Movies Like How to Train Your Dragon for Creature-Bond Adventures
Animated adventures where quiet outcasts bond with wild creatures and soar past expectations.
Animated adventures where quiet outcasts bond with wild creatures and soar past expectations.
Best first watch
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
90% fit107 min · IMDb 7.3 · RT 93%
Like Hiccup earning Toothless's trust through patience, Raya must win over the shape-shifting Sisu to heal a shattered Kumandra. Both films pit a determined outcast against their community's deep-rooted fears, building toward set pieces that reward vulnerability with spectacle. Disney Animation's Southeast Asian-inspired world gives the creature-bond formula a lush, waterlogged setting.
Watch if
You want a headstrong heroine whose dragon partner is hilariously chatty.
Skip if
You prefer your dragons fierce and silent rather than wisecracking.
For you if
- You love stories where an underdog bonds with a creature everyone else fears.
- You enjoy animated action with real flight-sequence thrills and emotional payoff.
- You want heroes who win through kindness and cleverness rather than fighting strength.
Not for you if
- You prefer dialogue-heavy comedies over adventure-driven plots.
- You want strictly realistic settings with no fantasy creatures or magic.
- You need nonstop slapstick humor to keep younger viewers engaged.
How How to Train Your Dragon (2010) alternatives compare
Pick Raya and the Last Dragon if you want the most action with a comedic dragon sidekick. Pick Kubo and the Two Strings for the most visually striking and emotionally demanding experience. The Wild Robot delivers the deepest emotional resonance with the least action. Abominable is the lightest, most purely fun option for younger viewers. The Iron Giant balances retro humor with an ending that will wreck every adult in the room.
How action-packed is it?
Martial-arts action
How much will it make you cry?
Touching moments
How scary are the villains?
Threatening rival
How playful is the humor?
Awkwafina delivers
How action-packed is it?
Epic mythic battles
How much will it make you cry?
Deeply moving
How scary are the villains?
Genuinely creepy
How playful is the humor?
Dry and subtle
How action-packed is it?
Quiet and gentle
How much will it make you cry?
Bring tissues
How scary are the villains?
Nature's dangers
How playful is the humor?
Gentle wit
How action-packed is it?
Chase-driven fun
How much will it make you cry?
Warm and sweet
How scary are the villains?
Bumbling chasers
How playful is the humor?
Slapstick joy
How action-packed is it?
Military showdown
How much will it make you cry?
Devastating finale
How scary are the villains?
Paranoid government
How playful is the humor?
Retro charm
Not sure what to watch?
Date night
Tender robot-and-gosling bond makes for a lovely shared cry without anything too intense.
Quick watch
At 86 minutes, it's the shortest film here and wastes none of them.
Friend group
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Action-packed with Awkwafina's comedy, it keeps a crowd entertained and engaged throughout.
Find your pick
Are you in the mood for something emotionally heavy that might make you cry?
Moments you loved
Best movies like How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
1. Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
107 min · IMDb 7.3 · RT 93%
Like Hiccup earning Toothless's trust through patience, Raya must win over the shape-shifting Sisu to heal a shattered Kumandra. Both films pit a determined outcast against their community's deep-rooted fears, building toward set pieces that reward vulnerability with spectacle. Disney Animation's Southeast Asian-inspired world gives the creature-bond formula a lush, waterlogged setting.
Watch if
You want a headstrong heroine whose dragon partner is hilariously chatty.
Skip if
You prefer your dragons fierce and silent rather than wisecracking.
Where to watch
2. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
102 min · IMDb 7.7 · RT 97%
Where Hiccup defies his father's warrior traditions, Kubo defies his grandfather's celestial cruelty, both kids choosing compassion over inherited violence. LAIKA's stop-motion gives every frame a handcrafted texture that makes Monkey and Beetle feel tactile and alive. Travis Knight balances dry humor with a grief story that hits harder than most animated films dare.
Watch if
You want the outcast-creature bond wrapped in stunning stop-motion craft.
Skip if
Themes of loss and menacing villains feel too heavy for young kids.
Where to watch
3. The Wild Robot (2024)
102 min · IMDb 8.2 · RT 97%
Chris Sanders, who co-directed How to Train Your Dragon, brings the same gift for wordless creature bonding to Roz's relationship with orphaned gosling Brightbill. Both stories center on an outsider learning to belong by nurturing rather than conquering. DreamWorks gave Sanders room to make something quieter here, and it earned over $330 million worldwide.
Watch if
You loved Hiccup and Toothless and want that tenderness with a robot mom.
Skip if
You want high-speed action rather than a patient, nature-focused story.
Where to watch
4. Abominable (2019)
97 min · IMDb 7.0 · RT 83%
Yi smuggling Everest across China mirrors Hiccup hiding Toothless in the cove, both kids risking everything to protect a creature their world wants captured. DreamWorks and Pearl Studio fill the journey with magical set pieces tied to Everest's emotions, so the landscapes literally bloom when the bond deepens. The road-trip structure keeps the pace brisk.
Watch if
You want a cozy creature road trip with magical Chinese landscapes.
Skip if
You need a complex villain rather than a straightforward chase plot.
Where to watch
5. The Iron Giant (1999)
86 min · IMDb 8.1 · RT 96%
Hogarth hiding a 50-foot robot from Cold War paranoia parallels Hiccup hiding Toothless from dragon-hunting Vikings. Brad Bird's film is leaner at 86 minutes, but its emotional payoff lands just as hard. The Giant choosing 'I am not a gun' echoes the same thesis: the creature you fear might be the hero you need.
Watch if
You want the purest boy-meets-misunderstood-creature story in animation history.
Skip if
Hand-drawn 1950s-era animation feels too retro for your family.
Where to watch
Beyond movies
TV shows and books that scratch the same itch
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
A bright, big-hearted animated series where a sheltered girl surfaces into a wild mutant-filled world and befriends the very creatures everyone fears. It shares How to Train Your Dragon's core arc: an underestimated kid earns trust through empathy instead of force.
Netflix
The Dragon Prince
A fantasy animated adventure where young outcasts forge forbidden bonds across enemy lines, including with a newly hatched dragon they vow to protect. The growing trust between characters mirrors Hiccup and Toothless's unlikely friendship beat for beat.
Netflix
Hilda
A quiet, curious girl roams a Scandinavian-inspired wilderness full of giants, elves, and magical creatures she'd rather befriend than flee. Its gentle sense of wonder and respect for wild things channels the same spirit as Hiccup sketching dragons in his notebook.
Netflix
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill
A Newbery-winning fantasy about a misunderstood child raised in the wild by a gentle witch and a tiny dragon. The story's warmth, its belief that outcasts carry hidden power, and its soaring finale feel cut from the same cloth as Hiccup's journey.
Available at major bookstores
Common questions about movies like How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
What is the best movie like How to Train Your Dragon (2010)?
Based on our analysis, Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) is the closest match with a 90% fit score. See the full breakdown above for why it earned the top spot.
Which of these can I watch with kids under 7?
Abominable is the safest pick, with gentle humor and a cuddly yeti that delights young viewers. The Wild Robot and Raya work well for ages 7 and up. Kubo's dark villains and themes of grief are better suited for older kids.
Do any of these get surprisingly intense for animated movies?
Kubo and the Two Strings features genuinely frightening twin villains and confronts death directly. The Iron Giant builds to a tense military standoff that can overwhelm younger viewers. Raya has sword combat and betrayal, though Awkwafina's Sisu keeps the mood lighter.
Which one will leave us feeling the most uplifted?
Abominable ends on a pure feel-good note with magical landscapes and a joyful reunion. Raya finishes with a triumphant message about rebuilding trust across divided communities. The Wild Robot's ending is bittersweet but deeply satisfying.
Which is the quickest watch for a weeknight?
The Iron Giant runs just 86 minutes and hooks you from the opening scene. Abominable is next at 97 minutes with a breezy road-trip pace that never drags. Both require minimal attention commitment compared to Kubo's layered mythic plot.
How do these five differ in overall mood?
Abominable is the lightest and most playful, while Raya leans into martial-arts action with a comedic dragon. The Wild Robot is quiet and contemplative, Kubo blends mythic grandeur with real grief, and The Iron Giant balances retro 1950s charm with an ending that hits like a freight train.
Which should I watch first if I loved How to Train Your Dragon?
Start with The Wild Robot, directed by Chris Sanders who co-directed How to Train Your Dragon. It shares the same patience with creature bonding and wordless emotional storytelling. From there, try Raya for more action or Kubo for deeper mythic stakes.
Was this list useful?
Quick feedback helps us improve ranking quality.