The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon seems unnecessary, as it has only been six years since the final instalment in the trilogy, The Hidden World, was released. Say what you will about Disney, they at least waited a few decades. However, the release of the movie has brought in favorable responses, and a sequel is reportedly already underway.
While the remake retains most elements of the original movies, one character seems to be getting a different treatment from the animated films. Valka, the mother of Hiccup, was absent from the first movie (in both iterations) but was finally introduced in the second, with Cate Blanchett voicing the part. The live-action remake seems to be building on her mythos.
There are plenty of references to Cate Blanchett’s Valka in the How to Train Your Dragon remake
The How to Train Your Dragon remake has been receiving positive responses, despite the usual hesitation towards live-action remakes. The DreamWorks film currently has a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the reviews have been mixed to positive, with many praising its adherence to the original movies.
It is natural that the movie retains most of the creative decisions of the animated original, as director Dean DeBlois was one of the co-directors of it. The filmmaker seems to be going in a similar direction with the rest of the franchise, too, as there are plenty of hints at the character Valka, Hiccup’s mother, in the movie.
In the animated movie, Valka was said to have passed away, with only a single reference to her by Stoick, Hiccup’s father. She later returns in How to Train Your Dragon 2, where she is revealed to be a dragon sympathizer and has created a sanctuary for dragons away from the Vikings. She is revealed to have left after a Cloudjumper showed a baby Hiccup sympathy.
In the live-action remake, there are more references to Valka. A similar scene from the animated movie is recreated, but the live-action film has built on her character’s ethos. Several similarities between Valka and Hiccup are addressed by Stoick and Gobber the Belch, and a reference to her being associated with a dragon is also made.
Will Dean DeBlois make Vlaka the villain in the How to Train Your Dragon sequel?
Valka was voiced by Cate Blanchett in How to Train Your Dragon 2, and it was an incredible performance from the veteran actress. While her reprisal is not a shoo-in yet, the currently in-development sequel needs to cast an extremely talented performer to do justice to Valka’s character in the movie (via Gizmodo).
Much like the animated sequel, the live-action sequel might also bring Valka into the mix. There were several references to her in the first movie, and that is probably leading up to something. While the original animated movie did think of Valka as a villain in one iteration, could it be possible for them to try it out this time?
Dean DeBlois, who also co-directed the animated trilogy, said at the time what their concept for an antagonistic Valka was (via Den of Geek).
She represented everything that Hiccup seemed to be pining for but the moment he made that connection and Valka realised that they were one and the same, they came to an impasse: Valka believed so firmly in co-existence and she was so firmly on the side of segregation, being that she had seen so much hostility in the ways of mankind, the only way to protect the dragons, who she also deeply loved, was to hide them away.
Though they ultimately decided that a conflict between a mother and a son was too deep for a children’s movie, now that they have a second chance, they could try to make this concept work. It would be even more mesmerizing if they brought in Cate Blanchett for the role.
How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake is in cinemas (USA).
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