On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
With the fierce and ambitious Astrid and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding. As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.
This year’s VIEW Conference takes place from October 12-17, 2025, in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy. Tickets are now available at the official website:
“It is a true privilege to welcome Dean DeBlois and Christian Mänz onto our stage at VIEW Conference 2025,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Their live presentation on How to Train Your Dragon will thrill our international audience, as they draw back the curtain on the making of this extraordinary new movie.”
About Dean DeBlois
Golden Globe winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Dean DeBlois is best known for writing, directing, and executive producing 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon and its 2014 sequel. He also served in those same roles on
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019), the final installment of the trilogy and culmination of one of the most popular animated franchises in film history. Prior to collaborating on the original
How to Train Your Dragon with Chris Sanders, the pair wrote and directed Walt Disney Animation Studios’ beloved
Lilo & Stitch (2002), after first serving as co-heads of story on
Mulan (1998).
In addition to his animation work, Dean has also written and sold various live action feature film projects to Disney and Universal Pictures. He has also directed several music films and documentaries, most notably the 2007 indie critical darling Sigur Rós: Heima. Dean’s continued collaboration with Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi has led to the singer-songwriter’s contributions to the
How to Train Your Dragon soundtracks.
Born and raised in Canada, Dean’s career began at Hinton Animation Studios in his hometown of Ottawa. In 1990, he joined the Don Bluth Studios in Ireland before heading to the U.S. to begin work for Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1994. He joined DreamWorks Animation in 2008. A graduate of Sheridan College’s animation program, Dean was awarded an honorary degree in 2016. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, The Writers Guild of America and ASIFA.
About Christian Mänz
A hugely experienced production VFX Supervisor, Christian Mänz’s near 30-year career in VFX has seen him secure four BAFTA nominations and an Academy Award nomination for a variety of household-name projects.
He has most recently collaborated with director Dean DeBlois on Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. This complex, animation-heavy project drew on Christian's extensive experience crafting richly-imagined worlds, thrilling action sequences and nuanced animated characters—something he is well known for having led the VFX on all three of director David Yates’
Fantastic Beasts films for Warner Bros.
Christian began his career with Framestore as a runner in 1997, having trained as an illustrator. He built his experience working in commercials and television, winning two VES awards and gaining an Emmy nomination, before moving into film working on landmark projects ranging from the Oscar-winningThe Golden Compass to multiple
Harry Potter installments. He made his move into production VFX supervision in 2010 with
47 Ronin followed by
Dracula Untold, both for Universal Pictures.
VIEW Conference Creativity Deep-Dive Workshop
There’s still time to book tickets for VIEW Conference’s upcoming creativity workshop led by multidisciplinary artist Liberty Worth and paper sculpture designer Megan Brain. This 3-day deep-dive workshop provides a collaborative space in which visual artists can gain valuable knowledge and develop brand new skills. The workshop takes place June 19-21, ITS Piazza dei Mestieri, Via Jacopo Durandi 10, Turin, Italy. Tickets are available from the VIEW Conference website:
About VIEW Conference
An English language event, VIEW Conference 2025 takes place from October 12-17, 2025, in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy. Enjoy this unrivaled opportunity to network with award-winning film directors, animators, artists and game designers as they deliver an incredible program of keynotes, panels, talks, workshops and masterclasses. Explore cutting-edge thinking in a wide range of creative and technology-based fields as a stellar line-up of stars from Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Celebrate the latest achievements in Animation, VFX and Games and share unforgettable visions of the future.
The conference’s vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is designed to enlighten and inspire, with an extensive live program of talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses embracing cutting-edge thinking on such diverse topics as Storytelling, Virtual Production, Computer Graphics, Interactive & Immersive Media, VR/AR/Mixed Reality and the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Real-Time Rendering and much, much more.