Return to the skies in trailer for Peacock's Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky

It's been more than a decade since How to Train Your Dragon first arrived on the big screen, and while the saga of Hiccup and Toothless might be over for now, the franchise itself lives on. Later this month, the next major Dragons adventure will begin on Peacock Jr. with Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky, and now the first trailer has arrived to get fans young and old excited for what's coming. 

In case you're not caught up on the expanded Dragons lore beyond the three films, let's back up for just a second. Way back in 2012, DreamWorks Animation began launching tie-in animated series for the How to Train Your Dragon films. They begin with Riders of Pern, which served as a bridge between the first movie and its sequel, but as the franchise's popularity grew, so too did the appetite to explore other corners of the universe. That eventually led to several more seasons of the original animated series on Netflix, as well as the launch of Dragons Rescue Riders. Aimed at younger viewers and following a new cast of characters including both new Vikings and new Dragons, Rescue Riders arrived in the fall of 2019 and eventually ran for two seasons, plus a few specials. 

Which brings us to Heroes of the Sky. The new animated series will serve as a direct sequel to Rescue Riders, following the twin Viking kids Dak and Leyla as they continue their adventures in the land of Huttsgalor. Unlike other Vikings, Dak and Leyla were actually raised by the dragons they ride, which means they have the unique ability to communicate with dragons, adding a whole extra layer of personality to the adventures.

Check out the trailer below:

Obviously this series and its predecessor are aimed at younger children, but there are still fascinating layers to the lore here. The original How to Train Your Dragon story is about a young man who finds his place in the world by bonding with and caring for a dragon that his fellow Vikings think can't be tamed. With Rescue Riders and Heroes of the Sky, the script is flipped, as its the dragons who have raised and cared for the humans, forming a different kind of bond that's still reminiscent of the original film. That's fascinating, plus this will be a nice way to keep the kids occupied over Thanksgiving weekend this year.

Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky arrives November 24 on Peacock.