Pete's Dragon (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Pete's Dragon' (directed by Don Chaffey) divides its time btwn. its human characters & an animated green dragon. Set in turn-of-the-century Maine, we meet Pete, a cute little red-haired boy played by newcomer Sean Marshall, & Elliott is his loveable, fire-breathing, often invisible dragon friend; who likes to bounce, beep, & fly around joyfully. This duo is inseparable companions. And together, they run away from the filthy, snaggle-toothed Gogan family (Mama Gogan is Shelley Winters), who have bought Pete from an orphanage for $50 & mean to keep him as their slave.
Pete & Elliott escape & wind up in Passamaquoddy, a sleepy seaside town with a populace that includes Jim Backus as the fumbling, bumbling mayor, Mickey Rooney as Lampie, the charming, if alcoholic lighthouse-keeper, Helen Reddy as his daughter Nora, and both Jim Dale & Red Buttons as a pair of dastardly medicine salesmen who descend upon the quiet town with their phony lotions & potions. Nora (who is sad that her fiancee is lost at sea) takes-in Pete, but fails to believe him that his dragon pal, Elliott, is real. And really, could ya blame her?
When the Jim Dale/Red Buttons characters get wind of a mythical dragon in town, they immediately plot his capture; thinking that they'll make $$ on him in the circus. And with the conniving Gogan family closing in to steal back Pete, Nora will have her hands full trying to protect him from their clutches. Everything culminates in a climactic sequence in a storm. And because this is a Disney film ... every time anything happens, the characters are sure to sing about it {haha}.
Now, I don't think this movie is as classic as 1964's Mary Poppins - which also blends human characters with state of the art animation. But I'd put it on par with 1971's Bedknobs & Broomsticks. That is to say: 2 movies that completely enchanted me in my childhood, and of which I can watch now & appreciate it them, still. Gosh, I ate this movie up as a kid. The breezy storyline, pleasant performances, loveable heroes (Elliot makes for a sweet, emotive dragon), vaudevillian villains, nifty setting, wonderful songs, & fun adventures that Pete gets into it made me want to BE Pete as I watched.
Some people may argue that the film is a tad too long for kids. And it has received criticism for its use of alcohol in the film; though, one of my favorite scenes is when Lampie drunkenly sings "I Saw a Dragon" in the local saloon. That entire sequence brings a warm smile to my face. I just couldn't get enough of 'Pete's Dragon' when I was young; wanting to watch it over & over again. From a technical standpoint, 'Pete's Dragon' offers crisp cinematography, enchanting 19th c. locales, great special effects (with that animation), and as mentioned, those songs.
They include: I Love You, Too, Passamaquoddy, It's Not Easy, Brazzle Dazzle Day, There's Room for Everyone in this World (where I wanted to jump through the screen & join the fun as Nora & the town's children sing & play), Bill of Sale (where Nora fights to keep the nasty Gogans from stealing back Pete), and of course ... Candle on the Water - in which Nora looks out at the ominous sea & sings achingly for her assumed-dead fiancee to find her lighthouse in the dark. I find 'Pete's Dragon' to be a gem in the canon of Disney movie musicals. It's as amiable as it is ambitious. And I get goosebumps thinking about it even now.
Pete & Elliott escape & wind up in Passamaquoddy, a sleepy seaside town with a populace that includes Jim Backus as the fumbling, bumbling mayor, Mickey Rooney as Lampie, the charming, if alcoholic lighthouse-keeper, Helen Reddy as his daughter Nora, and both Jim Dale & Red Buttons as a pair of dastardly medicine salesmen who descend upon the quiet town with their phony lotions & potions. Nora (who is sad that her fiancee is lost at sea) takes-in Pete, but fails to believe him that his dragon pal, Elliott, is real. And really, could ya blame her?
When the Jim Dale/Red Buttons characters get wind of a mythical dragon in town, they immediately plot his capture; thinking that they'll make $$ on him in the circus. And with the conniving Gogan family closing in to steal back Pete, Nora will have her hands full trying to protect him from their clutches. Everything culminates in a climactic sequence in a storm. And because this is a Disney film ... every time anything happens, the characters are sure to sing about it {haha}.
Now, I don't think this movie is as classic as 1964's Mary Poppins - which also blends human characters with state of the art animation. But I'd put it on par with 1971's Bedknobs & Broomsticks. That is to say: 2 movies that completely enchanted me in my childhood, and of which I can watch now & appreciate it them, still. Gosh, I ate this movie up as a kid. The breezy storyline, pleasant performances, loveable heroes (Elliot makes for a sweet, emotive dragon), vaudevillian villains, nifty setting, wonderful songs, & fun adventures that Pete gets into it made me want to BE Pete as I watched.
Some people may argue that the film is a tad too long for kids. And it has received criticism for its use of alcohol in the film; though, one of my favorite scenes is when Lampie drunkenly sings "I Saw a Dragon" in the local saloon. That entire sequence brings a warm smile to my face. I just couldn't get enough of 'Pete's Dragon' when I was young; wanting to watch it over & over again. From a technical standpoint, 'Pete's Dragon' offers crisp cinematography, enchanting 19th c. locales, great special effects (with that animation), and as mentioned, those songs.
They include: I Love You, Too, Passamaquoddy, It's Not Easy, Brazzle Dazzle Day, There's Room for Everyone in this World (where I wanted to jump through the screen & join the fun as Nora & the town's children sing & play), Bill of Sale (where Nora fights to keep the nasty Gogans from stealing back Pete), and of course ... Candle on the Water - in which Nora looks out at the ominous sea & sings achingly for her assumed-dead fiancee to find her lighthouse in the dark. I find 'Pete's Dragon' to be a gem in the canon of Disney movie musicals. It's as amiable as it is ambitious. And I get goosebumps thinking about it even now.