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

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.”

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.

In an era of skepticism around live-action remakes, Universal believes audiences will take flight with Hiccup and Toothless again.

Relax, dear readers, your eyes don’t deceive you with that headline. Just as Universal/DreamWorks have remade the 2010 fan favorite How to Train Your Dragon, the studio has given its well regarded franchise another premium format finish. Which means it’s time to ask an old question that gets new answers each time: To 3D or Not To 3D?

Universal Studios and Dreamworks Animation's 'How To Train Your Dragon' series brings the world of Hiccup and Toothless to life.