When I reviewed the out-of-the-vaults edition of 1977’s PETE’S DRAGON for the late Starlog Magazine back in 2009 (reposted here), I noted that despite its classic status, the “overall presentation is very dated,” making it a perfect candidate for a remake. When Disney announced that a reimagining of their cherished family film was on the way, I was completely on-board, ready to see the tale of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott (who just so happens to be a dragon) brought into a modern age. After a recent teaser, the first full trailer for the film has arrived, and can be seen below. PETE’S DRAGON stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence and Oscar winner Robert Redford. The film, which is directed by David Lower, is written by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a story by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field.
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.
Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.
Follow the film: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyPetesDragon
