The third film in the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise has been christened.
In advance of a special sneak peek of the film at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, DreamWorks Animation has announced that part three will be entitled “How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” The film is billed as the series’ culmination and will hit theaters in 2019. The voice cast includes Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, and Craig Ferguson.
Attendees to the festival will learn more about the making of the film as part of an extended presentation on DreamWorks Animation’s films and the work of “How to Train Your Dragon” director Dean DeBlois. The presentation will take place on June 14 in the festival’s main venue, the Bonlieu Theater.
“As well as being a major artist, Dean DeBlois is a longtime friend of Annecy,” Marcel Jean, artistic director of the Annecy Film Festival, said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome him this year and present his work in a context that will emphasize his great talent. ‘The How to Train Your Dragon’ franchise is closely linked to our festival and this is why we are eager to offer our audience the chance to preview footage from the film.”
In addition, to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of DreamWorks’ “The Prince of Egypt,” Annecy will debut a fully remastered print of the epic film. The 1998 film won the Oscar for best original song for “When You Believe” and was the studio’s first traditional animated film production. It told the story of Moses and went on to gross $218 million worldwide, making it the most successful non-Disney animated film up to that point.
DramWorks Animation will also open the festival with “Bird Karma” and close it with “Bilby,” two short films produced through the company’s newly launched shorts program. The initiative is intended to create more opportunities for emerging talent. “Bird Karma” premiered at the 2018 New York International Children’s Film Festival. Annecy marks the European premiere for both shorts, and the world debut of “Bilby.”
Annecy has established itself as the premiere animation festival of the world, and we are extremely honored to be included in its line-up with our first two short films and work-in-progress footage from How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World this year,” Chris deFaria, president of DreamWorks Animation Film Group, said. It’s always a thrill for our filmmakers and artists to show their work to Annecy’s knowledgeable and appreciative audience.”
DreamWorks Animation Television will also present a conversation with “Trollhunters” executive producer and Emmy-winning director Rodrigo Blaas. He will use his time on the stage to offer a sneak peek of the upcoming Netflix original series “3 Below,” which is the follow-up to “Trollhunters” and the next chapter in Guillermo del Toro’s ongoing Tales of Arcadia trilogy. Blaas will also discuss his career.
Annecy takes place in the French town of the same name and is considered to be the leading film festival for animation.
