Our second-ever production, How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular, marked an exciting next step in Global Creatures’ journey – blending world-class puppetry, arena-scale storytelling, and cinematic spectacle.
Created in partnership with DreamWorks Animation, the show premiered in Melbourne on 2 March 2012 and quickly grew into a global spectacle — touring Sydney, Brisbane, and Auckland, before launching across North America in 2013 and debuting in China at Beijing’s Olympic Bird’s Nest Stadium in 2014.
Building on the groundbreaking animatronic technology pioneered by the Creature Technology Company on Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular, this production pushed the boundaries even further. Sonny Tilders and the Creature Technology Company designed and built the dragons, creating creatures with more complex movement, expressive detail, and breathtaking special effects – including full-scale fire-breathing. But at its core, this production was never just about the spectacle. We were drawn to the emotional depth of the story, which is a heartwarming tale of friendship, identity, and courage, brought to life with scale, precision, and soul.
“We know that the spectacle is there and the fascinating use of animatronics is something that captures people’s imagination, but the opportunity to combine that with storytelling and something that has a very strong emotional content to it is really attractive to us and what we were looking to do” – Carmen Pavlovic, Producer
Credit Lisa Tomasetti
Creatives
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Credit Creature Technology Company
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Credit Creature Technology Company
| Stage Adaptation and Director | Nigel Jamieson |
| Creature Design | Sonny Tilders |
| Creatures | The Creature Technology Company |
| Production Design | Peter England |
| Costume & Projection Design | Dan Potra |
| Movement Direction | Gavin Robins |
| Lighting Design | Philip Lethlean |
| Sound Design | Peter Hylenski |
| Music | John Powell and Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson |
| Additional Composition and Arrangements | Basil Hogios |
| Book Author | Cressida Cowell |
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Credit Lisa Tomasetti
Show FactDuring the show each dragon required 3 people to operate them – a lead voodoo puppeteer controlling movement of the main body, the auxiliary voodoo who controls the mouth, sound and some facial expressions, and the driver. -
Credit Jeff Busby
Show FactThe production launched a Worldwide audition tour process which took place in 13 major international cities, with a range of requisites for auditionees including parkour! -
Credit Jeff Busby
Show FactEach of the large dragons weighed over 1.6 tons, contained 24 microprocessors to control movement, plus 15 hydraulic rams, 6 hydraulic motors and 7 kilowatts of power from 16 truck batteries. -
Show FactThe touring company was made up of 85 touring cast and crew. -
Credit Jeff Busby
Show FactIt took a team of over 50 model makers, digital designers, scenic artists, design and mechanical engineers, skins fabricators and control technicians over 2 years to build the dragons.
Social Responsibility
With How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular, Global Creatures set out to expand access to live theatre and arts education, creating meaningful opportunities for more people to experience and engage with the performing arts. We placed a strong focus on students through dedicated school performances and an education kit designed to enhance classroom learning across multiple subjects.
The curriculum-aligned study guide was developed for both primary and secondary school students, encouraging cross-disciplinary learning through creative, hands-on project ideas. By linking the production’s themes to a variety of subject areas, the guide helped students connect with the material in a purposeful and engaging way. Learning areas included:
- English
- The Arts
- Humanities – History
- Science
- Mathematics
- Design, Creativity & Technology
To further support access, we offered special school performances at discounted ticket rates, making it easier for more young people to experience the magic of live theatre, many for the very first time.
Gallery
What it was like working on the show
How To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular rolls fire-breathing action, epic adventure and laughs into a captivating and original story that is set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and is based on the book by Cressida Cowell. It centres on Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.
In this state-of-the-art production, fire-breathing dragons will soar overhead, immersing audiences in a magical and mythical world of Vikings and Dragons. The astonishing cast of characters features 24 Dragons, some with wingspans of up to 14 metres, Viking warriors and world-class circus and acrobatic performers. The arena spectacular will feature unrivalled production values, projections, flying, stunts, fire and pyrotechnics.
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CREDIT LISA TOMASETTI
Story
KEY DATES
2012 |
The production had its global premiere in Melbourne, playing from 2–11 March before touring Australia and New Zealand with stops in Sydney, Brisbane, and Auckland, and then launching its North American Tour on 27 June. |
2013 |
The North American Tour wrapped on 20 January 2013 with a final performance in Anaheim, California after 25 stops across the United States and Canada. |
2014 |
The production staged a limited season at Beijing’s iconic Olympic Bird’s Nest Stadium from 4–13 July. |
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