Disney’s Elliot a creature of comfort for kids
|||Pete’s Dragon
DIRECTOR: David Lowery
CAST: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence
CLASSIFICATION: PG
RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes
RATING: 3 stars (out of 5)
BY THERESA SMITH
Sweet and charming, Pete’s Dragon is heart-warming Disney fare.
The eco-friendly story emphasises that believing in things you cannot see is not easy, but worthwhile.The adventure in the forest film is a remake of Disney’s live-action/ animated film from 1977.
Here, too, the dragon is the animated character, but unlike in the original, this dragon is not only in a child’s imagination.This dragon is furry and green (I think the 3D at Cavendish Ster- Kinekor turns everything dark and muddy, but the trailer online suggests brilliant green) and like a huge, overgrown puppy that can fly. The dragon rescues little 5-year-old Pete (Levi Alexander initially) from wolves after his family is involved in a car accident and off they set on their own adventure.
This opening sequence is quite scary, earning the film its PG classification. Pete (Fegley for the rest of the film) names his new friend Elliot and the two live deep in the forest for several years until loggers encroach on their territory and the little boy becomes fascinated by the people he meets.Protective Elliot tries to track down the boy, but his newfound human friends have their own reasons for wanting to look after him.
This being a Disney film, it glosses over all sorts of questions of logic (like, what was his life and bond like with Elliot and how could he have a working vocabulary when the dragon doesn’t talk?) and places a lot of emphasis on human family bonds.Pete is initially found by forest ranger Grace (Howard) who is more perturbed by how she could have missed a dragon in the forest than a little boy. Her woodcarving father Meacham (Redford narrates the story) is the one who reminds her that there are more things on heaven and earth than she has ever seen and encourages her to open her mind - such a Disney theme, but admirable nonetheless.
Grace’s boyfriend Jack (Bentley) remains two steps behind his brother Gavin (Urban) who is determined to track down this dragon he has always heard stories about, but in the end the family bond triumphs over concerns of whom saw what first.
While it isn’t a musical like the original, the score is important, helping the characters to segue through three different car trips – the score features Americana folk sounds like Leonard Cohen and Bonnie “Prince” Billy with input from violinist Lindsey Stirling. The kid actors are cute, the adults are solid if not exactly deep and, unlike the opening sequence, the rest of the film is not as scary. The rest of the film is within the bounds of what most under-10- year-olds can handle – since the dragon turns out to be the kind you want to be friends with he is not the scary part, rather the menace comes from humans who are scared of the dragon.
If you liked Bridge to Terabitha or The NeverEnding Story, you will like this.