📺 Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021)

DreamWorks Animation took a bold leap into the future with Dragons: The Nine Realms, a CG-animated series that transports the beloved franchise 1,300 years beyond the events of the film trilogy. Set in the modern day, the story begins when a massive comet-borne fissure opens up, leading a group of misfit kids to discover that dragons never truly vanished—they have been thriving in a vast subterranean world hidden beneath the Earth’s surface. The series introduces a new generation of dragon riders, led by Tom Kullersen (voiced by Jeremy Shada), who bonds with a Night Light dragon, a direct descendant of Toothless.

As a spin-off, the show deliberately distances itself from the Viking-era setting of Berk, trading longships for a high-tech research station run by the parents of the young protagonists. This contemporary framing allowed the series to explore themes of scientific discovery clashing with mythical wonder, as the kids secretly train and protect the dragons from the adults' prying, and often dangerous, experiments. The voice cast features a mix of fresh talent and franchise veterans, with Julia Stiles returning in a new role as Olivia Kullersen, Tom’s mother and the head of the research project.

Despite its ambitious premise and an eight-season run that concluded in 2023, Dragons: The Nine Realms faced a challenging reception. While younger audiences found an accessible entry point into the dragon-riding fantasy, longtime fans of the original films and the preceding series, Race to the Edge, were more critical. Common points of contention included the simplified, lower-budget animation style compared to the cinematic features, and a narrative that many felt lacked the emotional depth and high-stakes adventure that defined Hiccup and Toothless’s journey. The show ultimately carved out its own niche, focusing on episodic adventures and the gradual expansion of its hidden dragon realms.