Furthermore, songs present a unique challenge. The Hidden World has Jónsi’s “Together From Afar” playing over the credits. In most dubs, the song remains in English because it’s non-diegetic (not part of the story). However, in the , they created a full French version of the song (“Au Loin Ensemble”), allowing French children to sing along. This level of effort—re-recording a pop song—demonstrates the French distributor’s belief in the emotional power of full localization. Where Dubs Falter: The Inevitable Loss No dub is perfect. The Hidden World dub suffers, universally, from one problem: the scream . When Hiccup falls from Toothless during the final battle, his terrified scream is iconic in English. In almost every dub, the scream sounds slightly “off” because it’s recorded in a booth, not during a physical fall. The French scream is too short, the Japanese scream too controlled, the Italian scream comically elongated. It’s a reminder that even the best dubbing is an imitation.
A dub is not merely a translation. It is a complex act of re-performance, cultural adaptation, and emotional transference. In the case of The Hidden World , the stakes were incredibly high: the film’s dialogue is lean, its comedic timing razor-sharp, and its dramatic moments hinge on whispers, sighs, and unspoken longing. How do you translate a dragon’s purr? How do you localize the word “bud” between Hiccup and Toothless?
And that is the hidden magic of the dub. Not in being faithful, but in being true. How to Train Your Dragon- The Hidden World -Dub-
When How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World soared into theaters in 2019, it marked the end of a decade-long cinematic journey. Directed by Dean DeBlois, the film was celebrated for its stunning animation, John Powell’s soaring score, and a bittersweet conclusion that respected the arc of Hiccup and Toothless. However, for a significant portion of the global audience, the film was not experienced through the original English voice cast (Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, etc.). Instead, they encountered the film through a dub —a localized version where the dialogue is re-recorded in another language.
In that moment, every language speaks the same word: farewell. Furthermore, songs present a unique challenge
Moreover, puns rarely survive. The exchange between Hiccup and Astrid about “wingman” (meaning both a flying partner and a dating assistant) is flattened in most dubs into a straightforward line about flying. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a film about letting go, about the beauty of translation between species (human and dragon), and about the space between words. In a way, every version of the film is a dub. The original English is itself a translation—of a book, of storyboards, of raw emotion into sound.
When a child in Brazil hears Hiccup say “Tudo bem, banguela” (a localized name for Toothless, meaning “toothless”), they are not hearing a copy. They are hearing their Hiccup. The dub of The Hidden World succeeds because, at its best, it disappears. The seams of translation, the labored lip-sync, the altered jokes—they all melt away when the Light Fury touches Toothless’s snout and the music swells. However, in the , they created a full
Modern DreamWorks animation uses “dialogue-driven animation,” meaning the animators often create the mouth movements to match the original English recording. Dubbing studios then face the daunting task of with “phonetic synchronization.” Translators must choose words that not only convey the meaning but also match the mouth shapes: an open vowel sound for a wide mouth, a bilabial plosive (like ‘p’ or ‘b’) for a closed-lip shot.
This piece explores the art of the Hidden World dub, from its technical challenges to its most successful international performances. The English version of The Hidden World benefits from a decade of vocal continuity. Jay Baruchel’s uniquely nasally, neurotic yet warm Hiccup is inseparable from the character. America Ferrera’s grounded, sturdy Astrid provides the emotional anchor. For any international dub actor, the task is not to copy these voices, but to capture their essence while conforming to the lip-flaps of the animated characters.