Cherokee Nation Partners with DreamWorks for 'How to Train Your Dragon' Dub

In a significant cultural and media partnership, the Cherokee Nation has collaborated with DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal to produce a full Cherokee-language version of the globally beloved animated feature, How to Train Your Dragon. This pioneering dubbed film became available for exclusive streaming on Peacock on October 1st, marking a monumental step in the Tribe's ongoing, dedicated efforts toward language revitalization.

The project, which officially launched in May 2025, required a vast, collaborative undertaking, mobilizing fifteen Cherokee-speaking voice actors and eight fluent translators from the Cherokee Nation’s dedicated language office. This combined team worked meticulously to adapt the film’s dialogue and context into the Cherokee language.

The success of this collaboration was celebrated on September 30th with a private premiere event held at the Durbin Feeling Language Center in Tahlequah. The affair featured a red-carpet ceremony attended by Tribal leaders, the voice talent, translators, and students from the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program and the Cherokee Immersion School, signaling the community-wide importance of the initiative.

This venture exemplifies the Tribe’s forward-thinking strategy to safeguard and promote the Cherokee language by integrating it directly into popular, modern media formats.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. underscored the gravity of the achievement, thanking DreamWorks and NBCUniversal for the opportunity to include the Cherokee Nation as a featured accessible language. "This is a monumental day for the Cherokee people and the Cherokee language," Chief Hoskin stated, emphasizing that the project creates opportunities for Cherokee speakers and allows the Tribe to share its language with the world. He stressed that they cannot allow the language to "wither on the vine," as its loss would sever the Tribe’s direct connection to its history and culture.

Deputy Chief Bryan Warner praised the project’s enduring, generational impact. He noted the permanence of the effort, stating, "The collection of our language into digital media will be here long after we are gone. We want to make sure that our language, and our voices are heard." Deputy Chief Warner also suggested the film’s powerful potential to engage youth, musing that the dubbed film could be "the first time that a Cherokee child hears the language," believing it will captivate a younger audience and spur their interest in language acquisition.

How to Train Your Dragon recounts the story of Hiccup, a young Viking who, in defiance of his island’s warrior tradition, forges an unlikely friendship with a dragon named Toothless. As an ancient threat emerges, Hiccup, Toothless, and their ally Astrid must rally their people, proving that courage and friendship can reshape their world.

Voicing the protagonist, Hiccup, in the Cherokee version is Hondo Kirk, a twenty-three-year-old Cherokee Nation citizen from Tahlequah. Kirk brought both personal connection and linguistic skill to the complex role, having graduated from both the Cherokee Immersion School and the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program. He admitted the initial challenge of capturing the character: "It took me a while to get used to Hiccup’s character, but I could relate. He’s very awkward and I can be awkward, and the unique pitch of his voice at first was difficult to capture." Nonetheless, Kirk expressed his deep appreciation for the opportunity and his hope for future voice acting roles, citing his ultimate professional goal as becoming an audio engineer.

Howard Paden, the Executive Director of the Cherokee Nation Language Program, highlighted the broader significance of the collaborative effort. Paden stated that participation in major film dubbing "opens a door and encourages more Cherokee citizens to want to learn the language and do work in the film industry." This project marks the second major dubbing collaboration for the Cherokee Nation, following its earlier work on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The Tribe estimates that there are currently fewer than 1,500 fluent first-language Cherokee speakers, all over the age of sixty. To combat this decline, the Nation has implemented robust programs, such as the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, through which it aims to graduate over twenty-five new second-language speakers annually. The current Tribal leadership, Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner, in partnership with the Cherokee Nation Council, have demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to this cause. Since 2019, they have directed over $68 million toward Cherokee language initiatives, and in 2024, they enacted the Durbin Feeling Language Preservation Act, which legally commits a minimum of $18 million annually toward these essential language revitalization efforts.