Pete's Dragon: Twice Revisited

disneyfella · Post by **disneyfella** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 10:17 am

In response to a recent comment on the quality of Pete's Dragon DVD, while I was at Wal-Mart picking up some long awaited disney releases I thought I'd go ahead and get it just to add to my collection. What I came home with was a good suprise. I thought it would be bad picture quality or sound quality or hardly any good features as per the comment made on the message board. However, I got a widescreen 16X9 enhanced picture not perfect, but the best it's looked yet complete with special features to rival any gold collection release. It had an excerpt from the 1980s tv show the Disney Family Album, a classic short called Man , Monsters, and Mysteries all about the Loch Ness Monster with voices Sterling Holloway and Sebastian Cabot (I totally remembered this one after I saw it) complete with live action interviews of local nessie spotters, a donald duck short never before released (lighthouse keeping), an excerpt from The Plausible Impssible Walt Disney Presents episode (which I already had on my Walt Disney Treasures Dvd anyway but still enjoyed), A set top game which after completing had a very short but suprisingly nice ORIGINAL montage documentary about dragons, 3 prduction still galleries (not with much art, but rare on a Gold Collection), Two, count them, 2 theatrical trailers (the international trailer and the american one both for the rerelease to theaters. not the original one but hey at least they're vintage disney trailers), a film facts section, and a surround sound that from the start of the dvd was delightful to hear (i.e. the gogans calling for Pete in the beginning came from random speakers all around the room). Now, I'm not saying this was my favorite disney dvd to get or watch, but a definite fun one to revisit and a great suprise to find all that content on the disc. Also it has 24 minutes of footage restored back in the film (it's not the original 135 minutes, but this dvd is the rerelease cut lasting 129minutes. The original VHS release was only 104 minutes as per a cut made in the 80s don't ask me why). Honestly, though, for only $14.44 at you local Wal-Mart store, why not? It'll be a while before Disney rereleases this one DVD let alone a better edition of it.

disneyfella · Post by **disneyfella** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 10:21 am

Alas, though, I didn't find an insert. Maybe it's a new shipment and there really is one. If anyone has the DVD of it let me know if there's an insert

MickeyMouseboy · Post by **MickeyMouseboy** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 10:54 am

mine came with the insert but of course i got mine when the GC DVD came out 2 years ago

philipp616 · Post by **philipp616** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 11:02 am

In my DVD of petes dragon is an insert .

Ariel · Post by **Ariel** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 10:14 am

Mine came with an insert as well...back in the day when Disney was doing inserts. I took offense to that comment about Pete's Dragon the other day too.

Here I was sitting at my desk thinking "What the heck is wrong with Pete's Dragon?" I love watching it with my kids.

Loomis · Post by **Loomis** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 5:54 pm

I was almost going to buy Pete's Dragon the other day, but 2099net wouldn't let me

I've actually read similar revews for the local version that describe a similarly shabby print of the film, albeit longer than the last version we got here.

I'll have to watch it again before I buy it I think...

Post by **Luke** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 7:18 pm

It does seem rather loaded, particularly when compared to the effortless no-frills releases for stuff like The Moon-Spinners and Absent Minded Professor. Still haven't seen Pete's Dragon yet, though.

MickeyMouseboy · Post by **MickeyMouseboy** » Thu Jun 19, 2003 12:32 am

i bought the moon-spinners it sucks that it wasnt widescreen, i hate when the crop and screw their movies!

Loomis · Post by **Loomis** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 7:54 pm

disneyfella wrote:...an excerpt from The Plausible Impssible Walt Disney Presents episode (which I already had on my Walt Disney Treasures Dvd anyway but still enjoyed...

The R4 edition has just come out and I was reading a review for it here:
http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/Re ... sp?ID=3070

It says that we miss out on:
- The Reluctant Dragon animated short.
- The Plausible Impossible with Walt Disney.

The former isn't true is it?
And as for the latter, exactly how long is it? I just want to know whether I should pick up the local (at a cheap price too!) or go for the R1 version?

I'm a completist and all

disneyfella · Post by **disneyfella** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 8:09 pm

No, unless there's an easter egg that i haven't found, there is NO reluctant dragon cartoon on the R1 disc. The plausible impossible segment lasts I think 3-5 minutes or something. I wouldn't spend that much money for that though. I think the reason it was taken off was BECAUSE it's now available on the disney treasures tin. If they aren't out in Australia yet, that's a good sign that the walt disney treasures will be coming soon. Alas, in my opinion your biggest loss is the two theatrical trailers that aren't there. I think they are completely delightful and something vintage i'm glad to keep in my library. granted as said before, they aren't the original theatrical trailer anyway so don't feel like there's a whole lot more to go out and get. I'm not sure of the price difference between getting R1 and R4 for you is, but I probably wouldn't pay the extra for it. a good movie that i'd definitely recommend and, hey, at least it's in its original aspect ratio. let me know how it all goes.

Loomis · Post by **Loomis** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 8:54 pm

Thanks for the advice, Disneyfella.

I'll probably get the local version.

Despite warnings not to get Pete's Dragon at all from certain people on this board who shall not be named...

Chernabog · Post by **Chernabog** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:50 am

When I read Luke´s review of this DVD a couple of weeks back, I thought that I must see this film again soon. But until now I haven´t had the time.
This is a film that slumber on my shelves and have always done, since I first bought it in the 80´s. It´s not one of my favorites - but I like the music and songs very much!
I have the film in a couple of versions (this feature have been very bad treated by Disney when it has been edited more than one time!) but today I chose the Restored Golden Collection DVD from 2001 to look to (in fact I have not seen this film since this DVD was released).

The first thing that puzzles me with this release is that they released an edited version. In change from Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Happiest Millionaire (the latter released by Anchor Bay) which also were restored to full possible original format, Pete´s Dragon isn´t so!
This DVD runs for 129 minutes, and the theatrical release was 135 min!
Noone has ever mentioned these missing minutes as far as I have noticed in any tread.
What was in them?
More of Helen Reddy´s critizised performance, which helped the film to sunk when it was released in 1977?

I think that critizism was unjustified. Helen Reddy is one of the films plus I think. The thing that I can´t stand with this feature is the over-acting from most of the actors. It sounds like they read aloud from a book sometimes, or their body language is too odd for the thing that they are doing in a scene, and so on.
It´s only Jim Dale who doesn´t overact in the film. I simply LOVE him and his crazy money-hunting performance of the Doc.
Another anoying thing is the sometimes stupied (and I most say meaningless) choreography - take the silly dance in the bar for an example (a scene that was edited out here in Sweden!)

Here we have never seen the full version - even in the cinemas.
The film was cut to 106 minutes when it was released here.

I remember that I thought "jippie, now I will see the complete film for the first time" when the Golden Collection DVD appeared in 2001 - but I was rather disappointed when it came in my hands and I realized that it also was edited - maybe we will never see the full print on the home market.

Or do anyone know how long the first video release of this feature was, when it first appeared in the 80´s?

disneyfella · Post by **disneyfella** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:04 am

i actually liked the film, but it may be for more sentimental value than motion picture credit. the film did receive a lot of cuts a la happiest millionaire and bedknobs and broomsticks. the most obvious of which is the reprise of "candle on the water". this is found on the cd soundtrack but does NOT appear in the film. the biggest cut of the film was made in the 80's, and gave the original video release a running time of only 104 minutes. the dvd however has added back in about 24 minutes of it back into the film. the new running time is 129 minutes. this is lacking only 6 minutes of film time which deviates from the original 135 minutes theatrical premiere cut. other than the reprise song (which lasts about 1-2 minutes MAX!) i'm not sure what else was cut. also, i don't know if disney even has whatever footage is missing!!!!! the dvd case says 'completely resotred audio and video', but obviously they lied again. i agree, jim dale was perfect casting, but honestly i feel the whole movie (while long at some points) is just a fun and warm movie to watch. any kid would love to have a dragon and i think that was the appeal. also, shelly winters as mrs. gogan is a scream! hope this helps, and if anyone finds out what kind of stuff is missing from this movie let me know too. this was a good question.

by the way, take a look at this thread if it has any info on pete's dragon that you may need too:

http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/vie ... tes+dragon

Chernabog · Post by **Chernabog** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:14 am

Oups Disneyfella, I think I was too lazy again!

I should have search for this in the forum but didn´t - almost all I wrote was spoken of by you before!
Maybe Luke should take my tread away!

disneyfella · Post by **disneyfella** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 12:08 pm

ha ha ha ha ha

, no big deal. we all do it every now and again. but seriously if you find out what was cut, be sure and let me know.........i'm on a mission now.

*singing mission impossible theme music*

dun dun.....dun dun, dun dun......dun dun..... badaba.......badaba......badaba.......bada....dun dun dun ....

*runs off to search engines in bold and daring quest for answers*

i will return my faithful friends.....and if i don't, loomis can have all my christmas dvds

Post by **Luke** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 3:43 pm

Better yet, let me try a super-cool thread merge - the latest technology! Done...and it worked too!

Interesting comments from both disneyfella and Chernabog...and I agree with a lot of what you're saying.

I really don't have any knowledge as to what is missing from the DVD version. All I know is that it seems to have undergone several different incarnations.

I do like the film, but some of it doesn't work for me. Jim Dale is great in it, for sure.

DVDizzy Forum

Latest Movie Reviews

🎬 DVDizzy Top Stories️️

Pete's Dragon: Twice Revisited

An old calssic revisited: Pete's Dragon

Re: An old calssic revisited: Pete's Dragon

Pete´s Dragon Revisited