Movie Review: Pete’s Dragon
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Disney has been on a hot streak lately with live adaptations of their classic animated films. Even though it was divisive, Alice in Wonderland can be seen as the one that started this whole trend as it went on to gross over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Since then we have gotten last year’s charming (see what I did there) Cinderella, this year’s breathtaking Jungle Book, and next year we’ll get Beauty and the Beast. What makes 
those films so good (or in Beauty in the Beast’s case, look so good) is that they are able to take a story we are all familiar with and make it feel new and refreshing by making it live action. Neither Cinderella or Jungle Book deviated too far from the source material, but those classic tales receive a breath of fresh air with truly stunning visuals, great direction, and maybe most importantly, the Disney feel is intact. While probably the least hyped film of the Disney remakes, Pete’s Dragon is able to continue the studio’s winning streak with many of the same qualities that made those other films great, even if it feels a little too reliant on the formula.
Even though 1977’s Pete’s Dragon is not a full on animated movie (only the dragon is animated), it still feels like one. The new Pete’s Dragon essentially follows the same story, but it certainly does not feel like an animated movie. Dropping the musical elements and some of the goofiness, the reboot tells the story of Pete, who is raised in a forest by a dragon after he survived a car crash that killed his parents. When he is found in the forest six years later, he is separated from the dragon and is brought back to society. Local lumberjacks spot the dragon while he is looking for Pete and plan to capture him, so it’s up to Pete and his new family to stop them and save his dragon.
While it is essentially just another Disney formulaic movie, there is something heartwarming about Pete’s Dragon. It does not have the visual wonder of Jungle Book, or the breathtaking set designs or costumes of Cinderella, the film’s heart is in the right place and tells a story that the whole family can enjoy. Elliot, the dragon, is fantastic to look at, but the rest of the film has a small feel to it as it focuses on characters and the importance of family and friendship. It never goes overboard or gets too dark, but there are thrilling moments directed pretty well by David Lowery.
The cast is almost perfect as Bryce Dallas Howard brings an easiness and loving touch to her character. She is forced to deliver many of the film’s most important lines and messages, and does so with a huge amount of grace (which is ironic since her character’s name is Grace). The rest of the adult cast does a fine job (Robert Redford in particular), but Oakes Fegley as Pete is arguably the most noteworthy performance of the movie. Maybe not as memorable as Neel Sethi’s Mowgli in Jungle Book, Fegley still has to carry a lot of the film’s heart while acting alongside a giant CGI dragon. He does a wonderful job and I am looking forward to seeing what he does next.
The film does follow the Disney formula a little too closely and does nothing really special with it, but that is perfectly fine for a family movie. Outside of Finding Dory, there really has not been a quality family movie this summer, save for this. Pete’s Dragon is something that you can take your children to and feel comfortable knowing they are seeing a heartfelt movie with a good message. It might not soar as high as other Disney movies, but Pete’s Dragon is a pleasant enough flight that the whole family can enjoy it.
Scott Davis
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