CinemaNerdz

Pete’s Dragon Starts Production in New Zealand

Mike Tyrkus

Principal photography on Pete’s Dragon got underway on February 10, 2015 in New Zealand. The film is a re-imagining of the 1977 Disney classic and will blend live action and CGI to tell the story of the special bond between an orphaned boy, Pete, and his best friend, Elliott, who just happens to be a dragon.

The film stars Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help) as Grace, a park ranger who discovers the existence of Elliott; ten-year-old Oakes Fegley (This is Where I Leave You) as Pete; Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games) as Jack, a local mill owner; New Zealand native Karl Urban (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Jack’s brother, Gavin; Oona Laurence as Natalie, the young girl who befriends Pete; and Oscar-winner Robert Redford (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, All the President’s Men) as Grace’s father.

Pete’s Dragon is directed by David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) and produced by Jim Whitaker, with Barrie Osborne serving as executive producer. The screenplay is by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. WETA Digital, the visual effects company founded by filmmaker Peter Jackson based in New Zealand, will utilize the latest in digital effects to bring Elliott the dragon to life.

“This is a story about how magic can enter one’s life and change the way they see the world. And I think David Lowery is the perfect director to bring this project to life,” says producer Whitaker. The production began shooting in and around Wellington before moving north to the Rotorua area, and completing principal photography in the South Island communities of Tapanui and Invercargill. “New Zealand has long been a wonderful partner for film production. Wellington’s state-of-the-art facilities and filmmaker-friendly community, in particular, make it an ideal location to shoot and be based out of,” added producer Osborne.

Pete’s Dragon is scheduled to be released on August, 2016!

Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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