Seems like the current trend with Disney is remaking some of their animated classics as live action blockbusters, and it’s been working out pretty well for them so far. The live action ALICE IN WONDERLAND is getting a sequel with ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS this summer, last year saw a successful update in CINDERELLA, and before that came MALEFICENT. The next entry in this new tradition is PETE’S DRAGON, and this is interesting since the original 1977 version was actually a hybrid of live action and cel animation. The new take is directed by the great David Lowery (AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS), which is most definitely an inspired choice. Lowery may not be a household name, but he’s produced a ton of short films, and is very experienced in editing movies as well – and any good director will tell you, good editing can absolutely make or break a movie. In this update Oakes Fegley plays a young boy named Pete who supposedly lives in the forest with a dragon. Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence and Robert Redford round out the impressive cast. Check out the first poster (above) and first teaser trailer below and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, “Pete’s Dragon” is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon. “Pete’s Dragon” stars Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Oakes Fegley (“This is Where I Leave You”), Wes Bentley (“The Hunger Games”), Karl Urban (“Star Trek”), Oona Laurence (“Southpaw”) and Oscar® winner Robert Redford (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”). The film, which is directed by David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”), is written by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a story by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field and produced by Jim Whitaker, p.g.a. (“The Finest Hours,” “Friday Night Lights”), with Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Great Gatsby”) serving as executive producer.
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.
So far I am intrigued to see how this all plays out. I vividly remember watching Pete’s Dragon in the theaters back in ’77 and even had the VHS tape too. As with most updates and/or sequels, I hope nothing feels forced or obligatory. Getting past that, a good story would make this a good movie for me to enjoy with my kids.