Pete’s Dragon Summary & Review
I have always been a fan of Disney films. They are quality family movies that appeal to any age. However, no studio can make only perfect films. It’s sad to say, but Disney has made some bad movies. One of which is Pete’s Dragon, a musical from 1977. It’s way too long with too many musical numbers. It’s also populated by one-dimensional characters and too many villains. Now, as a part of their plans to remake all of their animated films into live action, Disney has remade Pete’s Dragon. This version follows an orphan boy named Pete (Oakes Fegley) who has lived in the forest for 6 years. He has been able to survive with the help of a friendly dragon named Elliot. When Pete is discovered by park ranger Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), he is taken back to the human world, and Elliot’s identity is soon revealed to everyone. Pete and Grace, along with her boyfriend Jack (Wes Bentley) and her father (Robert Redford), have to protect Elliot from those who want to harm him. So, how does this Disney live action remake stand against the original?
What I liked about it:
– The story was better than the original. It was more engaging and didn’t feel overly long.
– The performances from the cast were great. Oakes Fegley has a bright future as an actor.
– There were lots of likable characters. I actually cared about them and understood what their intentions were.
– There were a lot of emotional moments. I cried at some points in the film.
– The visuals on Elliot were awesome. He really looked like he existed.
– It had nice moments of comedy to lighten up the dramatic storytelling.
– I liked that it wasn’t a musical like the original. The original had so many musical numbers that I wanted there to be less singing.
– I like that there was more Elliot. The original had almost no dragon in it. I get that they didn’t have the technology to have Elliot in it a lot, but he was in it so infrequently. This one got it right.
What I didn’t like about it:
– Nothing.
Pete’s Dragon is way better than the original, and my new favorite Disney live action remake. It was more engaging than the original, and was full of characters that I could care about. What’s great about this movie is not that it’s a great remake, but it successfully tackles new ground for remakes. It proves that, while it’s OK to remake a movie, we should try and remake bad, unsuccessful movies so they have another chance to be good. If you’re debating which version of Pete’s Dragon to see, see this version. You will have a lot more fun watching this one than the original. I can’t wait to see what Disney will remake next.
