But arguably the most fun catch we made is the inclusion of director DeBlois in the actual Isle of Berk. Actor Mason Thames (Hiccup) and Nico Parker (Astrid) confirmed the cameo to NBC Insider when we spoke to them for the film's junket.

As Hiccup, the 17-year-old actor is shouldering the weight of Universal’s new live-action franchise — and living out his childhood fantasy.

On the set of the live-action movie, Toothless and the other dragons existed as large puppets with simple functions, operated by a team of master puppeteers led by Tom Wilton, a performer who had worked on the “War Horse” stage play.

When Dreamworks released the animated feature "How to Train Your Dragon" in 2010, it seemed almost inevitable that a live-action feature would come along. Cinematographer Roger Deakins gave the feature a stunning cinematic style that felt almost live-action,

Universal's 'How to Train Your Dragon' is opening to $82.5M, the best in the franchise, while A24's 'Materialists' is looking at $11M+.

Going into my screening of the new live-action feature, I made a specific point of not revisiting the 2010 movie – which I probably last watched around the time that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was released.