In October 2008, Chris Sanders was asked to take over a troublesome film with a March 2010 release date. He immediately called his old co-director Dean Deblois. Somehow, despite everything we've ever discussed on this podcast, the film they made is good.

How To Train Your Dragon is the opposite of almost every film we've covered before - an instant classic that pushed the animation form and made bold calls on a tight deadline, and actually stuck the landing. But to understand how it pulled that off, we need to cover early Dreamworks, renaissance Disney, and a little picture book called The Big Bear Aircraft Company.

You can follow the show on twitter or tumblr @goingroguepod, or for slightly less hinged content, follow @tansyclipboard on twitter or @tansyg.bsky.social on Bluesky.

If you want to get in touch, you can email [email protected]

CLIPS:

The Story Room: The Making of Lilo and Stitch

The Making of How To Train Your Dragon: Going Into The Story

Chris Sanders - Director of How to Train Your Dragon + Lilo & Stitch Cartoons!!! (Directing Animation Podcast #39)

Animation Part 3 with Dean Deblois (Team Deakins Podcast Episode 12)

All Star - Smashmouth

Forbidden Friendship - John Powell (How To Train Your Dragon)

Coming Back Around - John Powell (How To Train Your Dragon)

Fairytale - Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell (Shrek)

Short Hair - Jerry Goldsmith (Mulan)

Your Father Would Be Proud - Michael Giacchino (Rogue One)

A Place in The Sky - Hans Zimmer (The Creator)

MUSIC:

"Bicycle", "Adventures in Adventureland", "Hard Boiled", "Waltz - Tschikovsky Op. 40", "Chill Wave", "Loopster", "Cherry Blossom", "Whimsey Groove", "Odyssey", "Quirky Dog", "Screen Saver", "Crypto", "Nonstop", "Ascending The Vale", "Enter The Maze", "Tenebrous Bros Carnival - Intermission", "Energizing", "Divertissement", "Leaving Home", "Hall of the Mountain King", "Oppressive Gloom", "Magic Scout - Farmhouse", "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys", "Prelude & Action", "Concentration", "Ever Mindful" & "Tempting Secrets"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"Suspended Animation" by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com