Pete’s Dragon is a fun flick for the entire family with respectable visual effects work on the dragon and some fine performances from the human cast with the kids coming across well and avoiding the pratfalls of child actors in these types of movies.
Pete’s Dragon
(2016)
Genre(s): Family, Fantasy, Drama
Disney | PG – 103 min. – $39.99 | November 29, 2016
Date Published: 12/07/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When a mysterious 10-year-old boy, Pete (OAKES FEGLEY), turns up, claiming to live in the woods with a giant green dragon, it’s up to a forest ranger, Grace (BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD), and young Natalie (OONA LAURENCE) to learn where the boy came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this magical dragon. Quick Hit Review: Truth be told, I don’t ever remember seeing the 1977 Pete’s Dragon (though maybe as a kid back in the 80s I had) so going in, there wasn’t any kind of reference point. Taking this 2016 update on its own, this is a perfectly fine, and entertaining film for the entire family. Yes, it’s rather easy to have a cute green dragon to tug at your heartstrings — this owes a lot to E.T. in some regards — and the villain of the movie, played by Karl Urban, is on the cartoony side, but the visual effects were impressive and the performances, particularly on the parts of the youngsters (Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence) weren’t at all bad and never were annoying or obnoxious. Pete’s Dragon was co-scripted and directed by David Lowery makes his big budget feature-length debut while this isn’t some Disney classic, it is a respectable addition to the ever growing line of Disney’s live action adaptations (with Lowery set to direct Peter Pan for a 2018 release). |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.75/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy, embossed slip cover. Inside is a code for the Digital HD copy. Audio Commentary – Co-Writer/Director David Lowery, Co-Writer Toby Halbrooks & Actors Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence offer an engaging and insightful track, and sometimes fun, track delving into various topics. Notes to Self: A Director’s Diary (7:31; HD) – Director David Lowery narrates the personal diary he kept through the filming of Pete’s Dragon and takes us behind-the-scenes on making the movie. Making Magic (2:12; HD) – Discover what went into designing the loveable dragon. “Disappearing” Moments (9:12; HD) – The director shares a montage of the film’s “lost” scenes (i.e. deleted scenes). Bloopers (1:28; HD) Music Videos:
Welcome to New Zealand (1:56; HD) – A promotional video for the beautiful country where the movie was filmed. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Disney unchains Pete’s Dragon onto Blu-ray presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec) and shown in its original theatrical 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture looks pretty darn good with bright colors, even during the darker toned part of the story, with especially the green of the dragon popping through quite nicely. Detail was fairly sharp and well defined and there didn’t appear to be major flaws like aliasing or artifacts. |
AUDIO – 4.75/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is strong throughout with crisp, clean and clear dialogue and when the action picks up, that’s when each and every channel shows off while the rear tracks, for quieter moments, are relegated for Daniel Hart’s whimsical score and some ambient noises (especially in the forest). |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
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Overall, Pete’s Dragon is a fun flick for the entire family with respectable visual effects work on the dragon and some fine performances from the human cast with the kids coming across well and avoiding the pratfalls of child actors in these types of movies. The Blu-ray released by Disney has great video/audio transfers and an okay selection of bonus features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.