Just How Would One Train a Dragon?

The Cressida Cowell children’s novel “How To Train Your Dragon” is being prepped for a major CGI-animated feature film franchise by director Peter Hastings (“Catscratch,” “Mission: Space”) for Dreamworks Animation. It will be filmed in the Ultimate 3D format.

Giving voice in the first will be Gerard Butler (“300”), Jay Baruchel (“Fanboys,” “Knocked Up”), America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”), Jonah Hill (“Superbad,” “Horton Hears a Who!”) and Christopher Mintz Plasse (“Superbad”).

The film will center on the shy son of a Viking warlord king who is given the task of capturing and training a fierce dragon in order to be initiated as a man and future king of his tribe once his father dies. Baruchel will voice the main character, the timid boy named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Butler lends his voice to Hiccup’s father, Stoick the Vast. Ferrera will be the voice of Astrid, Hiccup’s friend and intiation partner. Hill is the proverbial bully named Snotlout, and Mintz-Plasse will portray Fishlegs, a well meaning giant Viking that is a bit slow on the take.

The dragon in the story is not your typical fire-breathing monster, but is a dimunitive, brash and uncooperative little snipe.

Look for it on March 26, 2010.