Director Dean DeBlois talks How to Train Your Dragon 2

The Sydney Morning Herald have published a fascinating and wide-ranging interview with Dean DeBlois, director of the eagerly-anticipated animated sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2.

In the piece, the 44-year-old chats about growing up in Canada and dreaming of being a comic strip artist, as well as nabbing Cate Blanchett for a starring voice role in the new movie.

“I walked up to her and told her I’d written a part for her in the sequel," he told the website. "And she replied that her three boys were huge fans of the first movie!”

How to Train Your Dragon 2 has opened in the US to rave reviews, with one critic comparing it to The Empire Strikes Back in terms of quality. That’s some accolade.

You can click here to read more of the interview, and you can catch How to Train Your Dragon 2 when it flies into Cineworld on 11th July.