King Sombra pet dragon facts

Bewilderbeast

Official Description 

As with all members of the animal kingdom, dragons, too, must follow a hierarchy of power and leadership. At the apex of that chain of command rules an exceedingly rare alpha dragon to which all others bow — the Bewilderbeast. However, Bewilderbeasts are not born to that alpha status; it is earned through combat, vigilance, and most importantly, a desire to protect the dragons and all other creatures in its nest. Fortunately for Bewilderbeasts, there are few other dragons in the world that can match their intimidating stature and ever hope to compete for the designation of "king of all dragons". Bewilderbeasts are also quite impressive architects, fashioning near-impenetrable nests out of their self-generated ice and using natural hot springs to provide warmth and sustenance to the flock under its care. From its oasis within this icy cocoon, the Bewilderbeast rules all dragons without bias, without malice, and without question. 

In addition to its icy breath and alpha's ability to bend other dragons to its will, the Bewilderbeast is also a formidable force underwater. As a Class 10 Leviathan (the aquatic equivalent of a Titan Wing), a full-grown Bewilderbeast swims at incredible speeds and bursts to the surface to surprising, and devastating, effect. Development 

As mentioned in The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2, initially, the producers wanted simply only Valka to have a Bewilderbeast, but after some thought, decided that Drago should have one too. To distinguish both dragons, as well as emphasize the contrast between both dragons' personalities and background, their design and temperament had to be very different. Valka's Bewilderbeast gains inspiration from a polar bear, says Pierre-Olivier Vincent, the production designer. Whereas Drago's was inspired by abused zoo and circus animals. Simon Otto, however, says that the Bewilderbeast is a cross between a mammoth, otter, and regal lion[1]. Early hand-drawn Bewilderbeast sketches mainly depict them as colossal dragons, still preserving its 'flat lip proportions' and protrusions on its neck. However, in earlier designs, like in Bewilderbeast Studies by Nico Marlet, the Bewilderbeast had chunkier spikes on its chin. Its lower jaw and chin were somewhat elongated, its eyes were smaller and the frill was smaller. This gave the dragon a somewhat sterner and wiser appearance. The team also spent a lot of time on the Bewilderbeasts' horns. Various concept art explores different dimensions of the Bewilderbeasts' jaws, frills, and horns. " The Bewilderbeast was a huge undertaking due to its colossal size and how close the camera gets to him. Our main challenge was to create textures that worked in ultra close-up to reveal his coral-like amphibian skin and in wide shots to underscore his imposing scale. 

Due to the close-ups on the Bewilderbeast, it was especially hard for animators to animate the skin realistically. The skin was designed to resemble a somewhat rocky, coral-like texture. Though both dragons had a similar texture, Valka's was intended to be 'cleaner' and 'purer' in terms of color. Drago's was bumpier and darker, with blunter horns.

Physical Appearance

The egg of the Bewilderbeast is oval, snow white, and covered in small red-brown spikes that resemble those on an adult Bewilderbeast's face and back. It is unknown whether the colors of the spikes affect the colors of the hatchling. It is usually laid in a nest of ice made by the parents.

Hatchling to Titan Wing 

Bewilderbeasts are incredibly massive, spiky dragons with a pair of gigantic, tusk-like horns protruding from the sides of their heads and huge multiple wings. The front side of their bodies is covered with burr-like spikes, along with two lines of spikes along the eyelids, giving an impression of eyebrows. Protrusions from the back of their heads form mane-like frills. Unlike Red Deaths, Bewilderbeasts are unable to fly for not having big enough wings for flight, mostly due to their colossal body sizes, and they likely use their wings to assist them in swimming, similar to penguins. This makes one of the few weaknesses that make this species vulnerable.