Here’s an exclusive, fun look behind the scenes of Dean DeBlois’ live-action How to Train Your Dragon, showcasing the stuntwork and visual artistry that went into bringing a beloved animated franchise into the real world.

io9 presents a clip from How to Train Your Dragon‘s home release that takes us to Viking training camp. Watch as stars including Mason Thames (The Black Phone) and Nico Parker (The Last of Us) get the hang of dragon riding on their mechanical bull-like dragon stand-ins. There’s lots of high-flying action and padded pratfalls.

Through the use of practical stunt work and visual effects, the cast members were able to create thrilling moments that truly brought Berk and the world of dragons to life. It’s neat to see creatives dig into the work that went into making the epic moments, from Toothless’s first flight to the shores of Viking battles with large armies. And there were so many real people as part of the shoot, which is such a relief to see when background actors tend to get copy/pasted to give movies a larger scope.

The fantasy genre has gotten an upgrade with a live action that gets a universe with dragons right. Seeing how the Viking versus dragons battles were taken from the animated film and made real is an amazing feat of filmmaking. And as no stranger to action, Gerard Butler brings his brawn into the family adventure. Between the tech and the animators getting to put their all into the craft, it makes every fight ring true. It makes us all the more excited to see the franchise continue to grow toward the even bigger worlds of Berk beyond Hiccup and Toothless’ first adventure.

How to Train Your Dragon will hit digital platforms on July 15 and hits physical platforms on August 12.

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