In What Order Should I Watch Dreamworks Dragons?

My girls have spent the past month watching, (and rewatching) the Netflix exclusive How to Train Your Dragon series, Dragons: Race to the Edge. There is a bit of a Dreamworks Dragons obsession in our household. My kids can’t wait to see How to Train Your Dragon 3, which was just released on DVD on May 2st.

With the release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, now is definitely a great time to catch up on watching (or rewatching) all of the various films and TV episodes.

But with three How to Train Your Dragon movies, and, if you count the Netflix series, three different TV shows, plus numerous short films… How do you figure out the chronology, the How to Train Your Dragon timeline, and the correct order to watch all of the various shows in?

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I have to admit, when my kids first started watching Race to the Edge, I wasn’t paying much attention. I watched a bit, here and there, basically just checking to ensure it was a series I felt comfortable with them seeing, and then I pretty much ignored it. At that point, I hadn’t even seen the film that launched this spin-off series. The girls had watched How to Train Your Dragon with their dad one afternoon when I was busy doing other things.

However, over time their obsession level ramped up (at least in part because Grace became really wrapped up in working on her own Book of Dragons). When my kids start asking to watch the same show every day, I sit up and pay attention. That combined with the fact that I am often in the room with them when they are watching TV, has led to me getting drawn further and further into the dragon riders of Berk, and to be honest, getting sucked into the setting and storylines.

This, of course, made me want to watch the movies, and as I started poking around I came to the realisation that there was a heck of a lot more Dreamworks Dragons stuff out there that we had yet to see (in total there are three movies, two older television shows, a handful of short films, plus the Netflix exclusive series).

But out of that what was available to watch on Netflix? Where could I find the other shows? What order should we watch them in? I mean my kids don’t really care and will watch things in any old order, but I was curious to know what the chronology of the ongoing story was.

So I did some research and this is what I came up with.

First, of course, is the film that started it all: How to Train Your Dragon. This is easy to find, just about anywhere. Watch it on Netflix, grab a DVD, whatever works for you. Just go watch it, right away. Don’t wait six years, like I did.

Next up is a handful of short films; Gift of the Night Fury, Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon, and Book of Dragons. You can find all of these on Netflix, and I recommend streaming them there versus trying to hunt down the DVD versions, which can be pricey.

The short films can be difficult to locate on Netflix. For example, Book of Dragons and Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon can be found bundled together under the title How to Train Your Dragon Legends.

Gift of the Night Fury is a little trickier, looking for it in the Netflix search bar won’t net you any results, but you can find it hidden within Dreamworks Holiday Classic (Episode 3).

After that come two seasons worth of Dreamworks Dragons television episodes. These originally aired on the Cartoon Network, and are currently available on DVD. The first season was called Dragons: Riders of Berk. You can find it on DVD packaged as Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 1 and Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 2. The second season was called Dragons: Defenders of Berk. You can find it on DVD packaged as Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 1 and Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 2.

Next up is another short film called Dawn of the Dragon Racers, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

Following that is the Netflix exclusive series Dragons: Race to the Edge. There are six seasons of Race to the Edge available (And yes, unfortunately, it’s been confirmed that the sixth season is the final).

Then you have the second movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2. Yes, parts of the Dragons television series have premiered after this film. However I guarantee, the second film takes place after the television series. (Without dipping too far into spoilers — there is a character who dies in the second film that is still around in the most recent of the Dreamworks Dragons spin-off shows.)

And lastly you have the newst film, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which just came out on DVD.

I also feel like I should mention, the entire franchise is based on the series of How to Train Your Dragon books written by Cressida Cowell. They are a fun read. Check them out.

• • How to Train Your Dragon (2010) – Currently on Netflix.
  • Gift of the Night Fury (2011) – Currently on Netflix, sort of hidden under Dreamworks Holiday Classics, Episode 3.
  • Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010) – Currently on Netflix under How to Train Your Dragon: Legends.
  • Book of Dragons (2011) – Currently on Netflix under How to Train Your Dragon: Legends.
  • Dragons: Riders of Berk (2012-13) – Not on Netflix, is available to purchase on DVD as Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 1 and Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 2.
  • Dragons: Defenders of Berk (2013-14) – Not on Netflix, is available to purchase on DVD as Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 1 and Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 2.
  • Dragons: Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014) – Currently on Netflix.
  • Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 1-6 – Exclusively available on Netflix.
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) – Not currently on Netflix, is available to purchase on DV.
  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (aka How to Train Your Dragon 3)(2019) – out on DVD as of May 21st!D

If you (or your kids) are into Dreamworks Dragons you may also be interested in creating your own book of dragons, check out this great list of free online resources for making your own dragon rider’s notebook.