Pete's Dragon [1977]

Customer reviews:

"I Swear I Saw a Dragon!", 2007-09-19
Pete (Sean Marshall) is a poor orphan. He's been adopted by the mean Gogan family run by the matriarch Lena (Shelley Winters). The Gogans make him work from morning til night and beat him for the slightest thing.

So, naturally, he runs away. Only this time he has help in the form of Elliot. Elliot is a dragon. And while he doesn't always think about what he's doing, he means well. And he really wants to help Pete.

Pete and Elliot happen to find the town of Passamaquoddy on the coast of Maine. Their first trip through town doesn't go well, so they find themselves out by the lighthouse, where they make friends with Lampie (Mickey Rooney) the lighthouse keeper and his adult daughter Nora (Helen Reddy). Have they found a real home at last?

Meanwhile, Doc Terminus (Jim Dale) and his assistant Hoagy (Red Buttons) have wandered into town. The Doc is a quack, selling fake potions and running from one town to the next just ahead of the lynch mob. They get word of the dragon and set out to capture him for the money they can make from his body parts. Will they get their hands on Elliot?

This was a favorite movie as a kid, and I still find it entertaining as an adult. Which is surprising when you consider the serious subject matter dealt with. Lampie is an alcoholic and Pete is running away from an abusive home. I think one reason it works is that the villains are so over the top you can't take them too seriously. There's some classic vaudeville in them. Heck, I often feel like booing the bad Doc.

And the music really helps. Yes, this is a musical with 10 songs. Honestly, I love all these songs in their own way. Of course, "Candle on the Water" is the most famous. I think my favorite is "Brazzle Dazzle Day."

Elliot is an animated dragon inhabiting a live action world. While by no means state of the art for today, it does hold up remarkable well for a 30 year old film.

All told, this really is a fun movie that kids of all ages will enjoy. If that's you or your family, sit down and watch this classic today.

Heartwarming musical adventure!, 2007-08-03
Pete's Dragon, originally released in 1977 along with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Rescuers is the heartwarming story of a lonely orphan boy named Pete and his large, invisible friend Elliott the dragon.

Pete is mistreated by his evil adopting family, Lena, Merle, Willie and Grover Gogan and in his misfortunes, Pete talks to his closest friend, a dragon named Elliott who helps him run away from the Gogans and into a new life in the town of Passamaquoddy. After a few days of causing mischief around town, Pete finds shelter in the warm and loving lighthouse of Nora and his father Lampie. Nora, unlike her father, naturally does not believe in the existence of Elliott the dragon, but still allows Pete to let his imagination go wild. Pete soon learns about Paul, Nora's fiancé who sailed off into the sea and was never seen again; Pete promises Nora that Elliott can bring him back and for the sake of Pete's happiness, Nora accepts this promise. Nora, Lampie, Pete and even Elliott are happy and comfortable in their new home, promising each other to keep together forever, unfortunately, before this can be, they'll have to fight against the wicked Doc Terminus and his companion Hoagy, a pair of villains who've discovered the existence of Elliott the dragon and now want to get him to make a profit from his goods. To make matters worse, Doc Terminus counts with the help of the Gogans, who arrive in town just in time to re-claim what rightfully belongs to them.

Although Pete's Dragon has an outstanding story line and one of the most touching ones Disney has ever produced, its strength is really in the musical numbers. The film features about 10 different songs, all of which are great, some of the best in my opinion include the Academy Award nominated "Candle on the Water", "There's Room for Everyone" (A very inspiring and beautiful song) and "Brazzle Dazzle Day" (Very uplifting and cheery).

While the acting may not always be there, the film features great actors and actresses, Jim Dale as Doc Terminus, Shelley Winters as the evil (Yet hilarious!) Lena Gogan, Mickey Rooney as Lampie and Jane Kean as the hilariously wicked school teacher Miss Taylor. Pete's Dragon is certainly a '70s Disney jewel to behold that will be enjoyed by children and those adults who like the good old Disney films of Yesterdayear.

This Gold Collection DVD features decent picture and sound quality but lacks in the amount of bonus features. It includes two original film trailers, different behind the scenes goodies, an interactive "Where's Elliott?" game and a super fun "Lighthouse Keeping" original Disney cartoon starring Donald Duck!

Highly recommended! Also check out other grand '70s Disney films, "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971), "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977) and "The Rescuers" (1977).