Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1109293
H O W T O T R A I N Y O U R D R A G O N | P E R S P E C T I V E 4 9 The Prospect It was early 2005, and I was taking a coffee break. The design of Flushed Away was coming to an end…and it was time for the big question: "What's next?" As I walked down a hallway on the DreamWorks campus, I spotted a piece of artwork in the office of development executive Chris Kuser. Next to his door, printed on a small board, was an enlarged book cover with a funny-looking green dragon on a red background. "Hey, Chris! What's this?" I asked. "It's a book by Cressida Cowell that we would love to turn into a movie. It's about Vikings and dragons," he replied. "Awesome!!! My grandmother was a dragon and Vikings came to my country (France) trying to kill all my ancestors," I offered. "I'm down for it. Please count me in!" A. FIRST APPROVED DESIGN PAINTING FOR THE VILLAGE OF BERK. DIGITAL PAINTING BY PIERRE-OLIVIER VINCENT. B. CONCEPT PAINTING FOR THE "DRAGONIFIED" ARCHITECTURE OF BERK. DIGITAL PAINTING BY PIERRE-OLIVIER VINCENT. D i s c o v e r i n g t h e H i d d e n W o r l d H O W T O T R A I N Y O U R D R A G O N B Y P I E R R E - O L I V I E R V I N C E N T, P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R And that is how what would become a 14-year journey began. Character designer Nicolas Marlet and I got to work, and when I say "work," I should say "having fun." As any artist will tell you, during those first days you should never underestimate gut feeling, as well as the sheer pleasure of unleashed exploration. A few drawings and paintings later, it was time to show the big wigs. Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks boss at the time, entered the presentation room and went straight to one of Nico's character design pages. He then turned to a black-and-white painting of Berk and exclaimed, "These is great!"...and he's off. Somebody, I can't recall who, said: "The light is green…" We went into production that very day and the first installment of How to Train Your Dragon was released five years later.