Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2019 by IcelandicEel
This video of over a hundred dragon fans from Berk's Grapevine and beyond saying "dragons" is dedicated to the Dragon creators who contributed to the world of How to Train Your Dragon.
Thank you for all of your creativity, hard work, and for the many years of dragons!
We dragon fans are a diverse bunch!
We're from all around the world and speak dozens of langauges.
We all kinds of amazing character and dragon outfits.
Some of us have seen The Hidden World more times than we can count!
We read the books, watch the films and shows, have posters, graphic novels, action figures, stuffed dragons, and more,
And we all love and appreciate How to Train Your Dragon!
Did you participate in the video?
Can you spot your friends?
The amount of work everyone put into their submissions is crazy!
Don't forget to rewatch and pause to spot the subtle details!
Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2019 by IcelandicEel
It's exchange day! If you are participating in Secret Odin this year and want to share your gift on Berk's Grapevine, post it in the comments for this page. But this page isn't just for Secret Odin participants: if you have kind words or gifts you want to share with another dragon fan who you've met on this site site, you're welcome to share them on this page as well!
Thanks for participating in Secret Odin, we look forward to seeing your gifts!
Posted on Sunday, February 03, 2019 by IcelandicEel
Have you seen The Hidden World yet? If you're from one of a couple lucky locations around the world — or if you're in the United States and were able to attend the early screening on February 2 — you probably have seen the film already and want to discuss the story and spoilers!
What do you think of the film? What were your favorite parts? Did you prefer Drago or Grimmel as a villain? Do you think the Light Fury is the right dragon for Toothless? What is your opinion on dragon mind control? Did you enjoy the Jónsi music? What do you think about the new dragons introduced in the film? And how would you rank The Hidden World compared to the rest of the Dragon films?
Tell us in the comments below! (No spoilers tags required — we assume everyone reading below this article has already seen the film and wants to see spoilers!)
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2019 by IcelandicEel
Five years ago, inspired by the "dragons, dragons dragons!" promo videos for Riders of Berk, we dragon fans edited together a video of all of us saying "dragons" to show how much we care about and appreciate the Dragons films, shows, and shorts, and to say thanks to the hundreds of people at DreamWorks who have contributed to the amazing universe of How to Train Your Dragon!
The video was so much more popular than we expected, with dozens of fans joining in to say "dragons" on their own or with friends, in multiple languages, and from locations all around the world! Even DreamWorks shared our dragon video on Twitter and on Facebook!
Want to participate? First, read the submission guidelines. Then, record and submit a 2-3 second video clip of yourself or a group of your friends saying dragons. The crazier your clip, the better! We encourage filming in cool locations, while doing weird things, and weearing dragon-related outfits. Also, feel free to say "dragons" in English or in any other language that you speak!
(UPDATED Submission Deadline: February 15 March 4)
If you have any questions or want to share some cool ideas for videos, leave a comment below!
What are you thinking about submitting for the dragons video?
Posted on Friday, December 28, 2018 by IcelandicEel
Secret Odin is an online secret Santa for fans of How to Train Your Dragon! Hundreds of dragon fans have signed up to exchange gifts in Secret Odins over the last seven years. Whether you're the Secretest of Odins or this is your first time participating, we'd love if you joined us. Here's how it works:
You can sign up for Secret Odin using this form. Here, you can enter in your name, usernames, and preferences for giving and receiving gifts. Your preferences and the communities you belong to will be used to pair you with other fans who share your interests in gifts and characters.
January 26-28: Receive Your Pairing
During the January 26 weekend, you will receive an assignment to another dragon fan using the email address you signed up with. Now you have until February 15 to make a gift for them!
February 15: Gift Exchange!
On February 15, everyone sends their gifts through Tumblr, Twitter, Berk's Grapevine, Discord, YouTube, or whichever online community you have in common with the person you are matched with, and you will finally find out who your Secret Odin is and what gift they have made for you!
Posted on Thursday, October 25, 2018 by IcelandicEel
During the New York Comic Con panel, DreamWorks previewed a new trailer for The Hidden World — the same trailer that was released for the first time publicly today! The focus of the How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World panel was clips, clips, and even more clips! But if you weren't there and didn't see the new clips other than the new trailer, don't worry: between the clips, there was plenty of discussion about the story of the final dragon film, as well as the production process.
Many of the clips shown at New York Comic Con were also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival panel. Fortunately, Berk's Grapevine was at TIFF as well! For a detailed discussion of those clips, see our detailed discussion of the last Dragon panel.
Finally — a Berk's Grapevine exclusive — we were lucky enough to have one-on-one discussions with Dean DeBlois, Jay Baruchel, Brad Lewis, and president of DreamWorks Feature Animation Chris DeFaria backstage after the panel. And we asked them some of the questions you submitted! We also asked them if they had a message for you, the Dragon fans, and they had some great responses. The discussions are printed in full at the end of the article.
Warning: The rest of this article contains spoilers.
"Course Correct Us When We Go Astray"
The panel started with Grae Drake, senior editor at Rotten Tomatoes and panel moderator, introducing writer and director Dean DeBlois and a couple special guests: Jay Baruchel, voice of Hiccup, and Brad Lewis, Hidden World producer.
The very first topic of discussion wasn't the film, but the fans of the film. DeBlois discusses how exciting it is to have such an active fan base. He mentions how Dragon fans are, saying that they are especially vocal and passionate, and willing to "course correct" the Dragon crew when fans believe they "go astray."
"Don't Have Anybody Walk Through Flame!"
Dean DeBlois and Brad Lewis discuss the challenges of producing a film like The Hidden World. DeBlois compares Dragon to working on films using hand-drawn animation, such as Lilo & Stitch, where detail had to be stripped away and characters simplified in order to be drawn frame-by-frame by animators.
Compared with hand-drawn animation, CGI animation allows for more complex characters, but is limited in other ways: films were limited in the number of sets, or the kinds of effects used. Water, cloud, and flame used to be hard, but things have changed. With The Hidden World, the ability to create is "boundless" compared to prior technology.
Brad Lewis discusses during the panel — and in our interview with him afterward — the benefits of using Moonray, the new renderer debuting in The Hidden World and critical for achieving the effects and monumental complexity of the new film.
Grae Drake mentions that the new technology was important in designing a new character on this film, the Light Fury, and the special ability she showcases in a clip. The clip, called "First Date," was the courtship sequence shown at TIFF between Toothless and the Light Fury, some parts of which were also shown publicly in the first and second trailers. During this clip, Toothless and the Light Fury's first significant moment together, we see for the first time the Light Fury's special ability to disappear with only her outline visible as a displacement of her background.
"Sometimes It's Hard to See Where I Stop and He Begins"
In response to the clip, Jay Baruchel discusses his long and unusual relationship with Hiccup. Having never played any character longer than he has played Hiccup, for over ten years including the films and television shows, Jay Baruchel feels especially connected to Hiccup. "Sometimes it's hard to see where I stop and he begins," Baruchel comments.
When Jay Baruchel surprised us at TIFF, he had something similar to say about Hiccup, who DeBlois described as "kind of a beta leader" who is "ahead of his time" — a personality that fits Baruchel especially well. Baruchel also revealed that he was trying to make Hiccup sound as Canadian as possible during recording. (We ask him about this and other secrets about Hiccup's personality during our discussion with him backstage — read his answers below!)
"But Wait, There's More!"
Following the Grimmel clip, there was another surprise guest — the voice of Grimmel himself (and Academy Award winning actor for his role in Amadeus) F. Murray Abraham! Pandering to his New York audience, Abraham walked on stage waving a Yankees jacket.
A fan shouts, "Amadeus was awesome!"
"How to Train Your Dragon is better!" he shouts back.
F. Murray Abraham repeatedly tells us how incredible it was working on How to Train Your Dragon. DeBlois says that, though Abraham and Baruchel have very different acting styles, they are both "self directing" — they can read through a script and correct lines to make sure they sound correct. And for The Hidden World, F. Murray Abraham played a critical role in crafting the character of Grimmel, editing lines and repeating takes until they can "get it right!"
"The Ancestral Home of All Dragons"
Dean DeBlois discusses the process of recording the lines for the film, and the challenges of mostly recording each individual actor separately, where he has the job of playing the other characters during recording sessions. "There are three whole other movies out there with Dean doing all the characters voices, which maybe one day you'll get to experience!" Jay Baruchel jokes.
Grae Drake asks Dean DeBlois about the meaning of the title.
"Now let's talk about the title of this film."
"The title is The Hidden World—"
"Thank you, I had forgotten, I was just asking for you to remind me."
"The Hidden World," DeBlois says, "speaks to an old mariners' myth about a secret land at the edge of the world where dragons live completely out of reach. Those sailers that got too close to it went off the edge of a great waterfall, never to be seen again. But it's rumored to be the ancestral home of all dragons."
Pressure building on Berk, Hiccup remembers what his father told him about the hidden world and decides that it's worth trying to find. Perhaps, he reasons, the hidden world could be a place where dragons and humans are able to live together away from Grimmel and any other enemies who may want to harm Berk or their dragons in the future.
"You Feel Like You're Standing in a Magical Place"
"There are 300 people who have been working on this movie for the last three or four years," Brad Lewis reminds us after showing us the beautiful fourth clip, "and they're top of their game, right here with us." F. Murray Abraham seemed to particularly enjoy the previous clip, standing and facing away from the audience and toward the screen so he could watch it with us.
Asked when he first knew when The Hidden World would turn out to be so beautiful, Brad Lewis says he knew from the start! "The greatest challenge you have as a production designer is to invent a mythical word that doesn't exist," Lewis tells us. "You feel like you're standing in a magical place," surrounded by concept art and ideas that bring a sense of realism and plausibility to the fantastical world of The Hidden World and truly bring the universe to life.
"Effort Sounds"
There's going to be a lot of action in The Hidden World, and that can be a challenge for actors to communicate through their voice alone. Jay Baruchel comments that he's always moving about, which often involves shouting and grunting he calls "effort sounds."
"Sometimes you have to jump about to get the proper sound to come out of you!"
Jay Baruchel demonstrates. Laughing along with the effort sounds, F. Murray Abraham says that this is not easy, and Baruchel is very good at what he does. But as far as his strategy for communicating action, he teases: "What I do is a big secret and I'm not going to tell you."
Dean DeBlois tells us how he grew up as a "Star Wars kid" who wrote his own stories and drew Star Wars art, and never believed he would have been in the position of creating his own trilogy of beloved films someday. He talks about the importance of developing a series of films with "quality and integrity" that stand on their own, but also tell a broader story together. The goal, DeBlois says, is to give Dragon films with "a period" at the end and not to "let it carry on and on, losing its sense of purpose."
Talking with the Creators
After the panel, we were very lucky to be able to go backstage and talk with some of the cast and crew of the film! Thank you to everyone who submitted a question for the participants of the New York Comic Con panel! We asked some of your questions during our discussions with Dean DeBlois, Jay Baruchel, Chris DeFaria, and Brad Lewis. Our discussions with them, lightly edited for clarity, are below!
Interview: Dean DeBlois (Writer and Director)
Hi, we're from Berk's Grapevine, it's great to meet you!
Hi, it's nice to meet you! I've been checking your site for many years, it's kind of the pulse of whether fans are happy or angry with us! I heard from one of your cohort that you were at TIFF, but we didn't get to meet you.
Yes! TIFF was a lot of fun, and now we've seen the full collection of clips — except Annecy.
Well, actually, the only one we didn't show in Toronto that we showed in Annecy is the opening one here. So you've seen them all! You've seen everything that we've shown so far! And hopefully we won't show any more. Because I'm particularly aware of the spoilery nature involved.
So when you're in charge of building this massive universe, where the films are the backbone, is it a challenge to pull together all the different story threads of the TV show and the graphic novel?
Well, it may be sloppy writing on my part, but I don't go too deeply into the territory of the series, or even the graphic novels in terms of including them as story material of the trilogy. That's in part because, on the heels of the original How to Train Your Dragon when they said they wanted to make another movie, I said "Let's do a trilogy. Three parts, one story: Hiccup's coming of age. And each will be a standalone movie." I had mapped out what each of those installments would be then, even before we had a TV series, with plenty of story material to explore without bringing in other characters and storylines.
And yet, the whole universe is so cohesive, right? Everything kind of fits together.
Right, and that was deliberate on our part. I would get together with the showrunners of the TV show every few months and we would get dinner, and they would talk about what they're doing. I'd talk about what I was doing. And just make sure that we wouldn't be stepping on one another's toes. And that we were consistent about relationships and world explored and new dragons. We wanted it to all feel like it was part of one universe that didn't contradict one another.
We've really enjoyed seeing a bit behind the scenes of the film based on what you — and recently John Powell — have shared online. Where are you now in film production, and what is it like to score the film?
It's amazing. I love working with animators, and it's inspiring. But because I'm not a musician myself, it's fantastic to step into John's world. We've become so accustomed to the temporary score that we have on the movie as it's sort of built up over the years, that it's like a new paint job. It kind of comes in and elevates the storytelling. And it makes — it's kind of magical. Because I don't really play music, I don't understand it. It feels like magic to me. It transcends dialogue, it transcends description, it just touches you in your heart. And that's amazing. So on Friday, we're leaving for London and we'll be recording the score that he's been steadily writing over the past month — at Abbey Road studios for the next few weeks.
And off to Skywalker ranch for the mix. We'll do that for most of November. And by the end of November, the movie will be done.
Do you have a message for all the fans, who are excited about the new films and eagerly looking for new details about it?
Yeah! Because I'm a fan of other franchises myself, I know what it's like to want to know more, and yet hate yourself afterward for digging so deep and spoiling it for yourself. So I would say, if you're a fan who's worried about spoilers, maybe steer clear of social media for the next couple of months. Because I know the nature of marketing. They keep wanting to put stuff out there, and there are so many surprises within the movie that I would personally not want to know.
But thank you to the fans for being so dedicated and being such a passionate fan base! It's really meaningful to us. It gives us such a boost of support and encouragement. We love all the effort you put into it, and we love your love for the characters. It gives reason to all of this. It's super fun to make movies and work in animation, but when you know that it's so well received and that people truly care about it, it goes up another level. It's not something I ever anticipated, but it really warms my heart that people do connect so deeply.
Thank you so much for talking with us!
Hey, I really appreciate it! Thanks for Berk's Grapevine!
Interview: Jay Baruchel (Voice of Hiccup)
At TIFF, we heard Hiccup is secretly Canadian. As the Hiccup expert, are there any other secret details about him you can share with the fans?
Yeah, well. He swears a lot in the booth when we're recording! So there's probably a whole bunch of really offensive audio of me saying the F-word or something.
And to this day, including today, since the very second or third recording session on the first movie, they always get me McDonalds. And so every time I have to record, there's always McDonalds waiting for me, whether I'm in LA, Toronto, Montreal, or wherever. And I got here today this morning off a plane from Toronto and there's a bunch of McDonalds breakfast waiting for me. So Hiccup eats a lot of crappy food!
After playing Hiccup in the movies, TV shows, and shots, what part do you most enjoy recording — the action, the comedy, the drama ... the grunting?
Oh, the effort sounds? Yeah, the effort sounds would be the answer!
No, no. Definitely not.
It's weird. Usually I like doing drama more than the funny stuff in general. But in this character, if I can make him [Dean DeBlois] laugh, that's my goal. I really love getting to make the character my own and he [DeBlois] really gives me the freedom to do so. So I love making jokes and trying to get Dean to corpse. And then, as a lifelong GI Joe fan who played cops and robbers as a wee one, to get on top of a dragon and yell, "Come on! forward!" All that sort of general stuff is fun too!
Do you have a message to give to the fans?
Yes! Thank you! Thank you for liking our movies, and thank you for liking them as they are and for what they are. Our fans have consistently let us know that our movies and TV shows are for them. They're uncommon movies, about uncommon characters. And they're made with a great deal of care. They're movies filled with square pegs. Nobody likes our movies hoping that they turn slicker, or something. And if feels like people like the square peggy-ness, maybe because a lot of our fans are square pegs themselves, maybe.
I think both of us are!
Yeah, that makes three of us here! That was a big one for me after the first movie. I wished this movie had existed when I was a kid. I could have definitely used being able to see it. Because if you're different than the average, if you're wired differently than the average kid at your school, then it can be kind of weird sometimes. It's nice to have three movies that celebrate that. And I want to thank everybody for being on the adventure with us!
Interview: Chris DeFaria (Director of Feature Films)
We love how much DreamWorks connects with fans, and shares with us the behind-the-scenes experience of making films. How much of that will we see in the future, and what was the idea behind Dragon in getting the fans involved?
There are a couple bits to your question. In terms of our fans, the relationship we have with our fans is the most relationship we have, clearly. It's not just with our movies and our fans, it's with DreamWorks and our fans. So we continue today — both in our formal way — to have lots of programs to bring kids and students and aspiring animators in behind the scenes.
And we also have a social media presence, which is going to really amp up as we get to the release of this film to bring you back and show you what we're so proud of, which is an incredible campus, incredible technology, and incredible artists. Dragons is our biggest, most important movie ever. Obviously it's going to open in a couple months, so we want our fans to know both how important they are to that, and how important they are to DreamWorks in the larger sense.
Interview: Brad Lewis (Producer)
Can you tell us more about the technological achievements behind the scenes of The Hidden World? What makes Moonray and the new technologies we're seeing so special?
You know, a lot of the glamorous stuff about our movie we talk about most obviously. We've got Dean, who's a great story writer, and we talk about romance, and crying, and all the reactions to the movie. But one really impressive thing is that these are marathons! And we've got a lot of people working in so many different aspects of the movie that we keep standing ourselves up on.
On this movie, we're debuting at DreamWorks this crazy new renderer. I think it's going to up the bar for the whole industry. We can do waist-high grasses with pollen in the air moving in the air as people are running through them. I've been around for a little while — and for a director to say, "I want Light Fury to come out of that tall grass and I want Hiccup to run toward her" — in the past we'd say, we can't do that, right? So we built our renderer for that.
If our animators can iterate like crazy and if they can do four, five, or six iterations in an hour or two on a scene, that means we get better animation. They get to see it, and they get to show it to Dean. In The Hidden World, we've taken matte painting and digimatte to a whole new level. When you see The Hidden World, I think it's really tough to see where matte painting takes over, where are our 2.5-D elements and where are our 3-D elements, and how they merge.
The rendering numbers — it starts to get boring to talk about these things — but they're off the charts! So the fact that we have a pipeline that can do that, the fact that we can now have three departments all working simultaneously on a shot? It sounds like it should have always happened, but it wasn't like that way before.
Since your work as producer of Antz (1998) until now, what has changed the most in the way that animated films are produced?
This will sound unusual, but I think that the crew believes now that they can actually do something that's going to be special. They believe that they can finish a movie. When we started on Antz — the second computer generated movie ever and the first one coming out at DreamWorks — I spent a lot of time reassuring people that, yes, it was going to be okay. In a given day, I would have twenty meetings. Every fifteen or twenty minutes, people came and said, "we can't do this." And I was like, "I think we can?" I remember toward the end I said, "I'm just so tired of 'I don't think we can do this,' and being the person saying, 'I think we can!'"
Now that the basic belief is "we can do it," the new challenge is to artistically differentiate yourself. Because if you can do anything, congratulations: now you can be artistically special and have an edge. That's our new challenge. Where before, it was what can we do? Now, if we can do almost anything, what do we want to do? Sometimes that's harder.
Do you have a message for the fans before we go? Something to say to them who have been with the franchise for the past ten years?
The fans give us as much as we give them. Without that sense of enthusiasm and emotional connection to our characters and our world, we wouldn't get up the same way every day — you know you're going to be more inspired because you know it's more important to people out there. And that's important to us. So when we feel that, that's the visceral piece of us. That's what we really hope for. So in a way, they represent our hope, they represent our aspiration. And that's what we get from them. And so I love them for it.
Thank you to Dean DeBlois, Jay Baruchel, Chris DeFaria, and Brad Lewis for their insightful answers about The Hidden World and the filmmaking process! And many thanks to the wonderful people at DreamWorks and Universal for organizing this event and for allowing us to share this incredible experience with you!
As the pulse of the Dragons fandom, what do you think about the New York Comic Con panel, our discussions with the cast and crew of The Hidden World and the newly released trailer from NYCC that premiered today? What are you most looking forward to about The Hidden World?
Posted on Friday, October 12, 2018 by IcelandicEel
At the end of Dragonvine, Bayana befriends and teams up with the two newborn Silkspanner dragons that were found earlier by Hiccup, Astrid, and Gobber. But unlike most of the dragon companions in the Dragon universe, these two hatchlings don't yet have a name!
What do you think Bayana should name his two Silkspanners?
Now is your chance to make your mark on the Dragon world by helping Richard Hamilton, author of Dragonvine, to name these two dragons! If you have some dragon name ideas — whether they are cute, interesting, unusual, or hilarious — don't keep your name ideas a secret!
Share your dragons names with us, and we'll pass the names along to Richard Hamilton to make a final Silkspanner naming decision. And if your dragon name is cool enough, maybe you will be able to tell your friends that you named a How to Train Your Dragon dragon!
Multiple submissions are encouraged, so send all the names! Even the ones you think are boring or silly. (But please keep in mind that we have already submitted Silky McSilkface.)
What dragon names did you submit? Share them in the comments!
Two weeks ago, you submitted questions for Michael Goldstrom, voice actor of Trader Johann in DreamWorks Dragons. In his interview on Dragon Academy Dropouts, Michael Goldstrom answers your questions, tells about his experiences at DreamWorks, and reveals:
When he found out he was playing a villain?
What is his favorite dragon of all time?
Is he as long-winded as his character?
What Trader Johann fan stories you should write?
Would he rather have Hiccup's flight suit, or Hiccup's fire sword?
And many more answers to questions you asked!
While listening, check out a gallery of Michael Goldstrom recording at DreamWorks for Riders of Berk, Defenders of Berk and Race to the Edge including some faces you might be familiar with!
Thanks for submitting questions, and to Michael Goldstrom for answering them!
Posted on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 by IcelandicEel
It's exchange day! If you are participating in Secret Odin this year and want to share your gift on Berk's Grapevine, post it in the comments for this page. But this page isn't just for Secret Odin participants: if you have kind words or gifts you want to share with another dragon fan who you've met on this site site, you're welcome to share them on this page as well!
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2018 by IcelandicEel
We expected character development in the television series, but no one expected so much from Trader Johann. At the start of the series, few people knew of the young, low-level trader named Johann. Yet, by the final season, Trader Johann nearly conquered Berk and with it entire archipelago alongside it and was the villainous force that drove the story toward How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Certainly, you must have questions about the mysterious trader. Who wouldn't? And now, you have the opportunity to ask Johann voice actor and expert, Michael Goldstrom! Along with his wide range of voice and screen work, Michael Goldstrom has been the voice of Trader Johann for the last six years — ever since his original appearance in Riders of Berk in 2012!
We're looking forward to hearing your questions for Michael Goldstrom about his role as Trader Johann and what it's like to be a voice actor in the DreamWorks Dragons television show!
Posted on Tuesday, February 13, 2018 by IcelandicEel
Race to the Edge is coming out on Friday on Netflix, but it sounds like DreamWorks has something extra planned for us tomorrow, on Valentine's Day:
Dragon riders! Tune in to Facebook Live this Wednesday at 4:30 PM PT as we celebrate Valentine's Day and the all new season of Dragons: Race to the Edge coming to Netflix this Friday! Select fans will have the chance to receive a custom Valentine's Day card created by our special guests! See you there!
Will we see the first episode of the new season? Will Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera show up in a live motion capture scene as Hiccup and Astrid to give away dragon swag? We'll find out tomorrow!
Posted on Sunday, January 21, 2018 by IcelandicEel
Secret Odin is an online secret Santa for fans of How to Train Your Dragon! Hundreds of dragon fans have signed up to exchange gifts in Secret Odins over the last six years. Whether you're the Secretest of Odins or this is your first time participating, we'd love if you joined us. Here's how it works:
You can sign up for Secret Odin using this form. Here, you can enter in your name, usernames, and preferences for giving and receiving gifts. Your preferences and the communities you belong to will be used to pair you with other fans who share your interests in gifts and characters.
February 10-12: Receive Your Pairing
During the February 10 weekend, you will receive an assignment to another dragon fan using the email address you signed up with. Now you have until February 20 to make a gift for them!
February 28: Gift Exchange!
On February 28, everyone sends their gifts through Tumblr, Twitter, Berk's Grapevine, or whichever online community you have in common with the person you are matched with, and you will finally find out who your Secret Odin is and what gift they have made for you!
Note: The exchange day date has been moved forward from February 23 to February 28!
Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2017 by IcelandicEel
The last season of Race to the Edge brought fun new moments and character
development for each of the riders, but perhaps none as many as for Snotlout. To
get an insider glimpse into the mind of Snotlout (a.k.a., the Snotmind), we
talked with Zack Pearlman, Snotlout's voice actor in Race to the Edge,
and shared with him some of your questions:
This season, and across the show, there have been a lot of hilarious moments
for Snotlout. What is your personal favorite Snotlout moment, either this season
or across the show?
When Fishlegs turns into Thor Bonecrusher. That, to me, is the best, because you
get to watch Snotlout be a fanboy. It's such a flip for Snotlout to be impressed
by someone and not have to fake it. For me, those are the best moments. You get
to see a part of Snotlout where he's like a little kid who's so impressed by
another person.
How about you? What's your favorite?
I love the Thor Bonecrusher moments, and I think in this season Snotlout has
a lot of fun moments with Dagur. What was that like? How did the relationship
with Dagur show us a different side of Snotlout?
Snotlout is usually the toughest and meanest, so any time he's put in his place
or scared, that's the best. You get to see this other side of Snotlout. Any time
he fumbles and someone picks it up, he immediately feels like an idiot. You get
to see the bully be bullied, and that's always fun, and I love that.
A lot of characters from day one on the Edge have changed a lot. In some
ways, Snotlout hasn't. But in other ways, he has. In what ways do you think Snotlout has
changed the most?
I would say, especially in this season, he gets bullied. That's new for him.
He's starting to become the butt of jokes. And he doesn't know how to deal with
it, really. I love to see that change in Snotlout where he doesn't have an
answer for everything immediately. I love to see his sympathetic side and his
more empathetic side.
As these characters are growing up, they start to understand that life isn't the
fun game that is was, and there are real consequences for your actions.
Snotlout is a guy who holds himself at such a high rank. Any time he gets
knocked down, you get to peel back a layer and see a more real human rather than
the kind of god he portrays himself to be.
Do you think that, as the show progresses, we deal with more tricky
situations and challenging problems that start to push at the riders? How is
Snotlout most pushed by these challenges?
Snotlout has to understand that he can't just do stuff alone. He really needs to
rely on the other riders to succeed. I also think there's a lot of
trust-breaking in this season. Relationships change really quickly, especially
in this season. So it's a moment of understanding that humans can lie, and
humans can be deceitful. Snotlout, as much as he's kind of a mean guy, he
usually wants what's best — he wants the credit for it — but he
wants what's best for the group. And so, for him to start to face things that
aren't necessarily best for the group, or things he can't handle on his own, you
start to see a more real side of this person.
Are there parts of Snotlout that you see in yourself? And what parts do you
not?
I am not a bully, I don't have any bullying bones in my body. I do see a little
bit of the Snotlout in me that victimizes himself when he doesn't need to. I see
the part of Snotlout that is a little bit louder than he needs to be. And I also
see the empathetic side of him, when he recognizes he doesn't need to be the
loudest or the most in-front or present. You also get to see that side a lot in
that season.
When you're trying to bring a character to life as a voice actor, what is the
most challenging part — either in general or specifically to Snotlout?
I will say this. It's been so long that I've gotten to be with Snotlout that it
takes just one line for me to jump back in. Which is scary, to say the least!
There's a famous story about Mel Blanc. He was Bugs Bunny, and pretty much all
of those Warner Brothers characters. He went into a coma and they didn't know
how to get him out. So his son and a doctor acted like they were in a recording
session, and were like, "Is Bugs Bunny there?" And while he was in the coma, he
would just start speaking as Bugs Bunny, and eventually, he woke up!
I feel like if I were ever in a coma, all someone would need to do is go,
"Snoutlout!" and I would start talking like him!
Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi!
Exactly! A little bit of Snotlout could save my life!
What is the strangest or most fun moment you had recording Snotlout?
I think this was maybe two seasons ago. When Snotlout had to be drunk, and
woozy, and completely out of character. That, to me, was one of the most fun
times. There was also an episode where his tongue gets puffed up.
…anb he gepts to talbk lik thibs all the timbe…
That was also a great time. Any time where he does a full 180 in terms of
characters is, for me, the best. Because we get to explore a side of him that I
don't necessarily get to jump into. It's like the writers and I are meeting this
part of Snotlout for the first time, so a lot of it ends up being organic or
improvised.
Did you have a chance to have a record with other actors?
It's so rare to be able to record with other people because everyone's bouncing
around. But I've gotten to record with TJ Miller (Tuffnut) and Andree Vermeulen
(Ruffnut) and both are incredible improvisers and so fun to bounce off of.
Tuffnut and Ruffnut especially, when I get to watch them record together, it's
pretty insane.
You've voiced Snotlout for a long time and seen these characters grow up
between Riders and Defenders and Race to the Edge. Is there a difference in how
you think of Snotlout in these two different parts of the series?
I think with Snotlout, he can't be the biggest guy anymore. He can't be the
toughest and meanest because everyone else is growing up too. And everyone is
coming into their own and has their own abilities and special skills, especially
that we've been riding dragons for so long, that he can be still boisterous, but
he gets put in his place and recognizes that he can't just be the bully kid that
he used to be able to.
Also, everyone knows about him and his dad, and his brothers, and how he's the
lowest on that totem pole, which explains all the bullying this season. It's
been cool to be part of the character growth where I can't just be a
freewheeling kid anymore. He has responsibilities now, and you definitely get to
play into that.
What do you think of the relationship between Snotlout and Gustav?
Gustav! What's funny is it started as a mentorship, then quickly became Gustav
might have been better than Snotlout. And then you get to see almost a rivalry
and get to see Snotlout realize how he was when he was a kid, and how mean he
was. So it's self-reflective, if anything. He gets to look at a mirror five
years in the past.
Going back to voice acting, there are a lot of people here interested in
animation or the voice acting side of the TV series. Do you have advice for
people interested in voice acting on a show like this?
You need to start to actively put it out there that it's what you want to do.
The only way to work toward anything is to be proactive in your own life.
Whether that means constantly posting on — what's that site called, DeviantArt?
I don't know what that site is. Or just finding people in your community.
For voice acting, the biggest thing you can do is watch as many cartoons as you
can. I'm a kid who grew up on cartoons. I was watching Ren & Stimpy
when I was way too young to watch Ren & Stimpy. And
Rocko's! And I would imitate those voices. When I got a chance to
audition, I realized pretty quickly that this opportunity had less to do with
me, and more to do with the character.
I would say maybe that's my advice. Recognize that any opportunity you get,
you're trying to be a character. You're trying to project yourself as that
character. And if someone doesn't want it, that doesn't mean you did a bad job
or you failed, it just means that wasn't what they were looking for.
So keep working! And keep trying! Because this business is hard and
weird. And there are no promises. For me, this was my first voice
audition.
Wow, really?
Yeah! Which has been an incredible journey. Since my first voice audition, I've
gotten to be the same guy for six years! Which is pretty nuts! You know, this is
the anomaly. This is a crazy thing that doesn't happen to everyone. So recognize
the process, and as long as you keep working — even if you're doing voices
and sending them out to YouTube animators who need help — be involved in
the community you want, as you can.
Here's something we're all curious about: What exactly did Snotlout say to
Astrid this season in "Snotlout's Angels"?
Oh boy, my guess would be something about Hiccup's leg. I would say it had less
to do with her, and more to do with who she likes. I think she can take any amount
of BS from Snotlout, but I think he really knows how to push her
buttons — and that's with Hiccup!
Thanks a lot for talking with us! We're huge fans of the show, and of
Snotlout! And we can't wait to see what will happen in the next season!
Yeah, it's going to be crazy! Thanks for watching, and…
Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi!
Thanks again to Zack Pearlman for talking about about his experiences on the
show, showing us the mind behind the dragon rider, and giving Berk's Grapevine
the honor of receiving an oi, oi, oi!
Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2017 by IcelandicEel
The Serpent's Heir, the graphic novel written by Dean DeBlois and Richard Hamilton, will be available on February 28 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! The graphic novel will pick up almost immediately after How to Train Your Dragon 2 and follows Hiccup's first challenge as chief of Berk.
Interview with Richard Hamilton
Are you interested in what will happen in The Serpent's Heir, about the process of writing a graphic novel, or what future stories are planned for Hiccup and the others? We have an amazing opportunity to interview Richard Hamilton, and you have a chance to ask him your own questions!
In addition to writing The Serpent's Heir with Dean DeBlois, Richard Hamilton wrote To Berk and Beyond (read our interview with him) and is a writer for Race to the Edge. He's a key creator and and expert in all things How to Train Your Dragon, so definitely take advantage of this opportunity!
If you have a question you would like to submit, write it in the comments. Or, upvote the comments of questions for which you would like to hear the answer. Please try to submit your questions soon so they can be included!
Question Submission Deadline
The Serpent's Heir Events
Several big dragon events will be happening on Saturday, March 4, including many that will be streamed live and where you can ask questions and participate! All times listed below are Pacific Time (UTC-8):
12:00pm – 12:45pm — Richard Hamilton signing at Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle, WA at the Dark Horse booth (#1708).
4:45pm - 5:00pm — Richard Hamilton panel appearance on Emerald City Comic-Con Twitch Livestream. This is a live broadcast that fans will be able to watch, even if they can't physically attend the convention.
2:05pm – 2:20pm — Richard Hamilton panel appearance on ECCC Twitch Livestream, another live broadcast panel where dragon fans will be able to watch and even ask questions!
As we get closer to March 4, we'll share more information and the links to access these events online!
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2017 by IcelandicEel
Update: Even more clips have been released! Watch them below!
The fourth season of Race to the Edge will be released this Friday at 12 a.m. PT. Want to watch all 13 episodes back-to-back? Want to chat with other sleep-deprived dragon fans while you do so? If so, join the Berk's Grapevine dragon chat Toothl.es! Here's when Berkathon 4.0 will begin:
If you were at Berkathon 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0, you know what approximately 5 hours of dragon episodes feels like. The episode names and times will be updated when the episodes are released, but the schedule is designed so that you shouldn't have to do anything: except for pausing for breaks, just sit back and let Netflix autoplay keep you on track.
Title
h:mm:ss
— 5 Minute Break After Release —
40. Defenders of the Wing, Part 2
~22:30
41. Gruff Around the Edges
~22:30
42. Midnight Skum
~22:30
43. Not Lout
~22:30
— 10 Minute Break —
44. Saving Shattermaster
~22:30
45. Dire Straits
~22:30
46. The Longest Day
~22:30
47. Gold Rush
~22:30
48. Out of the Frying Pan
~22:30
— 10 Minute Break —
49. Twintuition
~22:30
50. Blindsided
~22:30
51. Shell Shocked: Part 1
~22:30
52. Shell Shocked: Part 2
~22:30
~5:17:30
You're welcome to join Toothl.es at any point during the 5 hour period, whether you decide to stay awake the whole time or jump in during the middle. Just ask Toothless, our lovely dragon bot, for the episode we're watching and the time ("Toothless, time?") so you can sync up. Don't forget to tag your spoilers [using brackets] for fans who haven't caught up to you!
Even More Race to the Edge Clips
If you haven't started the season yet, or if you have started but want a hint of what's to come, DreamWorks has released a set of new (spoiler-free) clips and trailers for the show. Watch them below:
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2017 by IcelandicEel
DreamWorks Animation has invited you, Berk's Grapevine readers, to participate in a special mystery video project for the upcoming season of Race to the Edge!
Attention Los Angeles Area Dragons: Race to the Edge Fans! You have an opportunity to participate in a project for the upcoming Dragons: Race to the Edge Season 4 debut (February 17, on Netflix). If you're willing to be on-camera for a video that will be released on Facebook and Twitter, then submit your first name ONLY, age, and city/town to [email protected]. All ages are welcome, but if you're under 18 years of age, you'll need a parent or legal guardian with you! Space is limited. Email for more details!
DreamWorks is looking for 10-20 fans to take part in the project, and spots may fill up quickly. We highly recommend participating if you are around the Los Angeles area next week, but make sure to send in your information as soon as possible!
Posted on Friday, December 30, 2016 by IcelandicEel
It's exchange day! If you are participating in Secret Odin this year and want to share your gift on Berk's Grapevine, post it in the comments for this page. But this page isn't just for Secret Odin participants: if you have kind words or gifts you want to share with another dragon fan who you've met on this site site, you're welcome to share them on this page as well!
We look forward to seeing your gifts! See you next year!
Posted on Thursday, December 01, 2016 by IcelandicEel
Secret Odin is an online secret Santa for fans of How to Train Your Dragon! Hundreds of dragon fans have signed up to exchange gifts in Secret Odins over the last five years. Whether you're the Secretest of Odins or this is your first time participating, we'd love it if you joined us. Here's how it works:
You can sign up for Secret Odin using this form. Here, you can enter in your name, usernames, and preferences for giving and receiving gifts. Your preferences and the communities you belong to will be used to pair you with other fans who share your interests in gifts and characters.
December 11-12: Receive Your Pairing
On the weekend of December 11, you will receive an assignment to another dragon fan using the email address you signed up with. Now you have until December 30 to make a gift for them!
December 30: Gift Exchange!
On December 30, everyone sends their gifts through Tumblr, Twitter, Berk's Grapevine, or whichever online community you have in common with the person you are matched with, and you will finally find out who your Secret Odin is and what gift they have made for you!
Posted on Friday, November 25, 2016 by IcelandicEel
If you don't have any of WeLoveFine's shirts, leggings, or dragon mugs, this is the time to check them out! During Nov. 25 – Nov. 28 (Black Friday to Cyber Monday), WeLoveFine is having a 15% sale on all dragon (and non-dragon) gear and a 25% sale for purchases above $100. Now that's a lot of dragon — but if anyone is up to it, it'll be you!
Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 by IcelandicEel
The third season of Race to the Edge will be released this Friday at 12 a.m. PT. Want to watch all 13 episodes back-to-back? Want to chat with other sleep-deprived dragon fans while you do so? If so, join the Berk's Grapevine dragon chat Toothl.es! Here's when Berkathon 3.0 will begin:
If you were at Berkathon 2.0, you know what approximately 5 hours of dragon episodes feels like. The episode names and times are not yet know, but the schedule will be designed so that you shouldn't have to do anything: except for pausing for breaks, just sit back and let Netflix autoplay keep you on track.
Title
h:mm:ss
— 5 Minute Break After Release —
27. Enemy of My Enemy
~22:30
28. Crash Course
~22:30
29. Follow the Leader
~22:30
30. Turn and Burn
~22:30
— 10 Minute Break —
31. Buffalord Soldier
~22:30
32. A Grim Retreat
~22:30
33. To Heather or Not to Heather
~22:30
34. Styke Out
~22:30
35. Tone Death
~22:30
— 10 Minute Break —
36. Between a Rock and a Hard Place
~22:30
37. Family on the Edge
~22:30
38. Last Auction Heroes
~22:30
39. Defenders of the Wing, Part 1
~22:30
~5:17:30
Check back later for an updated schedule!
You're welcome to join Toothl.es at any point during the 5 hour period, whether you decide to stay awake the whole time or jump in during the middle. Just ask Toothless, our lovely dragon bot, for the episode we're watching and the time ("Toothless, time?") so you can sync up.
Above: Hiccup and Toothless help the dragon riders escape from the Cavern Crasher's fiery lair in Season 3 of Dragons: Race to the Edge, coming to Netflix June 24th.
