Pete’s Dragon is much more than a remake of the 1977 Disney classic; it’s an incredible reimagining of the story and a terrific upgrade on the original. After Cinderella and The Jungle Book, Disney is three for three on their live-action treatments.
This remake follows the outline of the original in that it tells the story of a young orphan named Pete whose parents die in a car accident and he lives in the woods and befriends a dragon named Elliott who remains invisible to everyone except Pete. When Pete (Oakes Fegley) is 11, he discovers a group of lumberjacks and park rangers close to where and Elliott live. He’s soon spotted by a female park ranger named Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard).
Grace wants to bring Pete home to her and her family. Wes Bentley plays her husband Jack and they have a young daughter named Natalie (Oona Lawrence). Robert Redford gives a soothing and effective supporting performance as Grace’s father.
Karl Urban plays Jack’s brother and a hunter in the party operating in the area where Pete and Elliott live. It isn’t long before Urban and his party see Elliott face to face and he immediately finds his chance at becoming rich and famous by trying to capture the dragon.
Pete’s Dragon proves to be not just another Disney remake, but a great-looking movie where the special effects don’t upstage the actors, but it makes them inhabit the world very easily. Instead of becoming a novelty, the character of Elliott is a fully-fleshed, fully-realized, three-dimensional character and any given scene is totally convincing and we forget we’re looking at wonderfully-rendered CG.
This movie has a great amount of heart and soul and when it does intentionally pull for the heartstrings, it certainly earns its moments. It’s bittersweet without being manipulative and heartfelt without becoming cloying.
Pete’s Dragon isn’t worthy of comparison to the original. I think it’s better. Much better.
Grade: A-
(Rated PG for action, peril, and brief language.)
