Summary

DreamWorks is releasing a live-action How to Train Your Dragon with some subtle differences from the original.
Nick Frost plays Gobber the Belch with a different missing leg due to an actual injury, not just a creative choice.
The movie aims to capture the heart of the father-son bond while facing high expectations for both commercial and critical success for the sequel.

DreamWorks is soaring into the live-action remake world this week with the release of How to Train Your Dragon, taking fans back to the Isle of Berk in a whole new way. With a stellar cast featuring the likes of Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Mason Thames, and Gabriel Howell, among others, there is plenty of excitement about what the movie will entail.

The live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon is re-telling the same story as the 2010 original animation, which proved to be a massive success for DreamWorks. However, that doesn't mean everything will be the same, as the new movie will have some subtle differences.

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By Henry-Damian Justice

One of those will be in the form of Frost's portrayal of Gobber the Belch. He's one of the most popular characters from the animated movie and is certainly memorable because he only has one leg. In the animated version, it is his right leg that's missing, but in the new How to Train Your Dragon, keen-eyed viewers will notice it will be Frost's left leg. However, this wasn't done intentionally to provide a slight difference, as there's a rather painful reason for this tweak as he explained to BBC Radio 2.

"In the animated version of this, Gobber's right leg is the one he lost to a dragon. Now in our film it's Gobber's left leg. And I know there is a Reddit subpost somewhere saying, 'Well, why, why? Why have you changed legs? That's because I needed my knee replaced, and I was due to have it done a week before I got this gig. And Dean the director said, 'So, which leg is it?' I said, 'Well, it's my left knee that needs to be replaced.' He said, 'So, let's not do the operation, let's do the film and use that agony.' Then, as soon as we wrapped, like two weeks later, I had my knee replaced."

Gobber the Belch is one of the most experienced warriors on the Isle of Berk, and he certainly has the battle scars to show for it. While he's a keen fighter, Gobber is also a talented blacksmith, which is something that proves to be vital. He's also much more than just a warrior, as his close friendship with Stoick makes him an essential character in enhancing the relationship between the chief and his son Hiccup. That father-and-son bond is ultimately at the heart of How to Train Your Dragon. Therefore, Frost's performance will be important in making that feel just as special in the live action. That's where the audience's focus will primarily be spent when it comes to Gobber, as opposed to which leg is missing.

Universal has placed a lot of expectations on the How to Train Your Dragon live-action because they have already confirmed that How to Train Your Dragon 2 will also be getting a live-action adaptation. The company revealed that news before the first movie had even been released. While that showcases a level of confidence in this movie, it does add a lot of pressure to succeed from both a commercial and critical perspective to justify the sequel.

Fans will be heading into this movie being well aware of the story and what will happen, but seeing the dragons and this unique Viking world be brought to life in live-action does have a lot of promise to be entertaining. The trailers have looked fun, with the family-friendly tone of the animation seemingly being captured. Adding in some minor tweaks to make this version different from the original will also help it, as fans are being given new details and fresh takes on familiar subject matter. Even if it's something that couldn't be helped due to Frost's injury, the subtle change will make his version of How to Train Your Dragon memorable.

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