UNIVERSAL PICTURES ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL ROSE PARADE® FLOAT AS DREAMWORKS ANIMATION'S "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD" TAKES FLIGHT ON NEW YEAR'S DAY

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced today that the extraordinary How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World mobile-art installation will serve as the first Rose Parade^® float launched in support of a Universal film in the studio's 100-plus-year history. Joining an array of hundreds of astonishing additional creations, The Hidden World float—designed and built by California-based Artistic Entertainment Services over the course of six months—arrives on New Year's Day, 2019.

How to Train Your Dragon embraces the Rose Parade's 2019 theme of "The Melody of Life." Whether it's during Toothless and Light Fury's first date in The Hidden World—set to playful, romantic chords from Oscar^®-nominated series composer John Powell—or when the world's most famous Night Fury soulfully turns to Hiccup, the creature who knows him more than any other, the series celebrates the universal language of music.

Measuring 73' in length by 18' in width and 24' in height, The Hidden World float—more than one-half a year in the making—will be covered in more than 5,000 various-colored roses, 8,000 carnations and thousands of additional mums, orchids and florist flowers. Bookended by a roaring Crimson Goregutter that is breathing real fire and Toothless and Light Fury intertwined in a lyrical dance, the dazzling float showcases actual waterfalls in its epicenter.

Beloved dragons from the series join creatures new to this chapter—all decorated in onion seed, seaweed, coconut, cut statice (sea lavender), cranberry seed, orange lentils, pine-cone petals, parsley flakes, green split pea, brussel sprout halves, kidney beans and whole cranberries. The float's soaring mountains and gorgeous crystals will be covered in yellow split pea, peach lentil, yellow mum, peach carnation, mushrooms, cymbidium orchids, and different mosses.

The series' Hiccup and Astrid will be brought to life on the float by Venezuelan-born Gabriel Cardier and Iowa-native Emmy Rose Cuvelier, both outfitted in costumes from designer Kristin Burke and Spectral Motion that contain 3D-printed elements—from the skulls and dragon medallion on Astrid's gear to Hiccup's prosthesis. Cardier, who like the character of Hiccup is himself an amputee, first saw How to Train Your Dragon 2 shortly after he lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident and immediately connected with Hiccup. His lifelong goal is to educate society by changing the stigma around the word "disability." An advocate for children with pediatric illnesses, Cuvelier is a passionate fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network hospitals.

"As the Rose Parade celebrates this year's theme of the melody of life, we are honored to be joined by DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World," said Gerald Freeney, 2019 Tournament of Roses President. "Its themes of unlikely friendship and unbreakable bonds resonate with global audiences of all ages, and we are thrilled Toothless, Hiccup, Astrid and many of the series' dragons will come to life before our eyes."

"Appearing in The Rose Parade takes How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World from the big screen to the center of one of the most cherished celebrations of New Year's Day," said Chris deFaria, president of DreamWorks Feature Animation Group. "This extraordinary float is a testament to DreamWorks' artists and engineers. Bringing Astrid and Hiccup to life alongside Toothless and a dozen other fantastic dragons, it allows worldwide audiences to share our memorable characters and their timeless story." 

For more information, press should visit https://tournamentofroses.com/media-credentials/. Broadcast-quality clips from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World are available at www.epk.tv, and stills are available at www.image.net.

About How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
From DreamWorks Animation comes a surprising tale about growing up, finding the courage to face the unknown…and how nothing can ever train you to let go. What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic adventure spanning their lives. Welcome to the most astonishing chapter of one of the most beloved animated franchises in film history: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. 

Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of a female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they've known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destinies are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they've grown to treasure.

For How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, series director Dean DeBlois returns alongside the all-star cast.  The film is produced by Brad Lewis (Ratatouille, ANTZ) and Bonnie Arnold (Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2). www.howtotrainyourdragon.com

About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses^®
The Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that hosts America's New Year Celebration^® with the Rose Parade^® presented by Honda, the Rose Bowl Game^® presented by Northwestern Mutual and a variety of accompanying events. 935 volunteer members of the association will drive the success of 130th Rose Parade themed "The Melody of Life," on Tuesday, January 1, 2019, followed by the 105^th Rose Bowl Game. For more information, visit www.tournamentofroses.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

SOURCE Universal Pictures