 Director: David Lowery Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Robert Redford Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Genre(s): Drama Rated: PG (For action, peril and brief language) |
Disney has been on a kick of taking many of their older
films and remaking them for modern audiences.
My feelings on the remakes have been mixed. My stance for the whole endeavor has always
been “if there can be improvements made on the old one, then give this new one
a try.” I have little interest in
re-watching something I’ve already viewed, but so far these live action remakes
have been largely successful (“Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book”), with a few
noticeable misfires (“Maleficent,” “Alice Through the Looking Glass”). To my knowledge, “Pete’s Dragon” may be the
first live action remake of an old Disney film they’ve attempted. Yes, the title dragon Elliot was animated,
but the original film was 89% live action.
This is also a situation where a remake was truly in order, as the
original movie is not something I would consider to be a good movie, and there
was PLENTY of room for improvement!
What is interesting is that director David Lowery (who also
helped write the screenplay) manages to tackle both these issues in one swoop:
“Pete’s Dragon” is a reimagining of the older film to where it only has
similarities on the surface, and it is also a much better movie than the
original to boot. Granted, one thing I
do miss about the original is the 2D animation that was used to bring Elliot to
life. There is a reason the animation
(which was headed by future director Don Bluth) was a highlight for audiences
and critics everywhere; it was fun and energetic. The Elliot in this version is made with
computer animation as opposed to drawings.
I don’t like this design as much as the old one, but since this IS a
different story altogether, I was able to adjust accordingly. Also worth noting is that the old film was a
musical comedy. This new version is a
drama, with scenes of tear inducing drama that tug on the heart strings.
I will say, one area where the previous film has a leg up is
with the relationship between Elliot and Pete (played here by Oakes Fegley),
which is preserved in this version quite nicely. One of the advantages with this remake is
that Pete connects with a family that includes Grace (Bryce Dallas Howarde),
Jack (Wes Bently), Natalie (Oona Laurence), and Grandpa Meacham (Robert
Redford). How Pete bonds with this
family and how the family reacts to his existence is touching, a little
realistic, and very heartwarming. I was
particularly touched by Grace and Natalie, the first who provides the kind of
motherly love Disney is so good at portraying in films, while the latter is the
kind of sister even young boys would like to have (even if they wouldn’t admit
it in a million years). Then you have
Robert Redford, the veteran actor on set, providing support to the larger cast
with ease all while being a huge presence in his own right.
I worry fans of the original movie may be put off by this
new version, because it doesn’t follow the same story structure, feelings, and
it doesn’t even have any musical numbers in it.
For those people I have good news: The original movie is still widely
available for purchase and rental. This
new version hasn’t erased your childhood.
Again, this is a different interpretation of the story. One that is a little basic at times, but is
mostly charming and magical. Like “The
BFG” earlier this year, it is Disney attempting to pull back on cynicism and
deliver the kind of feel good movie audiences used to love. If more future remakes are like “Pete’s
Dragon,” then people have every reason to get excited about Disney’s upcoming
slate of films. That said, I do want to
stress that Walt Disney himself frequently said that he would never stop
created or innovating, and Disney the company would do well to remember those
words of wisdom, or risk being stuck tinkering with the past.
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there is nothing wrong with this movie. Recommended for all ages.
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