Global consumer-products campaign anchored by returning master toy partner Spinmaster and toy licensee Playmobil, as well as premier publishing partners Insight, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Bendon and many more

Universal City, CA – As worldwide audiences eagerly await the theatrical release of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Universal Brand Development announces a dynamic, multi-category licensing and merchandising program to support the epic animated-adventure’s global release in 2019.

DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World will arrive in theaters across the world in Q1 2019, landing in North American theaters on February 22, 2019. 

“As we head into the theatrical release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, we’re thrilled to expand the DreamWorks Dragons franchise by engaging audiences of all ages with high-quality consumer products, innovative retail partnerships and compelling fan experiences,” said Vince Klaseus, President, Universal Brand Development. “This curated global consumer-products program highlights hero Dragons and extends the storytelling, delivering a full-range of products for boys, girls and adults.”

The cornerstone of the licensing and merchandising program includes global master toy licensee Spin Master, with a new collection inspired by the film. This includes toys, which feature glow-in-the-dark, dragon-glow effects and color-changing technology, and much more. The toy collections range from action figures and dragons to specialty plush and costumes, as well as drones, electronics, activities, playsets, games & puzzles and more. Playmobil, who has been a partner since 2017, will have a strong line to support key-story arcs from the DreamWorks Dragons franchise and film. Ravensburger will launch a collection of games & puzzles. Additionally, in the collectibles category, global licensee, FUNKO, will debut a line featuring Toothless and Light Fury, among others.

Returning publishing partners include Simon & Schuster, Readerlink and Bendon in North America; Hachette in the UK and France; Editorial Planeta in Spain; Fabbri Editori in Italy; Panini Verlags and Blue Ocean in Germany; Scholastic in Australia; and AST License in Russia. The publishing program features storybooks, activity books and early readers, as well as a hard cover art book from Dark Horse, The Art of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and a beautifully styled How to Train Your Dragon Popup book from Insight Editions.   

Worldwide video game publisher Outright Games is launching a new console game, DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders, which introduces new characters into and a new storyline within the popular DreamWorks Dragons universe. Developed by Climax Studios, DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders will be coming to PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch™ and PC, and will launch early 2019 in Europe and North America. 

A new mobile game, DreamWorks Dragons: Titan Uprising, is slated to launch globally on the App Store and Google Play early next year. Developed by top-mobile-game studio Ludia, DreamWorks Dragons: Titan Uprising is a match-3-puzzle-role-playing game that lets fans hatch and nurture their own brood of dragons, from small-scaled babies to towering Titan Wings. Fans can visit www.dragonstitanuprising.com now and pre-register to receive a Premium Draft Token at launch. This token gives all players a guaranteed Dragon, and a higher chance of summoning an Epic Dragon.

Fashion apparel for boys, girls and toddlers feature collaborations with international licensees, Aykroyd & Sons and H&M, as well as Hybrid, Bentex and SG Footwear in North America and DesignWorks in Australia. Additionally, at a key partner meeting in Moscow, Russian design label Sasha Kim for New Fashion LLC debuted a first look at its 42-piece-film-inspired collection for boys and girls, “Glow Like a Dragon,” featuring crystals, elaborate silhouettes and glowing details. The collection launches at high-end retailers on January 21, 2019, with a mass-market collection to follow.

More information on partnerships supporting How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World can be found below.

• Toys – Basic Fun (US); Bay Tek Games (North America); Bell Sports (US); Cardinal (US); Disguise (US); Dynacraft (US); FUNKO (Global); Kangaroo (North America), KIDdesigns (EMEA, US); Loot Crate (Global); Playmobil (Global); Posh Paws (EMEA); Ravensburger (EMEA); Rubies (Australia, EMEA); Sambro (EMEA); Snap Creative (Global); Spencer Gifts (North America); Spin Master (Global); Toy Factory (North America); Winning Moves (EMEA); X-Kites (North America); and Zinc (North America)
• Apparel & Accessories – 361° (China); Accessory Innovations (US); Accutime (North America); Bentex (North America); FAB (US); DesignWorks (Australia); Freeze (US); GBG (EMEA, US); H&M (Global) H2W (North America), Handcraft, Heys (North America), High Point Design (North America); Hybrid (North America); Jellifish (Canada), Leomil (EMEA); NTD (Canada); and SG Footwear (North America)
•  Publishing – AST (Russia); Bendon (North America); Blue Ocean (Germany) Editorial Planeta (Spain); Fabbri Editori (Italy); Insight (Global); Hachette (UK and France); Panini Verlags (Germany); Readerlink (North America); Scholastic (Australia); Simon & Schuster (North America)
•  Party & Stationery – Acco Brands (North America); American Greetings (North America); Amscan (Australia); DecoPac (North America); Inkology (US); Innovative (US); Procos (EMEA); Retail Centric Marketing (US) and Trends International (North America) and Unique Industries (North America)
• Home – Pillow Pets (North America); FAB NY (North America); Franco Manufacturing Company (North America); Stor (EMEA); Tervis (North America); Thermos (North America); York Wallcoverings (North America); Zak Designs (North America), Jasco (North America), and Silver Buffalo (North America)
• Consumables – ASO (US); Bayer Healthcare LLC (US); Bon Bon Buddies (EMEA); Finsbury Food Group Pic (EMEA); GBG Beauty (US); Good2Grow (US); Langer’s, Luigi Zaini Spa (North America, EMEA); PEZ (North America, EMEA); and Radz (North America)

Product launch dates are as follows:

• Global: December 1, 2019
• North America: January 1, 2019
• EMEA publishing: January 15, 2019
• North America publishing: January 29, 2019

Download hi-res image for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World here.

About How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

From DreamWorks Animation comes a surprising tale about growing up, finding the courage to face the unknown…and how nothing can ever train you to let go. What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic adventure spanning their lives. Welcome to the most astonishing chapter of one of the most beloved animated franchises in film history: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. 

Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they’ve known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destines are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they’ve grown to treasure.

For How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, series director Dean DeBlois returns alongside the all-star cast. The film is produced by Brad Lewis (Ratatouille, ANTZ) and Bonnie Arnold (Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2). www.howtotrainyourdragon.com  

About Universal Brand Development

Universal Brand Development globally drives expansion of the company’s intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, content, and consumer experiences. Along with franchise brand management, Universal Brand Development’s core businesses include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, and Live Entertainment based on the company’s extensive portfolio of intellectual properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal cable and television. Universal Brand Development is a business segment of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. Visit www.universalbranddevelopment.com for more information.