How To Train Your Dragon

Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon film franchise is about to join the recent trend of live action / computer graphic remakes of hit animated films (i.e. Snow White). Its official trailer, released in February, uses nearly every sound we’d expect from the trailer music repertoire, including massive drum accents, industrial droning synths, pulsing orchestral strings, sombre high register piano, and wordless choir - it’s all here (as well as the full plotline).

The trailer begins with a 5-second microteaser in which we see the title card surrounded by dragons in flight, accompanied by detuning synthesizers, quick rhythms from the violins, and trailer triplets on big reverberant drums.

We hear a piano chord and a low humming synth bass to accompany the production companies’ logos on screen at 0:06. Then at 0:11, the main character’s father, Chief Stoick (Gerard Butler), begins a voiceover explaining the animosity between Vikings and dragons. From 0:20-0:30, the sounds of the intense combat and fire-breathing dragons that we see on-screen are muffled nearly completely, replaced instead with layers of droning electronic tones and slow chords in the piano’s upper register. This sonic choice leaves space for the voiceover, and gives the music room to grow.

At 0:43 we see Stoick’s son, our protagonist Hiccup (Mason Thames), raising his dagger over the head of a captive dragon. There is a rising tone in the background as he shouts, “I’m a Viking!” then we cut to silence. Hiccup chooses instead to release the dragon (Toothless) from his bonds, and as Toothless jumps up, at 0:50 there is a rush of drums, which quickly fade to leave space for a moment of connection at 1:01 when Hiccup touches Toothless’ nose. Layers of instrumentation here build in volume and intensity towards this moment of contact.

This connection is a turning point in the story, and with it, the music is unleashed, no longer subdued, as a series of massive orchestral chords arrives at 1:05. Four measures into this series of big chords, at 1:20 we have a nice synch point edited to sound as if the Viking armies are beating their axes against their shields and shouting in time with the music (in triplets, of course). In reaction to Hiccup refusing to fight a dragon in the Viking arena, Chief Stoick is feeling the groove again at 1:39 as he bangs his axe down in time with the music and shouts, “Stop!”. The music obediently stops, of course (he is the chief).

Now after an active and exhilarating middle third of the trailer, the mood shifts at 1:40. Hiccup is consoled by his friend Astrid (Nico Parker) on a scenic hillside, serenaded by a soundtrack of lush strings and solo cello melody. At 1:48 the trailer triplets are back, here synched to the sound of striking hammers as we cut to shots of Hiccup in the workshop.

From 1:53 onwards we pivot to upbeat and hopeful pulsing strings and chords from the brass section. The energy they bring supports the action on screen, and mimics the rush of wind from all the flying dragons. A wordless choir adds some extra magical excitement for the title card at 2:15. Music cuts at 2:20 to leave space for a humourous turn phrase, but the final chord surges back as the tiny dragon surges for the head of the wisecracking Viking teen who made the joke.

No cover song here, but effective trailer scoring according to tradition. How To Train Your Dragon is in theatres June 13.

— Jack Hui Litster