The original Pete's Dragon released in 1977 was always one of my favorite movies. It still is. There is something magical about the cartoon version of Elliot and the songs still can cheer me up and often get stuck in my head. Helen Reddy, Mickey Rooney and Jim Dale brought to life memorable and unique characters and it was all woven together to make a true classic of a movie. I grew up with that version of Pete's Dragon. I enjoyed every second of it and when one is a little child the stories we experience on screen truly are bigger than life. Part of you really believes that the things your watching are real. The imagination is sparked when you are young in a way that isn't possible once you are grown. It's just a fact.
Many of us grew up watching and loving that original piece of art and when Disney announced they were going to remake Pete's Dragon I don't think I was alone in clapping and hoping that the new Pete's Dragon was just as whimsical and wonderful as the original one was.
My hopes were very high. Especially with the re-release of the phenomenal Jungle Book production that was released earlier this year.
Here's the problem. The new Pete's Dragon is not the old Pete's Dragon. It was not the fun, energetic, slightly silly filled with amazing songs... there was no Candle on The Water or Razzle Brazzle day. There was no catchy 'A Dragon! A Dragon! I swear i saw a dragon!" There was no scheming doctor fantasizing about all the good Dragon parts could do for his business. There were no ghoulish Gogan's trailing after Pete. All the pieces that made the original movie great, sadly were missing from the remake.
That being said... in the modern movie industry full of special effects and incredibly fast moving action... quick frame changes that get your heart pumping and what we are accustomed to in our movie now-a-days... this movie was also not that. A lot of times the thing that I often find lacking in modern movies is the character development and the story line. We like the flashy visual effects and the almost dizzying action sequences. Comparatively, Pete's Dragon was a very thoughtful and almost slow moving film.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
Four or five year old Pete and his parent's are driving down a scenic road in the wooded mountains seeking an adventure when a deer jumps out in front of their car causing it to crash. Pete is left to fare for himself in the woods when he encounters a dragon.
Fast Forward, i believe it was 6 years. Pete and Elliot have a strong bond and together they have thrived.
In the remake, Elliot is not a cartoon goofy dragon but a computer animated and somewhat furry green dragon.
There are no lighthouse keepers or fishermen in the remake, but lumberjacks cutting down the trees near where Pete and Elliot have made their home.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays Grace, a police officer who finds Pete (Oaks Fegley) after her fiance, Jack's (Wes Bently) brother, Gavin (Karl Urban), chases the frightened boy and causes him to fall and hit his head.
Pete wakes up in the hospital confused and scared and all he wants is to go home to Elliot.
Of course, Gavin thought he heard something more in the woods and goes seeking whatever it was. There are rumors and stories of dragons in the woods and eventually Elliot reveals himself and then Gavin decides he needs to catch the dragon to make his fortune.
Love, Loyalty and family. That's what this movie is about.
Was it as good as the original? No. But it was very good.
I've heard lots of negative things about this movie. Alot of people when I mentioned i had gone to this movie said they heard it was horrible. I had one of my friends tell me it was dumb and boring and that her kid.s thought that it was dumb and boring.
the IMDB gave it a 7.4 rating. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 87% critic rating and an 82% audience rating which is actually very, very good so i don't know where everybody is getting their opinion that this was a terrible movie. Was it as exciting and as action packed as a lot of the movies we watch now-a-days? Nope. Was it jammed packed with innuendos and dirty little jokes that go over the kids' heads? nope. It was sweet and beautiful and meaningful and a lot of times... i don't think this wicked, evil world is all that receptive to that kind of movie anymore,
Long Story short... i loved it. Pete's Dragon is STILL one of my favorite movies of all time and it doesn't matter whether it's the 1977 version or the 2016 version. I loved them both.
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