The Art of How to Train Your Dragon

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon #1

by Tracey Miller-Zarneke, Cressida Cowell (Preface)

Featuring more than 350 pieces of development artwork that includes early character designs, story sketches, and concept paintings never before released by the studio, The Art of How to Train Your Dragon offers a stunning view of DreamWorks Animation's film about an unlikely alliance between a young Viking and a deadly dragon, inspired by the original book by Cressida Cowell.



The Art of How to Train Your Dragon presents the insights of the filmmakers who crafted this high-flying cinematic adventure and takes the audience on a visual tour of the Viking and dragon worlds that is an enthralling - but far less treacherous - as one would experience living among fire-breathing creatures with a boisterous Viking tribe.



the reader will be intrigued by page after page of beautifully realized illustrations that show how this remarkable movie about the Viking world, "where only the strong can belong," mixed with the dragon world with its "fiery furies," was conceived in its full glory. There are also behind-the-scenes section on the bold cinematic techniques used in creating this strikingly original animated movie. With an exclusive preface by Cressida Crowell and forward by Craig Ferguson, How to Train Your Dragon will be a delight for all movie and animation lovers as well as dragon and Viking fans.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Dragons, Film, Reference, Media Tie In, Comics

160 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[Gretel Hernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una de las mejores películas de Dreamworks; ver el arte de este filme me ha encantado; sobre todo el arte de los dragones; hacer que un dragón sea adorable y al mismo tiempo genial es algo difícil de lograr.

[Jaiden Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so beautiful! It was so neat to see how they made my favorite movie!🤩 The illustrations were gorgeous and I have so much more appreciation for animation now!
And the forward by Cressida Cowell make s me want to try and read the books again soon!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

این یکی رو انیمیشنش رو هم دیده بودم. ولی مثلکه زیاد یادم نمیاد، چون این تو به نظر خیلی تنوع بیشتری از اژدها های گوگولی داشت.
مدل توضیحاتش هم دوست داشتم، نوشتار عجیبی نداشت ولی به صورت مختصر و به جایی توضیح داده بود. برا ابزار و چیزایی که زیاد تو انیمیشن به نظر نمیومد هم توضیح داشت.
اون آخرش راجع به افکت و انیمیشن کردن و ایناش هم توضیح داشت.
با دیدن این ارتبوک ها دارم به این نتیجه میرسم که طرح های دوبعدی رو بیشتر از سه بعدی دوست دارم.

[m i l o u ✨ (Grumpy Hobbit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is almost an enchanting experience to see all this behind the scenes concept and how this movie came together. It quickly becomes obvious how much work went into the creation of this movie and how many people were working on this together. They have really been able to put a certain magic into the final product.

We are all aware that this movie was inspired by the How To Train Your Dragon series which was written by Cressida Cowell. If you haven't read any of her books you might not know how different her work is compared to the movie. Like for example her Toothless was only tiny dragon which Hiccup wouldn't be able to ride, but they changed that completely.

As a fan of this franchise it's almost like going to Disneyland to see all of this behind the scenes concept and how this crew came up with this world and the beginning of these movies which we still love today.



The Red Death


Scenery that wasn't used in movie




Books in the series:





↠ Genre: Art, Dragons, Vikings
↠ Pov: Multiple
↠ Type: Book 1 out of 3 of the Art Of How To Train Your Dragon series
↠ Rating: 5 stars



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[xXQueenofHeartsXx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the movie so i bought the art of how to train your dragon the art is beautiful and when I take off the book cover its black with a red dragon in the middle. My favorite part of the book is toothless sketches and hiccup sketches and some of the hiccup sketches are really cute.

[Manisha ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art inside this book is incredible!! I love fantasy drawings and had recently gotten into how to train your dragon. I used this book to help me create my own dragons although within a restricted time but I definitely will be using this book as reference again if I’ve got more time to look through thoroughly.

Wish I had rented this out but it was honestly just flicking through as I waited in the library for my bus but nonetheless I am not disappointed and it kept me entertained each page. It’s just so very much worth it!

[Ganesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was always intrigued by the behind-the-scenes workings of animated movies.
I knew by gut feeling that it was an elaborate process and not any whimsical decision.

Reading books like these, which break down the technical rendering of animated movies, right from storyboard to sketching, to editorial process, is an awakening experience.

One that truyl humbles and makes one more appreciate of the art and technology that goes in the workings of an animated movie.

[McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This glance into the making of the film gives the film itself even more depth than I thought possible!

[kim hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a design student I love learning how things are created and designed. I wanted to see the thoughts the artists had during the making of this film and how it was from the initial to the final.

From the characters, to the sceneries and to the structures of their village.

Different character types, the artist wanted to stick to the way people perceived the Vikings but also stir away from the stereotypes. There were also initial sketches of the characters to the final. Some characters had drastic changes to them while others, not so much.

Dragons were also talked about. Dragons of different shape, size, personality, colour, etc were included. Most were based on animals with distinguishable characteristic on the dragons themselves.

Overall, it was amazing to see all the thought process the artists went through to make this film perfect.

[Happy · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 I love everything that explores how movies were created. The work and thought process is so interesting, especially the design choices

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brought back a lot of good memories. I was obsessed with this movie and the soundtrack in the winter/spring of 2010-2011, and since that was the worst period of my life, it's encouraging to have a few mental spaces from that time that I can look back on with such joy. This story was a huge part of my life back then, and reading this transported me to what it was like to watch this movie, listen to the music, and feel glimmers of light and beauty when everything seemed awful and unendurable. I'm so thankful for how well my life turned out, and got a little bit choked up as this book inspired me to reflect on all of the unexpected joys and new friendships that followed that seemingly hopeless time in my life.

However, even though I enjoyed this book for subjective, nostalgic reasons, it's also a great glimpse into storytelling and animation. I enjoyed the concept art and information about the film-making process, and since I always mention How to Train Your Dragon as an exception to the book always being better than the movie, I especially valued getting further insight into how the creators selectively, wisely changed major elements of the story to add a meaningful character arc, tension, drama, and secondary character development to this movie. They did a phenomenal job, and I'm very grateful, since their work brought such consolation and joy to younger me.

[alexander shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a lot thinner than many other art books for films I've read, but it included a lot more information than I expected given that it's a kids' movie (that that kids would necessarily be the ones looking at this title). In addition to character and setting art, they talk about adapting things from book to movie, why they made certain changes, difficulties with getting the animation style and programs to do what they wanted—a lot of things that don't get discussed in other art books, even cartoon ones. It was actually really neat, and a surprisingly quick read.

[Tanja Mavie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear universe,
if I ever get to be a part of something so magnificent, magical and breathtaking, I'll be a very happy (and lucky!) human being indeed.
I don't know why it took me so long to read it, but I'm beyond grateful I did. Loved the Intro by Cressida Cowell. The pictures and paintings and animations repeatedly rendered me speechless. And the love and thought that was put into this movie is simply enchanting.
Truly truly inspirational🤍

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite parts of this book had very little to do with the book itself. I was listening to music as I read it and just as I got to Craig Ferguson's introduction talking about how the movie explained his love of flying, which he discovered after becoming a pilot to combat his fear of flying, Phillip Phillip's song "Fly" started playing. It was a nice little coincidence.

As to the book itself, I want to like it more than I did, but it feels strangely lightweight to me. I think part of the problem is that Cressida Cowell's introduction is really terrific and is a hard act to follow.

My favorite part of the book was the discussion of how the character of Fishlegs evolved. He went from a skinny, bespectacled dragon nerd to the overweight final character. Originally intended as Hiccup's sidekick, they decided that the story was more powerful if Hiccup did his journey alone, and so they changed Fishlegs to better distinguish him visually from Hiccup, who is also a skinny nerd.

Which clarifies what is bugging me about the book: there's very little of this process on display. Perhaps Fishlegs was the most dramatic alteration, but four-plus years of development surely resulted in a huge number of changes in every aspect of the production since it is apparently a huge departure from the source material. Instead we mostly see final designs, with early sketches thrown in here and there.

I also really liked the Viking iconography designs, which are really just incidental things to populate the background of scenes, but the look is cohesive and fun. I could see some of these becoming popular in the vein of garden gnomes, because they combine Viking aesthetics with a Mayan/Aztec visual flair for a peculiar yet whimsical North/South fusion.

Which is kind of weird, since the movie itself is simply jam-packed with interesting stuff. For some reason the book doesn't show them off to their best advantage. I did like the factoid that dragon designs on the Viking houses indicated which dragons those Vikings and personally slain.

Anyway, there are a lot of great pictures here, but I merely liked the book rather than loved it.

[Joel Griswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle of the line as far as "Art of" books go. The book features lots of illustrations, from early concept sketches up to final designs, from everything from the dragons, Vikings, props and locations. Certainly a treasure trove for fans of the film, as you really get to see all the endless detail that went into the background of each frame of this film, all the care and attention to every single visual aspect and its effect on characterization and storytelling. I always find it most interesting to see a true variety of designs for any given thing, and see how a concept truly developed--however only a few items get this full treatment, and many others are merely showcased in their close-to-final form. Which not as comprehensive as it might be into the elaborate design process over a period of time, the book is certainly a nice visual showcase of some of the effort put into this film, and the passion of all the artists involved in the film is clearly felt here. Overall, worth a perusal for fans of the film and film design in general, but won't really make too much of an impact beyond the first time glance-through.

[Jenjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I just relived the HTTYD experience...and somewhat through the team's eyes.

Okay, now that I've had time to think and digest the art book, I still would not change my star rating. To me, I think most art books deserves 5 stars simply for the breathtaking work these artists do.

In this art book, you get to learn a little more about the characters, dragons and designs of Berk. You also get to meet Cressida Cowell, the author of the HTTYD series.

What I loved about this art book is the "behind the scenes" work we get to see. Normally, I would rewatch movies I love a few times and catch certain things. However, while reading this, I realized how much I've always been missing. It's amazing how artists and animators and editors and everyone in production and create so many wonderful and beautiful things.

I wonder are they close to tears when they see their animations come to life.

I know I would be if I was one of them.

Anyways, for those who love art and HTTYD, get this book and relive it through your eyes as well as the artists' eyes.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book full of lovely and impressive drawings!
I bought it after having seen the movie which was FABULOUS! It was kind of a surprise to me - I only watched the movie because afriend lent me the DVD. I watched it thrice that weekend and still couldn't stop laughing. I thought the sketches and pictures to be vivid and expressive, playful and explicit. Thus, when I ordered the DVD for myself, I saw the book as a recommendation (amazon) and after a quick look inside it, I bought it as well. The foreword by Craig - the One - Ferguson was another bonus (just as his voice in the movie). xD

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I had watched the movie I had to see what the artists had done to get to that point in the movie. This book was amazing if you're an artist you'll be able to appreciate this book the way I did, a lot of people don't like the sketches that are in here because they don't understand the idea of concept sketches. I wanted concept art and that's what I got along with some other goodies and finalized pics. :)

[Kat Andrewz · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of an in-depth look at the characters characteristics in the story than the development of the film. For example, “fishlegs is the enthusiast of the group. Constantly shouting facts.” I would have preferred to learn of where the artists received inspiration for the character. Some beautiful artwork but I feel it’s missing the artists perspective overall.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great art-book. The movie was a pleasant surprise (didn't expect to like it as much as I did).

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it! Especially the worlds that they came up with. They were beautiful!

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the art books that accompany most animated movies nowadays. They're pretty expensive so I don't own nearly as many as I'd like but whenever the stars align, and the pay is good, and the price is right, one falls into my hands. I've been waiting on this one for a while. It didn't disappoint.

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon is slightly reminiscent of The Art of Rise of the Guardians, because each had a children's/middle grade book series that existed before the film was conceived. And both films aren't so much direct adaptations as vaguely related entities when compared to the original texts. I loved being able to see the steps that occurred between the original conception of the movie, focused more on the book, and the end result, which told its own story. Using the same basics characters, setting, and themes, but in a slightly aged-up and slightly scarier version of Hiccup's world.

I loved it all.

I loved seeing concept art--concept art always fascinates me. To see these iterations of beloved characters and know that they could have looked like any one of those options if the design team had taken the film in a different direction. I loved the little fun facts, like Astrid's braid trailing down her back rather than the side of her head because she kept turning and whacking other characters with it. I loved learning how they layered the settings, cheated with the lighting, threw in details they knew might not make it to the final version.

I can't pretend to know everything about animation. I'm not an artist. But I know story. And it's so interesting to see how all of these different components and concepts and ideas thread together into a cohesive and loved whole. Something people will watch and remember and then watch again.

I can't recommend this book enough! It's smart, it's beautiful, and most importantly, it has dragons.

[Jaylin Whiting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I did the second. It had a lot more character and story version trivia which I loved, and it was a little bit of an easier read than the second one. Also, me and my brother joke around a lot about the animation in this movie since animation has evolved so much since the first movie came out, but after looking through this book, I realize that the animation for this movie was absolutely exceptional for 2010. The animation team on this movie were pioneering and developing techniques that had never been used before in films which is truly so cool. AND the animation evolved with each film which is even cooler.

All of that effort, plus genius scores and beautiful stories makes this trilogy one of my favorite series of films of all time.

Now, if only the third movie book wasn’t almost $300…:/

[Stephi :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love "how to train your dragon". Just that.

And even though they are so different, I really enjoyed reading the original books by Cressida Cowell. So when the first movie came out I absolutely fell in love with series even harder. It's my favorite animated movie. And when a dear friend to me gave me this book as a birthday present and I legit cried.

The book is beautiful, full of sketches and details about how much work went into the making of this movie. I love seeing how the characters were developed, my favorite sketches are the zippleback dragon ones. I also enjoyed reading about how they used the light to create different moods and make us feel inside berk and flying with its dragons.

I cant wait to read the second art book too.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome look at the characters, dragons, and island of Berk. This first chapter of the HTTYD movies is smaller in scope, so this book is too, but there is still a ton of content here since the filmmakers were setting up a brand new animated world. I loved reading about the individual character and dragon designs. There was a ton of pre-production sketches and concept art, which was super cool. Overall definitely worth the read if you’re a fan of the trilogy!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I love all the artwork, it is so beautiful. I can truly tell what a wonderful job the whole team has done to make the movie and their efforts are not wasted. I like how the different ideas not in the film were shown. Now I want to rewatch the movie to appreciate all the hard work that into it.

[Brynnelee Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love HTTYD and seeing how they came up with such a beautiful movie and great cast of characters really put it into perspective how much effort went into making said movie(s). Really loved this book.

[Juliette]

(Not an appropriate book for ratings)
Gods the illustrations in this are stunning. Everyone involved in the movie loved it so much and payed so much attention to details... which is what makes it so perfect in so many ways. But people will say I lack impartiality.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book even though I have never seen the movie. I love the art of my Little Pony the Movie because of all the animation involved and this book is also animation themed. I think this book is amassing and highly recommended for How To Train Your Dragon fans.-Lauren 9yo

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked most were the amazing landscape paintings of the islands and various locations. It's all so wild and huge, it almost looks like another planet. It was also interesting to see how the character's designs evolved in the developmental process.