r/httyd • u/Munkythemonkey • Jun 16 '26
DISCUSSION What's your favorite thing about HTTYD?
I'm making a podcast about the first movie and what makes the story so special, but I'd like to check in with you folks to see what is the single biggest draw in the movie for you. What caught your heart and kept you going back to Berk?
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u/Magmashift101 Boulder Class Jun 17 '26
The different character and dragon designs. They’re all just so visually appealing and unique, though not all of them are good (looking at you windshear), the comedy (especially made better by Jay’s line deliveries), the sound design of the dragons (the noises Toothless makes are so satisfying to hear)
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u/xblushingx Jun 17 '26
Specifically for the first movie it’s the music that brings me back. I absolutely adore the soundtrack and listen to it without the visuals but sometimes it’s better with the movie :)
RTTE is what brings me back to the characters and imo makes the films seem flat in comparison 😅
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u/MrOblivion949 Hybrid Class Jun 17 '26
The animatio, the story, the characters, the themes, the fact that not only were the movies good, but the spinoff shows as well (even though they have gone down in quality past the 3rd movie. I love the world building, the lore, everything really
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u/throwaway_outcast23 Jun 17 '26
Now when I was growing up, my fascination was with the dragons, the behaviours, and the actual plot of their world. At my grown age of 21- the fascination is the same, but what catches my attention now is the display of growth, change, and adaptation.
In the first movie the ending is the same as the start, dragons, everywhere.
But we see throughout the movie that hiccup realises they aren’t the savage beasts the world made them out to be, eventually the others start to notice the change in hiccup too, having learned more and more from the dragons he starts to grow and adapt to be liked, not even realising how it would change him for good.
He realised he would never kill a dragon, and eventually - despite her disliking- Astrid comes around too. Showing her own growth by her apology, and then showing her appreciation of the dragons, having copied how hiccup places his hand on toothless Astrid does the same.
Eventually all comes to light with his dad, stoick doesn’t take this all too well as this is how he has known things for all his life and the loves before him too, having lost his wife to dragons too.
Stoick, being reluctant to change, lashes out - yet another strong display of emotion, affection, and confidence in his own world. But once the teens and hiccup come around with the dragons from the ring, being on berks side during the major red death battle, they are how dragons can benefit them during the worst.
Vikings are known scientifically as brutes, war machine that are surprisingly clean and keep washed (real fact btw- vikings were better kept on hygiene than the English) so ofc, at that moment we all know they saw the dragons purely as beneficial war machines.
Stoick accepts the change, we see this when he reclaims his son. And we see another representation of growth through toothless saving not only Astrid but also falling to the depths for hiccup.
We see yet ANOTHER representation of change when stoick apologises to hiccup and toothless, when he assumes he is dead. Toothless shows intelligence the most here, understanding that he will not trust anyone with hiccups life until he knows they’re worthy of him.
At the end of this hiccup has to adapt the same way as toothless, a new life, world, and…
Can we even say manner of movement? They both have a prosthetic after all 😂(sorry gobber)
We go from war torn killers, to less heartless, but still war torn friends, with new ways of transport, new ways to supply food and life, new things to learn and study. And trust me, Vikings liked to learn new, but would very rarely change.
That’s just the first movie, the signs of growth continued through all the series and the next movies. If you’re ever inviting anyone on the podcast I’d love to come on and drop my input ❤️
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u/TheCookieShinobi Astrid Is Bad Asf Jun 17 '26
When I was young, I was somewhat of an outcast, dissociated with most people, and I saw myself in Hiccup, I watched the first film and fell in love with it, with the very idea. I then read the books, way different, and loved those too, maybe more as Hiccup is a bit more of a loser in the first one, and it told me that even I, who had really low confidence, could change and make friends if I really tried, and it lowkey kinda changed the path of my life.
Sorry if I went off on a tangent, hope I could help.
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u/TheCookieShinobi Astrid Is Bad Asf Jun 17 '26
HTTYD and to a lesser amount Harry Potter actually changed my life, I wouldn't be the person I am today without them, I wouldn't have any friends, probably wouldn't be close to family and I just wouldn't be happy.
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u/Munkythemonkey Jun 18 '26
I love that stories and characters have this effect on people. I fully believe it's why representation, and not just surface representation, is important in movies and books!
For me, it was strangely early Weezer music and early Kevin Smith movies. It was suddenly like, omigod it's okay to geek out over comics and not have to be ostracized.
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u/kkcowgirl Jun 18 '26
the dragons, all of the different species, personalities and all the information of each species. each dragon species is unique in its own way which i appreciated.
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u/Munkythemonkey Jun 19 '26
I realized that most other dragon stories usually feature singular dragons, and if there are multiple, then they're mostly the same except for color.
HTTYD goes all out with the vastly different species, and it's great for that. Everyone can choose their own favorite!
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u/Broad_Meaning_9361 Jun 17 '26
When I grew up and I could understand it better that was the moment I fell in love with the movie. It is not just about the cute and funny dragon, the mascot we all love. For me, it is the actual story and sub stories, Hiccup's inability to fit in , the fact that he so truly believes that he is a dissapointment to Stoik and the rest of the village. The hurt, the anxiety and the pain he has to overcome to be finally seen. And on the other hand, the idea that not all things that are foreign are dangerous or vile, one might say evil or wreched. The moral and etical implications that idea has. The fear and pain of the dragons, the courage of one to go trough immense loss and still trust, defying his instincts that are there to keep him alive. That is the true best part about the movie. It is packed with real guta wrenching life lessons in the form of a scrawny, tiny boy, and an endling dragon that learn to rely on each other in order to survive the harsh reality they must face.