📺 Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019)
Based on book
Dragons: Rescue Riders is a charming animated series that expands the How to Train Your Dragon universe in a fresh direction, focusing on human twins Dak and Leyla who were raised by dragons and possess the unique ability to communicate with them. The show premiered on Netflix in September 2019 and later moved to Peacock, running for six seasons and several specials through 2022. Unlike the main film trilogy which follows Hiccup and Toothless, Rescue Riders centers on the island of Huttsgalor, where the twins and their dragon companions—Winger, Summer, Burple, Aggro, and Cutter—help both dragons and humans coexist.
The series is based on the How to Train Your Dragon book series by Cressida Cowell, first published in 2003. While the books and films share the same core premise of Vikings and dragons learning to live together, Rescue Riders takes significant creative liberties, introducing entirely new characters and a lighter, more comedic tone aimed at younger audiences. The concept of direct dragon-human communication, a central element of the show, is a departure from the films where dragons are largely non-verbal, bringing the series closer in spirit to the books where Hiccup learns to speak Dragonese.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation Television, Rescue Riders features a talented voice cast including Nicolas Cantu as Dak, Brennley Brown as Leyla, and a roster of dragons voiced by Zach Callison, Skai Jackson, Marsai Martin, and others. The show was developed alongside other DreamWorks projects and was part of the studio's strategy to build out the franchise on streaming platforms. Its move from Netflix to Peacock in 2021 reflected the shifting landscape of children's programming and NBCUniversal's desire to consolidate its animated properties on its own service.
How to Train Your Dragon is a series of twelve children's books written by British author Cressida Cowell. Set in a fictional Viking world, the books chronicle the coming-of-age adventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, a young Viking who is not your typical hero. Rather than being naturally strong or fierce, Hiccup relies on his intellect, empathy, and ability to speak the dragon language Dragonese to overcome challenges. The series begins with Hiccup and other boys from the Hairy Hooligan tribe capturing and training their own dragons as a rite of passage, leading him to bond with a small, stubborn dragon named Toothless.
The first book was published in 2003 by Hodder Children's Books in the United Kingdom, with Little, Brown and Company handling the American editions. Cowell both wrote and illustrated the novels, filling them with her distinctive, energetic drawings. The series concluded in 2015 with the twelfth and final installment. The books are notable for their unique blend of humor, heart, and adventure, as well as their deeper themes of growing up, the loss of innocence, and the complex relationship between humans and nature.
By the time the series was complete, it had sold over seven million copies worldwide and had been translated into numerous languages. The books' popularity established them as a modern classic of children's literature, praised for their clever subversion of traditional heroic tropes and their poignant, bittersweet conclusion that sees the dragons eventually leave the human world.
