Review by John Delia
Although it is about Pete and Elliot the dragon, Pete’s Dragon is a far cry from the live action and animated musical that we loved and filled our dreams as children. This Pete’s Dragon has a modern twist that sets even PG viewers on the edge of their seats. From the opening scary car crash involving Pete’s parents, to the hostile way they have to capture Elliot the dragon, the film spans a mystery, adventure and fantasy that both endears and shocks.
For the adults who may still want to keep the original in their hearts, this may be rough going. But the new generation of children who have not been introduced to the older version, will probably accept the film as a spirited adventure with a charming ending.
Following a one car auto accident on a deserted road in the mountains, 4-year-old Pete walks away from the wreckage unharmed. He finds his way into the woods where he meets the Elliot a friendly dragon. Flash Forward six years later and in that same wooded area a logging crew has come to cut down trees. Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), a Forest Ranger, oversees the project so the crew lead by Gavin (Karl Urban) will only take those trees as marked.
While checking out the people from afar, Pete (Oakes Fegley) catches the eye of Grace’s daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence) and they both are captivated. Natalie runs after Pete and finds the mysterious boy among the trees. Reporting what she saw to her mother and father, Natalie and Grace convince the curious boy to leave the forest. Taking him to her home in nearby Millhaven, Pete gets to experience family life lost when the accident took his parents. So begins a story of love, family and a concerned dragon who feels it must protect the child by any means.
Director and writer David Lowery breathes new life into the long forgotten tale using some nice camera tricks to show how Pete lives with Elliot the vanishing dragon. The cinematography becomes one of the key elements of the story as he puts his young actor through his paces enjoying life in the forest. When he brings the boy to town, his camera captures the amazement and sometimes scary moments of dealing with his new environment.
It’s nice to see new talent at work on the screen developing fresh characters that are memorable. In this case it’s Oakes Fegley in his first lead role as the boy who finds himself torn between a new family and his dragon savior. Oakes has had some previous acting gigs in small roles playing young Judd in This is Where I Leave You and young Bryan in Prism, but nothing like his fine performance in Pete’s Dragon. He nails his role as Pete and makes it exciting, touching and dynamic.
As a concerned parent Bryce Dallas Howard takes on the role of Grace a protector of nature who finds a gem among the trees in Pete. When Grace finds out that he’s the missing child from a deadly accident 6 years ago, she has to take assertive action so the boy does not get lost in the child foster care system. Showing Grace’s determination to include Elliot in her wildlife preservation beliefs, she connects with the dragon for permission to take Pete out of the forest in a touching moment on the big screen.
Pete’s Dragon has been rated PG by the MPAA for action, peril and brief language. Parents make sure you are close to the younger immature children when watching the film as the peril involves a bridge on fire with the main characters trapped in their car. In addition to the auto accident described in the first scene, the action includes a shocking scene where the lumberjacks try to bring down Elliot with rifles blasting out tranquilizer darts.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A family film mainly for mature pre-teens. Kids (C+) Adults (C-)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, Robert Redford.
Directed and written By: David Lowery
Genre: Kids, Family, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG for action, peril and brief language
Running Time: 1 hr. 42 min.
Release Date: August 12, 2016
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Released in: 2D, 3D