barbaric Archipelago, with dragons scattered around them. The player can choose to be a blonde/brunette male or female Viking, before setting off to explore the islands. To train a dragon, players must feed the dragons correct food before doing correct gestures to gain the dragon's trust. In the game, players do not die or otherwise fail. Players complete challenges to earn gold for buying tools to obtain food for training dragons. Theoverworld consists of six islands, each with a unique dragon to tame. The number of dragons and worlds to explore is set to expand over time, as the series introduces more and more places and dragons...[34]
A DVD collection of the first four episodes, titledDragons: Riders of Berk, was released on November 20, 2012.[35] The first season of the series was released on DVD in two parts on July 23, 2013.Dragons: Riders of Berk: Part 1 contained episodes from 1 to 11,[36] andDragons: Riders of Berk: Part 2, episodes from 12 to 20.[37] In December 2013, Walmart released an exclusive pack containing the complete first season in a special edition "Toothless" plastic package.[38] A DVD collection of the first 10 episodes of the second season, titledDragons: Defenders of Berk: Part 1, was released on March 25, 2014.[39] The second part, titledDragons: Defenders of Berk: Part 2, was later released on May 27, 2014.[40] On February 12, 2019, the first two seasons ofDragons: Race to the Edge was released on DVD in one set. Seasons three and four were released on DVD on March 5, 2019, and seasons five and six were released on DVD on March 26, 2019, albeit all only in Region 1 format.
