When “ How to Train Your Dragon ” director Dean DeBlois received a call from Universal telling him they were considering a live-action reimaging of the animated feature, his first response was “I don’t want to see someone else’s version of this.”

Most filmmakers have a list of regrets about their projects, but getting a do-over is a rarity: "it was satisfying to check off a list of those little things, but also make room for missed opportunities.

Recreating the movie in live-action presented an opportunity to revisit beloved characters and expand the story