内容摘要：Dr. Krista Latham, the director of the Human Identification Center at the University of Indianapolis, sits at a table in front of the center’s cabinets containing replicas of fossil finds of ancient humans, Aug. 1, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Rick Callahan)

Dr. Krista Latham, the director of the Human Identification Center at the University of Indianapolis, sits at a table in front of the center’s cabinets containing replicas of fossil finds of ancient humans, Aug. 1, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Rick Callahan)

already leaned into a live-action sensibility, but DeBlois took it to the next level for the new version, creating an immersive world where the dragons felt credible, and mythology that went deeper in telling this story of the unlikely friendship between a Viking boy Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon named Toothless.This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames in a scene from “How to Train Your Dragon.”, (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames in a scene from “How to Train Your Dragon.”, (Universal Pictures via AP)“It aspires to be and does deliver on the promise of being a crowd pleaser,” DeBlois said. “It has thrills and it has adventure and it has wonder, which I think is kind of rare and important.”Nico Parker, who plays the aspiring dragon hunter Astrid, was in awe of the level of detail the production put into the sets and atmosphere in making the isle of Berk feel real, from actual fire to “horrible” ambient fish smells. The dragons too all have animal kingdom counterparts to add to the authenticity — with the exception of Toothless, who they kept a little more fantastical.

“Even though Toothless’ eyes are huge and there’s no animal on earth, not even a blue whale that has eyes that big, we went with it because the smaller we made the eyes, the less Toothless-like he was,” DeBlois said. “We had to make sure that we weren’t just creating photoreal dragons, but we were maintaining the personalities.”For as popular as the books and films (which have made over $1.6 billion) are, there are also plenty of people who aren’t familiar with the stories. This version might be the thing that draws newcomers in (they’ve already announced a sequel).

“For those who do know the stories and have seen the animated films, it is a bit of nostalgia,” DeBlois said. “It’s a way of returning to that world and seeing it through a new lens and maybe sharing that experience, perhaps with their own kids now.”

This image released by Disney shows Lindsay Lohan, left, and Jamie Lee Curtis in a scene from “Freakier Friday.” (Glen Wilson/Disney via AP)is primarily in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions.

has detected the new variant in travelers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York.The new variant is called NB.1.8.1. It arrives as the United States’ official stance on COVID-19 vaccination is changing. On Tuesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

that COVID-19 shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by several public health experts.The new variant, increasing globally, had by mid-May reached nearly 11% of sequenced samples reported. The WHO has designated it a “variant under monitoring” and considers the