‘Pete’s Dragon’ swoops in for the heart-tugging thrill

OAKES Fegley

A remake of a 1977 Disney film, “Pete’s Dragon” manages to be cute and quite engrossing, even if it’s mostly a safe retackling of the “boy and strange friend against the world” trope.

The friendship between a kid and a unique beast, in this particular instance, starts shortly after a tragedy: Pete (Oakes Fegley), the sole survivor of a car crash, is soon protected by an enormous, furry forest dragon whom he names Elliot, after a canine character from his favorite book.

Pete and Elliot live together in the wilderness for years, playing and surviving without a care in the world, until the arrival of other people in the woods—forest ranger Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), her boyfriend Jack (Wes Bentley), and his daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence)—signals changes in Pete’s life once again.

The film smoothly juxtaposes live action scenes with digitally rendered imagery, bringing together Pete and his pet dragon cohesively. The film by David Lowery stands out visually, presenting a dragon that’s both friendly and imposing. It veers away from the more common, reptilian-looking kind, and it looks solid and impressive.

Story-wise, it feels a lot like “The Good Dinosaur,” “E.T.” and “The Iron Giant,” crossed with elements from “The Jungle Book” and “Tarzan.” Be that as it may, it isn’t a bad mishmash, and focuses on the rapport that Elliot has with his human pal, as well as his effect on someone he met long ago. Grace’s dad, Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford), often tells children odd tales about the mythical monster he saw in the woods some decades back.

“Pete’s Dragon” swoops in for the heart-tugging thrill—it may feel derivative, but it deftly handles its unusual human-dragon bond, while zeroing in on its human protagonists’ family-centric interactions.

ELLIOT and his human friend, Pete (Oakes Fegley)