The world of animated movies has always brought fascinating creatures from our storybooks onto the silver screen – be it mermaids, unicorns, or even dragons! And growing up, many of us have dreamt of having them as our pets, haven’t we? Imagine being friends with an adorable dragon, for example, who purrs like a cat, flies like the wind, and promises you the best views from the sky! Well, if you too had a dream like this, you can watch it come to life in the upcoming How To Train Your Dragon live-action movie!
As the movie releases in theaters, team unstumbled decided to give you a little sneak peek into the real-life locations where this fantasy adventure live-action movie was filmed, so just sit back and enjoy reading this piece!
How To Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) Live-Action: Plot Synopsis And Other Details
HTTYD is a 2025 American fantasy adventure live-action movie directed by Dean DeBlois. It is a remake of the 2010 animated film of the same name – and let us tell you that it was a smash-hit at the global box office that year!
The movie revolves around the endearing and rather unexpected friendship between a human and a dragon! Yes, you heard it right! Dating back to the Viking era, the movie is set on the fictional island of Berk where Vikings and dragons don’t really get along. However, when a young Viking named Hiccup befriends a Night Fury dragon named Toothless, their friendship challenges the age-old rivalry between Vikings and dragons. To add fuel to the fire, the friendship also places Hiccup’s bond with his father at stake – mind you, his father is also the Viking Chief!
HTTYD live-action includes an ensemble cast of Mason Thames, Nico Parker, and Gerard Butler among others. Releasing in theaters on June 13, the movie promises to be a fun, thrilling watch for fans of the original animation as well as movie-goers who’ll watch the movie for the first time!
How To Train Your Dragon Shooting Locations
Tollymore Forest Park
A major chunk of HTTYD has been entirely filmed across Northern Ireland – and this is also where a majority of Game of Thrones (GOT) and a few parts of Derry Girls was shot! One of the places where both HTTYD and GOT were shot is the Tollymore Forest Park. Spread across 630 hectares, this state forest is known for its lush landscapes that look like they’re straight out of a mystical wonderland.
Here, you can try various activities like horse riding, camping, nature trails, and much more. Located strategically at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, the forest stands out for its ethereal beauty – we’re talking about mist-covered forest patches, tall, slender trees, and free-flowing streams and rivers throughout the forest. Who knows, you might even spot a real dragon living in the lush canopies of the forest!
Address: Bryansford Rd, Newcastle BT33 0PR, United Kingdom
Giant’s Causeway
If you’re a Bollywood fan like us, you might think that the 2015 song Gerua from the Bollywood movie Dilwale was shot here! However, that’s not the case – even though it looks strikingly similar to the location in that song. Giant’s Causeway is Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, boasting of dark hexagonal rock formations that are made of basalt stones. These formations lend a unique, rather mysterious, vibe to this place that’s better experienced through one’s own eyes.
With over 40,000 basalt columns, the dramatic cliffs here find mentions in local folklore and legends. One such legend says that a long time ago, mythical giants would stride across the sea to Scotland from this very site! Isn’t that simply fascinating? How To Train Your Dragon live-action takes inspiration from this legend and integrates it in the plot, but for that you must watch it in theaters!
Address: 44 Causeway Rd, Bushmills BT57 8SU, United Kingdom
Dunseverick Castle
This next shooting location – Dunseverick Castle – is a place so mysterious and breathtaking that it doesn’t even look real! It is perched on the Causeway coastline itself atop a steep basalt stack. It is a promontory fort – a defensive structure above a steep cliff, and was once a royal site of the prosperous Dál Riada Gaelic kingdom. Even if it stands in ruins today, the site tells stories of the kingdoms it was once a part of.
The Dunseverick Castle makes for the perfect setting for a movie like HTTYD set in the Vikings era. With its stone ruins, dramatic, steep cliffs, and the vast sea below, the location can be easily noticed in the movie as it sets the stage for the fictional island of Berk.
Address: Causeway Road, Dunseverick, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, U.K
Murlough Bay
Murlough Bay has all that it takes to be a gorgeous, mysterious location for a fictional world like HTTYD. It has a breathtaking coastline, a few caves, rock formations, and moss-green hills, located on the north coast of County Antrim. Also, this location is quite close to the Dunseverick Castle, meaning you can cover both these places in a day!
This site is a part of Ireland’s first designated nature reserve, the Murlough National Nature Reserve. Inside, you’ll find untouched landscapes and a 6000-year old coastal sand dune system, one of the oldest of its kind in the world. Overall, Murlough Bay is a place whose beauty will stay with you long after you’ve finished watching HTTYD!
Summing Up
How To Train Your Dragon promises to be a fun-packed adventure thanks to its top-notch CGI, cast, storyline, soundtrack, and of course, the gorgeous shooting locations! The movie locations of How To Train Your Dragon will surely take your breath away when you watch it on the big screen! Be it the ruins of Dunseverick or the gorgeous landscape of Murlough Bay, we’re hyped to see these real-life locations come to life in the movie. And while we’re definitely watching it, when are you watching this big-screen spectacle in theaters?
