How to Train Your Dragon Live Show at the Honda Center Review

Last night, my friend Kristen and I took our girls to see the "How to Train Your Dragon Live Show." The girls were super excited to be seeing this -- this was especially true for DD because she loves dragons and dinosaurs.

I even bought her a little dragon from the show, which she thought was the coolest thing ever!

Below are some photos I took. The kids had a blast watching the show. I thought that the special effects were fantastic. The dragons looked amazing! Everyone was entertained by this great show. I would recommend it without any hesitations. If you live in the Orange County area, be sure to check it out at the Honda Center this weekend!

Go to www.dreamworksdragonslive.com for on-sale dates and other ticket information.  Check back for additional tour markets in 2013 which will be announced soon.

 

Created by the studio that brought us blockbuster hits such as Shrek and Madagascar, The HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR was produced by the storytellers at DreamWorks Animation, and Global Creatures, the masterminds behind the international phenomenon Walking with Dinosaurs, the #1 grossing world tour of 2010. The tour is exclusively promoted by S2BN Entertainment.

 

Inspired by the hit movie How To Train Your Dragon, this live event is a never-before-seen production that audiences of all ages will never forget. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR features more than a dozen dragons, some with wingspans of up to 46 feet, Viking warriors and world-class circus artists and acrobats combined with a heartwarming story that truly delivers a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the entire family.

 

Fire-breathing action, epic adventure and heartfelt laughter come together in a captivating story set in the mythical world of Vikings and wild dragons.  Based on the book by Cressida Cowell, it centers on Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers.  Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

 

"It is incredibly exciting to see our movie characters live on to thrill audiences in new entertainment experiences,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation. “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR is an extraordinary re-imagining of the story that breaks new ground in visual storytelling. The early reception to the show has been phenomenal, and we are now pleased to add more dates to bring HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR to even more audiences throughout America and Canada.”

 

Global Creatures Chief Executive Officer Carmen Pavlovic added, “With DreamWorks we have forged a relationship with one of the world’s leading entertainment companies. The collaboration fuses our own world-class technology with the vision and dedication of a company renowned for its cutting-edge creativity and storytelling skill. We are excited to expand the boundaries of public expectation by creating a show that combines dynamic creatures, world class performers and incredible staging to not only thrill and intrigue, but to engage audiences on an emotional level as well.”

 

Michael Cohl is the founder and chairman of S2BN Entertainment, global promoter for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR, and serves as lead producer of the Broadway’s smash hit Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Cohl commented, “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR is the next logical step for me after Spider-Man: to be back in arenas where I’ve always been, and where the most exciting things happen. We are thrilled to be setting a new gold standard for live family entertainment while utilizing the full scope and scale of the arena floor and fly space. The show delivers cutting-edge production values which tell an incredible story and create an unforgettable and magical experience. This show will mesmerize children and parents alike.”

 

Sponsored by HP, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR is brought to life through state-of-the-art technology unlike anything ever seen before in a live event experience.  Through DreamWorks Animation’s ongoing strategic relationship with HP, HP technology is part of the digital backbone for the production, providing family audiences across the globe with the most captivating live entertainment possible.

 

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR breaks every rule of theatrical entertainment to fully immerse audiences into the show in ways that have not been attempted before. Barely contained within the arena, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR utilizes the full venue, maximizing every dimension of the performance space to transport audiences into a mythical world of fire-breathing dragons who soar overhead at great speeds. The state-of-the-art animatronic technology and large-scale cinematic projections interact seamlessly with the live actors, who bring DreamWorks Animation’s heart-warming story to life through theatrical storytelling, martial arts and acrobatics.

 

Young Hollywood actor Riley Miner, an accomplished dancer and musical theater performer, will play the lead role of Hiccup.  Joining Miner to share the role of Hiccup is Rarmian Newton, who won a Helpmann Award for his performance in the Australian production of Billy Elliot The Musical (2008).   American stunt performer Gemma Nguyen, a third degree Black Belt and six-time world champion in Tae Kwon Do, plays Astrid.  Sharing the role of Astrid is Queenslander Sarah McCreanor who has starred in her own comedic productions and performed in a range of musicals and comedy shows.  Stalwart Australian actor Robert Morgan plays Stoick, Hiccup’s father and the rough and ready old-school chieftain of the brawny Viking tribe.  American Will Watkins will star as Gobber; French Kung Fu champion and stuntman Godefroy Ryckewaert plays Snotlout and Texan hip-hop dancer and rapper Dexter Mayfield will play Fishlegs.  Australian hip-hop and break-dancer Virackhaly Ngeth has been cast as Ruffnut and Sydney break-dancer Frace Luke Mercado, a founding member of SKB (Street Kulture Breakers), as Tuffnut.

 

The cast of performers is assisted by an international technical team who has collectively created many of the world’s most memorable spectacles.  The team is led by award-winning director Nigel Jamieson, who won the 2011 Helpmann Award as Best Director for his production of Opera Australia’s La Fanciulla del West, as well as production designer Peter England and costume / projection designer Dan Potra.  The dragons themselves are created by Sonny Tilders and his team at The Creature Technology Company, whose work includes Walking With Dinosaurs – the Arena Spectacular.  The cast of dragons pays homage to all of the favorites from the DreamWorks Animation film, including the single largest animatronic creature ever made by The Creature Technology Company. The stunning score features compositions from Icelandic singer-songwriter Jonsi from Sigur Ros and Oscar-nominated British film composer John Powell, who created the original score for the feature film.

 

*I received tickets from the Honda Center for this show. I did not receive any form of compensation from the company. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway. My reviews are not always positive, but they are my personal and honest opinions. Other people's views and experiences with the product or products might be different from mine.