Pete's Dragon (1977)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Don Chaffey

Writers:

Malcolm Marmorstein (screenplay)
Seton I. Miller (story) ...

Release Date:

3 November 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

Brazzle Dazzle Brilliance!

Plot:

An orphan boy and his magical dragon come to town with his abusive adoptive parents in pursuit.

Plot Keywords:

Dragon | Orphan | Lighthouse | New England | Lighthouse Keeper

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Helen Reddy	...	Nora
Jim Dale	...	Dr. Terminus
Mickey Rooney	...	Lampie
Red Buttons	...	Hoagy
Shelley Winters	...	Lena Gogan
Sean Marshall	...	Pete
Jane Kean	...	Miss Taylor
Jim Backus	...	The Mayor
Charles Tyner	...	Merle
Gary Morgan	...	Grover
Jeff Conaway	...	Willie
Cal Bartlett	...	Paul
Charlie Callas	...	Elliott (voice)
Walter Barnes	...	Captain
Al Checco	...	Fisherman #1

Also Known As:

Pete y Elliot el Dragon (USA: Spanish title)

Runtime:

128 min | Argentina:130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 | Netherlands:6 (2009) (DVD) | Netherlands:AL (2007) (DVD) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Norway:7 | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

This was the first Disney film to be recorded in the then new Dolby Stereo system.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Everytime someone enters Elliot's cave, you see the same scene of waves in the background with the same color sky. Even if when Norra looks out from the lighthouse it looks black, but then from Elliot's cave which is just down the beach, it's light blue.

Quotes:

Pete: I can't sell you Elliot. I don't own him.
Hoagy: Well what did you do, rent him?
Dr. Terminus: Well who owns him?
Pete: No one, I guess. He just sort of goes to those who need him.
Dr. Terminus: *I* need him! Look deliver Elliot to me and the fiver is yours plus a special growth formula that's guaranteed to bring on puberty about a year early... and that's better than a dragon, eh?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Once Upon a Mouse (1981)

Soundtrack:

I Saw a Dragon

They don't make them like they used to.

I could go on about the acting in this film or the animation or the songs or several other things that most reviews hit but when I think of Pete's Dragon, I remember the way it always made me feel. I can't remember how old I was when I first saw it. It's almost as if it was always a part of my childhood- the movie that I would always watch when I was feeling down and needed a pick me up. Just recently I watched it again for the first time in years and realized how much a part of my life it was. Many of the important lessons of the film- the importance of acceptance, tolerance, love, family- are all things that at the age of 21, I still believe in and support. They are, unfortunately, lessons that many modern children's movies forget in their rush to churn out money makers. It may not be the best in all the traditional categories but in terms of heart and enjoyment, Pete's Dragon deserves a 10. It's a movie that I think all young children should see at least once.