That ole Disney magic
Coming on the heels of the live action remakes of Cinderella and The Jungle Book, I must admit I was at first perplexed by Disney’s choice to remake Pete’s Dragon, what with forthcoming projects such as Beauty & the Beast and Little Mermaid to look forward to. After all, unlike the other four remakes, the original 1977 Pete’s Dragon is not considered a true classic and is best remembered for the Helen Reddy theme song. It combined live actors with a cartoon-animated dragon, and was more an attempt to replicate the success of Mary Poppins. But thankfully, director David Lowery has co-written a completely new screenplay with Toby Halbrooks, updated the story to circa 1977, and given us a fresh and compelling tale about friendship, family, belonging, the environment, and of course, a dragon. With echoes of E.T., the 2016 Pete’s
Dragon may be old hat storytelling, but it breathes new, wonderful fire into the dragon tale. Orphaned Pete (the excellent Oakes Fegley) lives in the forest with sole friend and protector Elliot, a dragon. When his curiosity gets the better of him, he chances upon Forest Ranger Grace Meacham (Dallas Bryce Howard), whose grizzled father (Robert Redford) encountered a dragon in his youth. Grace’s boyfriend, Jack (Wes Bentley), is single father to Natalie (Oona Lawrence) and brother to Gavin (Karl Urban), who works in the local lumber mill. The film basically deals with Pete being discovered, being reintegrated into society and how the local legend of dragons living in the forest becomes a “hunt” as Elliot searches for Pete.
Obviously, suspension of disbelief is the order of the day but this comes easy as we are seduced by the scenes establishing the relationship between Pete and Elliot — how Elliot saves Pete after the car accident that has him losing his parents, and how Elliot is such a childlike charmer despite his size and power. He chases his tail, he can be clumsy, and without a doubt, he cares for and loves Pete, like some giant pet with paternal feelings. We take for granted that Elliot exists and means well; and we are rewarded for doing so, much in the same manner how we accepted extraterrestrials existed in order to enjoy E.T.
Fegley as Pete is a true charmer, interacting with the green screen and CGI excellently. I also loved the scene where Redford as Meacham talks to his daughter, recounting his own dragon experience and reminisces about the magic in the forest. Naturally, it comes as no surprise to find that the film sparks whenever Elliot is in the scene. But thanks to the new screenplay, we also invest in the humans who inhabit the film, with Pete and Natalie leading the way. Kudos to Disney for turning a minor relic of its rich film history into a retelling worth its weight in dragon pounds. These live action remakes continue to astound and entertain.