"You might just be the bravest boy I've ever met".
4-year old Pete (Oakes Fegley) is on a trip with his family, when all of a sudden, they get into a car accident after nearly running into a deer. Pete's parents are both killed in the accident, and young Pete is now on his own. Wandering into the woods with just a book in his hand, he is nearly done in by a group of wolves before being saved by the unexpected; a green, furry dragon. Six years later, and a now 10-year old Pete lives in the woods with his dragon. Pete is later discovered by a little girl named Natalie (Oona Lawrence), and is taken in by her father Jack (Wes Bentley). What will become of Elliott?
Filmed in New Zealand, you can hardly tell it's really in, well, New Zealand. There are a few shots of beautiful countryside and one shot at the end with some beautiful mountains, but for the most part, the locations depict midwestern America in a whimsical, old-fashioned way. The film is supposedly set in the 70's, and the overall production design is exactly what I said a second ago, whimsical and old-fashioned.
The acting is mostly great. Fegley's major studio debut (he has been in smaller films and in TV shows) is impressive. He doesn't speak much, and yet there's a childlike wonder about him that makes him both convincing and charming. Lawrence is also terrific as Natalie, proving to be more than just a capable friend for Pete. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Grace, and she gives a heartfelt, sweet personality to her character. She certainly seems to give more effort here than her role in Jurassic World.
Robert Redford plays her father, and acts as the "narrator" and "storyteller" of the film. He's fun to watch on screen. Karl Urban's villain is decent and he is given a good enough reason behind his actions to avoid falling into the "generic kid's movie villain" trap, but he's far from the most compelling villain to ever be on screen. While Bentley is a good enough as Natalie's father, he isn't really given a whole lot to do.
On another strong note, Elliott is a visual marvel. While he doesn't talk, his facial and body expressions are very believable. In many ways, he is a lot like Toothless from the How to Train Your Dragon movies, though not quite as threatening. The dragon has a few adorable moments as well (particularly when he turns invisible). His and Elliott's relationship is given a few scenes, and their scenes in the forest are touching to watch unfold. Letting Elliott spy on Pete while he's in Natalie's house was a smart move, as without that, Elliott may have been left out of majority of the movie.
The script by director David Lowery and Tony Halbrooks hews very closely to the Disney playbook, with a few more emotional turns than what you might expect. Daniel Hart's music score is sweeping and works well. A few light positive messages on family, kindness and bravery. The film's pacing moves at a steady rate, and ends at the right running time.
On the downside, the only thing I could think of was that the folk tunes were just slightly overused. A few work in the background here and there, but the production team could have reeled back on the use of songs a little bit. There are no musical numbers, with only one brief singing moment by Natalie. But unlike the out-of-place and way out-of-left-field uses of two classic numbers in The Jungle Book, the moment is very sweet, charming, appropriate, and feels like it fits.
Unlike the rest of Disney's library that's being revamped into live-action features, Pete's Dragon isn't a very well-known Disney movie (though it still has its fans, including some of the cast). It's one of a few I have not seen yet (I was planning to before this came out, but didn't get a chance), and the 1977 original is one of a few that really wasn't well-received like some of the classics that came before it.
But this remake in particular is really different from how the original looked. Many critics that have seen both say this is a complete retooling. But now that I have seen this, I am excited to see the original to see how I can compare them. Because this, while not marketed like Disney had a lot of confidence in the picture in the first place, is actually quite remarkable.
Director David Lowery, more known for smaller studio releases, has done three awesome things here. One, he has successfully made an old-fashioned Disney movie relevant for today. Everything here feels like yesteryear. It calls back to a time where Disney movies were more whimsical, wholesome and sweetly memorable without being too sweet (one or two of the Mouse House's latest efforts have been more of a departure from that to a degree). And, at the same time, the movie clearly shows all of what the Mouse House does best; make great family stories.
Secondly, he has made a relatively low-key flick that isn't sold on the visual effects, but the characters. Sure, Elliott is a great dragon, but unlike many other films out today that are praised only for their visual effects, Pete's Dragon thankfully avoids that route. This is a film about a boy's struggle to return to society and find a new family, and the film pictures a mixed family with a few familial issues that are touched upon.
Thirdly, and most impressively, he has retooled (or created) a story in a way that, while simple, engages you to the point where it wins your heart and nearly brings you to tears. He makes you care about these two characters. Finding Dory from earlier this year accomplished the same feat. The boy-and-his-odd friend plot is very unoriginal and has been used many times, but Pete's Dragon has enough emotional heft that it comes pretty close to films that critics have compared the movie favorably to, such as E.T. and The Iron Giant.
With heart, soul, and great characters, Pete's Dragon is a marvel of a film, and a new classic for the whole family to enjoy together. It's not perfect, but it ranks up there with Oz: The Great and Powerful and Enchanted as one of their finest live-action fantasies they've made to date.
Score: 9.1/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Someone says the dragon's eyes burned like "h---fire".
Adult Content: None. It is lightly implied that Jack and Grace are living together unmarried, but it's never really discussed. (We do see a wedding picture of the two of them at the end of the film)
Violence: Pete and his family are involved in a car wreck (it's tastefully handled, we see the car flip slowly from the child's point of view). Pete's parents die in the accident, but we don't see any blood. Pete is threatened by wolves. Elliott causes a few trees to fall. He is shot by a tranquilizer gun and falls from heights a couple of times. Elliott breathes fire once to try and do a few people in (but is later stopped). A car falls from a bridge.
Drugs/Alcohol: None.
Other: A truck is stolen.
