Live Action Discussions: Pete's Dragon

[ichabod]

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Pete's Dragon (1977)



Originally released - 3 November 1977
Directors - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0149548/">Don Chaffey</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089940/">Don Bluth</a>

Main Cast
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0551171/">Sean Marshall</a> - Pete
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0714761/">Helen Reddy</a> - Nora
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0714761/">Jim Dale<a> - Dr Terminus
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001682/">Mickey Rooney</a> - Lampie
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001859/">Shelley Winters</a> - Lena Gogan
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000999/">Red Buttons</a> - Hoagy
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001063/">Jeff Conaway</a> - Willie
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0130324/">Charlie Callas</a> - Elliott (voice)

Songs
In These Hills
I Love You Too
I Saw a Dragon
It's Not Easy
Passamaquoddy
Candle on the Water
Every Little Piece
Brazzle Dazzle Day
Bill of Sale

Academy Award Nominations
Best Music, Original song - "Candle on the Water" <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0440517/">Al Kasha</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0386610/">Joel Hirschhorn</a>
Best Music, Original score - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0440517/">Al Kasha</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0386610/">Joel Hirschhorn</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0467348/">Irwin Kostal</a>

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Pete, a young orphan, runs away to a Maine fishing town with his best friend -- a lovable, sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott! When they are taken in by a kind lighthouse keeper, Nora (Helen Reddy), and her father (the legendary Mickey Rooney), Elliott's prank playing lands them in big trouble. Then, when crooked salesmen try to capture Elliott for their own gain, Pete must attempt a daring rescue. This fun-filled Disney classic, with its Oscar-nominated soundtrack and wonderful story about the value of friendship, is the perfect DVD for the whole family!

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Well what to say about 'Pete's Dragon' It's one of Disney big three live action musicals. It's a wonderful film, will plenty of action, story and heart.

The casting for this film must be addressed, it's nothing short of amazing. Big Hollywood names cram this film from Mickey Rooney to Shelley Winters, and there's even an unrecogniseable Jeff Conaway a year before he appeared in "Grease". The acting is superb from the villainous Gogans to the wonderful talent of the young Sean Marshall. Perhaps the one character who is ever so slightly flat is Helen Reddy's character, Nora. Whilst she does pack a fair bit of screen time in taking in Pete whilst pining over her missing boyfriend, there is a slight feeling that her character needed a touch more oomph to her. But she's still a very pleasing character wonderfully played by Helen Reddy, who gets to shine and pine with the OSCAR nominated song "Candle on the Water".

Moving on to the songs, the score is simply wonderful. Granted it's not packed with show stopping songs destined to be as memorable as "Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious" or "Beautiful Briny Sea", but they are nonetheless first class, but in a more modest sort of way. Each is truly a well written song which serves its purpose and there's no wonder the score was nominated for an OSCAR.

The film obviously had the cash splashed on it and it shows, the scenes of the busy town and harbor are packed with extras, and you have to marvel at the song and dance scenes, which in some case must have close to a hundred people undertaking some form of action. Likewise Disney building a full size lighthouse just for the film also shows dedication to it.There are some shots in the film which are simply breathtaking. During the song 'Brazzle Dazzle Day', the direction is brilliant, with the camera following the actors up the side of the lighthouse and circling round, truly is wonderful to watch.

Of course the mention of the film's animation needs addressing, Elliott the Dragon is a wonderful character and superbly animated. The scenes where he and Pete interact are very charming and very well done.

All in all, I find Pete's Dragon to be an amazingly charming and wonderful film. It perhaps doesn't get the recognition it should and "Mary Poppins" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" probably spring to mind before this does. But it definitely needs revisiting in a 2 disc set. Whilst it's current DVD is one of the more hefty in terms of the gold collection in terms of bonus features, the majority has little to do with the making of the film and I'd love to here more about that. For instance the making of the film and the building of sets and the casting, and on the side of the animation which such names as Don Bluth and Glen Keane involved it would be wonderful to hear about their memories. Especially about the design of Elliott and the reasons behind him not appearing to have been Xeroxed as the other films of the time were (I assume it has something to do with the combination with life action), Yes the film definitely needs a 2 disc set and if rumors are true that an even longer 134 minute is hiding somewhere I hope it sees the light of day, with this being the film's 30th anniversary there's no time like the present!
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Next time: Secrets of Life

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[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Might as well post before Aaron does.

What's really left to say? Ichabod nailed it all. Good animation, excellent music, a great cast, and a story that's simply charming. It might have minor flaws, but it's pure fun and enjoyment make this film feel flawless.


It may not be a well remembered film, but it's still a very good one. And since it is fairly popular(popular enough for Elliot to get a place in Disney's Electrical Parade) I echo ichabod, give us a 30th Anniversary Edition DVD!

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Pete's Dragon has always looked like a fun film. I have not seen it, although it has been on my mind for awhile. It looks like a good picture, an animated dragon in a human world sounds imaginative. I think that it is kinda funny that Mr. Bluth worked on this picture.

Hopefully, a 30th Anniversary Edition will come out this year, so I can snag it and take a liking to it.

[Mason_Ireton]

Of course the mention of the film's animation needs addressing, Elliott the Dragon is a wonderful character and superbly animated. The scenes where he and Pete interact are very charming and very well done.

I agree that Elliott is such a Chaplin-esque character, he remains loyal to Pete even when he accidently ruins Pete's 1st day in Passamaquady, The animation is so realistic that you think they pulled an pre Roger Rabbit move on the style of Elliott.

The film may be remember for Elliott/Candle In The Water, but it's well due for a 2 disc 30th aniversary Platinum Edition.

write back please

Sign Mason

[ichabod]

I think that it is kinda funny that Mr. Bluth worked on this picture.

Why is that? You are aware Don Bluth worked on a number of animated projects from Sleeping Beauty onwards before setting up his own studio?

[Wonderlicious]

Perhaps I need to see it again, but since entering adulthood, I've found Pete's Dragon to be a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, there are some nice songs and the scenes with Elliot are good. However, it also feels a bit padded in places (some of the scenes with the doctor villain go on forever), is rather cheesy in places and seems to have a feeling of "what would Walt do" that many people seem to criticise a lot of the Disney films from the 70s of, in this case practically forcing the winning elements of Mary Poppins into it.

If a 2 Disc edition came out, I'd probably get it. Or if it came on TV again, I'd probably watch it again (in a clear out two years ago, I threw out, along with many recorded videos, the tape that had this and Bedknobs and Broomsticks taped off TV). But I'm not going to rush down to the shops in an instant just to pick up a copy of Pete's Dragon.

Oh, despite having never truly seen it, I've always liked the look of the Pete's Dragon float in the Main Street Electrical Parade.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I think that it is kinda funny that Mr. Bluth worked on this picture.

Why is that? You are aware Don Bluth worked on a number of animated projects from Sleeping Beauty onwards before setting up his own studio?

I thought that the movie was older than it was, and I thought that Mr. Bluth was older than he actually is too. I was unaware that he worked on SB, I wonder what he worked on?

[memnv]

Miscellaneous Crew - filmography
(1980s) (1970s) (1950s)

An American Tail (1986) (title designer)
The Secret of NIMH (1982) (animation director) (layout artist)
... aka Mrs. Brisby and the Rats of NIMH
Xanadu (1980) (animator)


The Small One (1978) (lyricist: "The Merchant's Song", "Small One")
Pete's Dragon (1977) (animation director)
The Rescuers (1977) (key animator)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) (animator)
Journey Back to Oz (1974) (layout artist)
Robin Hood (1973) (character animator)


Sleeping Beauty (1959) (assistant animator) (uncredited)

[Escapay]

Yes the film definitely needs a 2 disc set and if rumors are true that an even longer 134 minute is hiding somewhere I hope it sees the light of day, with this being the film's 30th anniversary there's no time like the present!

The rumors are true...

The initial premiere cut ran 134 minutes, but for the general release, 13 minutes was cut, yielding a 121 minute version. In 1980, the film was re-released in a 128-minute form (which has an alternate version of "I Saw A Dragon" and is the most used version of the film and the one on DVD). But the home video release was time-compressed to 101 minutes, and they cut out "Candle on the Water". This home video cut was also used in the 1984 re-release, and even a later television version of the film was cut to 94 minutes.

According to Mouse Under Glass there was one particularly long sequence cut even before the 134-minute version premiered. Doc Terminus and Hoagy try and find Elliot by following Pete and Nora around the market, and throwing paint around them, hoping it'll catch onto Elliot. Instead, it gets on nearly everyone else and a fight results, but Pete and Nora are oblivious to it as they leave. Turns out Elliot was out to sea searching for Paul.

Escapay

[MickeyMousePal]

Pete's Dragon is a wonderful film lets hope Disney doesn't make a remake out of this film. Pete's Dragon has humor, action and musical all into one. Pete's Dragon will probably end up in my top 10 of Disney live action movies.

[IluvDisneyMovies]

I love this movie, it one of my favorite live action disney movie. I loved the soundtrack to this movie.

[goofystitch]

This has always been a favorite of mine. I prefer it to Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The music is so catchy. I was so happy when Disney finally released the soundtrack on CD a few years back. To me, this film has a lot more heart than Bedknobs and Broomsticks. That film is entertaining, but I can't care about the people in it. I root for Pete and Nora getting their happy ending. Also, I think the Grogans are probably the funniest live action Disney villians ever. I love watching their creepy faces pop out of the trees during the "In These Hills" musical sequence and "Bill of Sale" is a highlight when they all go flying into the water. The song "Passamaquoddy" is genus lyric writing. I've always been amazed at the blend of the animated Elliott with live action, especially when Elliott swings Pete in his arms. If a 2-disc set is ever released, I'm there. I'm pleased with the Gold Collection version, but being such a huge fan of this film, I'm dying for some meaty bonus features about the making of. To remake this film today would be insane. It's perfect already. Leave it be. Although if a remake is the only way a 2-disc set will see the light of day, than I guess I could live with it. lol.

P.S: Steven Spielberg was such a big fan of this film as a kid that in 1982, he made his own Elliott film, E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial.

[Escapay]

Steven Spielberg was such a big fan of this film as a kid

Funny, I didn't know that being 30 is still considered being a kid!

Spielberg: December 18, 1946
Pete's Dragon: November 3, 1977

Escapay

[blackcauldron85]

I love "Pete's Dragon"! The music is some of my favorite Disney music. Elliott is such a lovable character. And Elliott's animation is excellent. Great story, great songs, great animation, great everything!

[goofystitch]

Escapay wrote:

Funny, I didn't know that being 30 is still considered being a kid! Razz

Spielberg: December 18, 1946
Pete's Dragon: November 3, 1977

I didn't realize he was that old! I got my information from the book "Mouse Under Glass" by David Koenig. It is found on page 165 and it says

Pete"s Dragon received generally harsh reviews upon its release. Yet, even if the movie wasn't an all-time classic, it did help to inspire one. Steven Spielberg reportedly said that if not for Pete's Dragon, he never would have made his own Elliott movie, E.T.

[slave2moonlight]

I would venture to say that, among the general public, "Pete's Dragon" is probably more well known than "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," though most Disney fans probably hold Bedknobs in higher regard. Bedknobs is probably as respected for its similarities to "Mary Poppins" as it is slammed for them. However, I don't really see any major similarities between "Pete's Dragon" and "Mary Poppins," except for the live-action/animation mix, and I don't think that's something that could be labeled an attempt at copying MP.

Anyway, having said that, I am a big "Pete's Dragon" fan. LOVE the film! I can remember seeing it in theaters as a kid. Since I was two when it came out though, it was probably a rerelease. However, I know I was very little, so who knows... Anyways, it's funny how one person's least favorite aspects might be another person's favorites. For me, the best scenes are those with Doc Terminus and Hoagy! I LOVE that pair, and I LOVE their songs! Of course, all the songs in this film are great, "Candle on the Water" being simply beautiful. There is something dated about the film, no doubt, be it the cast or the wonderful score, but not at all in a bad way. The animation is fantastic, and, of course, any scene with Elliott in it is a fave too. They did a fantastic job making Elliott seem real, even as an invisible creature most of the time. When you're a little kid, that scene of him moving around with the tarp over him toward the end is amazing! And the Gogans are pretty darn scary! Especially in the beginning! One of my strongest memories as a kid was of the Gogans covered in mud and looking absolutely horrifying to me! I remember a kid at school had a lunchbox of the film, and that was one of the images on it! I always wanted a plush Elliott as a kid. I had seen one I really liked once but didn't get. I did get one later though, when Sears' toy department was taken over by Disney stuff one year. That was some year! They even had a plush Mr. Toad, which I need to Ebay someday. I have that Elliott somewhere in my "stuffed animal mountain" in the corner of my room, but I do have a PVC figure of Elliott on display on one of my shelves. Used to have a bendable Elliott somewhere (though one of the wires was sticking out) and the book and record, but not sure if I still have either of those.

I love the current DVD of this film, especially because of the featurette on Loch Ness!!! That's the kind of extra feature I wish more Disney DVDs would have! Still, a 2-disc version would be more than welcome, especially if it was an extended cut!

[jediliz]

I like Pete's Dragon. I think they had better release a 30th anniversary edition before Mickey Rooney passes away.

[ichabod]

According to Mouse Under Glass there was one particularly long sequence cut even before the 134-minute version premiered. Doc Terminus and Hoagy try and find Elliot by following Pete and Nora around the market, and throwing paint around them, hoping it'll catch onto Elliot. Instead, it gets on nearly everyone else and a fight results, but Pete and Nora are oblivious to it as they leave. Turns out Elliot was out to sea searching for Paul.

Now that I would like to see!

I would venture to say that, among the general public, "Pete's Dragon" is probably more well known than "Bedknobs and Broomsticks,"

Really? You see I's say it was the other way around with Bedknobs being the more well known.

Anyway another interesting point. I think I read somewhere and I can't remember where, but I sure I read something about Pete's Dragon being amongst the top 10 selling DVDs in the UK. Although this probably had more to do with the fact that about 3 years after the DVDs UK release Woolworths were giving it away for about £2.99 for about 3 solid months, rather than the film being popular. If we delve into this history of the UK DVD sales charts thread <a href="http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/vie ... 0">here</a>, you can see how much those sales did for it.

[slave2moonlight]

Well, I'm thinking specifically about within the United States, where I am, when I say that Pete's Dragon is, as my guess, the more well known. Here in the U.S., the average person (as in, non-Disney obsessed person) doesn't seem to know much at all about pre-Eisner, live-action Disney films, with the exception of Mary Poppins, Pete's Dragon, and a few others, like Parent Trap, Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson, and movies of that nature. Bedknobs seems to teeter on the line of being one of those better known ones, and being amongst the little knowns, where you find most oldschool Disney live-action, even Darby O'Gill and the Little People.

[UrsushH.Bear]

Two thoughts to add to what has already been said. First- The music in this (as in many other disney musicals) holds it's own to the point it could be converted to a stage play. "In these hills" prolouges the story so effectively- it rivals "Belle" from BatB. If they could just figure how to do Elliot on stage- and update a bit- it could be Broadway.

I also thought this would lend a hand at a sequil, or series with Elliot going around helping other children.

all in all- solid story and a great flick to watch as a family.