Pete's Dragon

Dir: David Lowery

2016

***

I can't say I was ever a huge fan of Disney's 1977 Pete's Dragon, as much as I liked the cast (Micky Rooney, Jim Dale) I didn't think the mix of live action and animation worked particularly well and Elliot the dragon was a little odd looking. I was much more of a JungleBook kid. So it was nice when David Lowery's 2016 version of the story leaned a little more to Jungle Book than it did Pete's 1977 Dragon. Now that CGI is here many of these old tales can be 're-imagined' generally for a 'new generation of fans', which is of course a money-making cop out most of the time but there are a few cases where it is genuinely nice to see a fresher version of an old story. Lowery's Pete's Dragon ticks all the right boxes as far as this concerns. It's not a particularly unnecessary film, no toes have been trod on and the changes aren't really that drastic so I doubt the hard core fans of the original (if there are any?) will be upset. The story is very simplistic, probably for the best but I did wonder whether there was going to be more to it throughout the movie. It's fairly unoriginal as stories go, not just because it is a remake but this sort of tale has been told time and time again, the only thing changing being the creature in question. I liked Elliot the dragon very much. I think it was wise he didn't speak and I personally loved the fact he was furry. He is basically a giant dog and there is nothing wrong with that. I did think he appeared a little too soon in the story though a there was no anticipation, no build up or big reveal. Elliot's image was missing from all the film's promotion and only his tale was visible on the poster. I thought he'd have a big entrance, a key scene future generations would remember and something the film would become famous for but it's as if they didn't even try or weren't even bothered about that kind of thing, maybe they weren't, I have no problem with that, I just think they missed a trick. There were quite a lot of 'big music run-and-hug' scenes, too many for my liking. Two characters wouldn't see each other for literally five minutes but when they are reunited they stop, look at each other from about 30 meters away, big music starts and they run and embrace. Once, towards the end usually, is quite enough for one film. The performances were acceptable, Robert Redford being the big name (and seemingly paid per word). Bryce Dallas Howard is the film's 'I've seen better/I've seen worse' good guy while Karl Urban is the film's 'I've seen better/I've seen worse' bad guy. It's really nothing special but it's still good. Good, nice and fine. Nothing more and nothing less. Kids will love it and adults won't hate it, which is pretty much all you could ask for from a children's movie adaptation these days. I thought David Lowery was a little cheeky by featuring his own Children's book in the story (Elliot Gets Lost) but fair play to him, he's an opportunist but one who can back himself up with talent and integrity.