Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera have been a part of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise since director Dean DeBlois’ first installment in 2010, but the animated trilogy is coming to a close with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which bows in theaters Friday.
The two voice castmembers sat down with The Hollywood Reporter In Studio to discuss saying goodbye to their beloved characters, Hiccup and Astrid, and teased an ending that audiences might not anticipate.
“I think everything that we’ve been doing has been working backwards from this point, and I think the mark of something really special is this is an ending that is the only right ending for this story. However, I don’t know that anybody could anticipate it, and that’s a special thing for this to end exactly the way it’s supposed to and for people to still not see it coming,” Baruchel said.
Ferrera, DeBlois’ self-proclaimed “biggest fan,” shared with THR what she’ll miss most about working on the animated film series, saying, “I’ll just miss that there’s more coming.”
She continued: “I think every time one of the movies came out, it was more to anticipate, another one’s coming, the world’s going to get bigger, I can’t wait to revisit these characters and now that there’s this closure, I’m going to miss getting to see the masterpieces come together and I’m Dean DeBlois’ biggest fan. I think he’s a masterful storyteller and manages to always hit all the notes that it takes to make a movie feel as intimate as this movie does and as grand as it does at the same time,”
The How to Train Your Dragon franchise has developed a dedicated fan base over the years, with many viewers having grown up watching the characters. According to Baruchel, the anticipation for the final film isn’t lost on its stars.
“It’s hard not to be inspired when you know the anticipation and the eagerness with which children across the world are waiting for this thing,” he said. “You know that this world we’ve helped create means a heck of a lot to a lot of people across the world, so it’s hard not to be inspired in that situation.”
Watch the video above to hear Baruchel and Ferrera discuss the experience of working on an animated film, classic movies they’re embarrassed to admit they haven’t seen and more.
