Pete's Dragon - Review
Director: David Lowery
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, Robert Redford.
Disney is certainly not gun shy when it comes to adapting their animated classics into live-action adventures, churning out several over the last couple of years, including Cinderella and the recently critically acclaimed The Jungle Book. Showing no signs of bucking the trend, the powerhouse studio delivers Pete's Dragon - but can it match the success of its predecessors?
In the Pacific Northwest, rumours have swirled for years that a dragon lives deep within the forest - mainly perpetuated by woodcarver Mr Meacham (Robert Redford). His daughter Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) believes the stories to be folklore until she discovers a young boy called Pete (Oakes Fegley) living in the forest, claiming his friend Elliot, a dragon, has been his companion all these years. As Elliot's once fable-like existence becomes public knowledge, he becomes the victim of prying eyes and ill-mannered attention - can Pete and his newfound human pals save Elliot?
The answer to that question is invariably predictable, but the journey that Pete's Dragon takes us on to reach the conclusion is incredibly emotional and the film is in no way robbed of the fist-pump worthy ending, despite its inevitability. From the very first scene that depicts how Pete and Elliot came to form their unlikely duo, our heartstrings are pulled and our threshold for emotional confrontation tested. This evocation of emotion does not subside, as throughout the film we witness Pete and Elliot's loving bond and are touched as Pete shares some poignant moments with Grace and her step-daughter. Pete's Dragon will challenge even the steeliest of cinema-goers not to get misty-eyed.
Were it not for the strong heart-wrenching beats, we would not care for Elliot as deeply as we do - it's also helpful that Elliot is just so damn cute. Made for a modest budget of $60 million (yes, believe it or not, that's modest for Disney), no expense was spared on the special effects that devised the loveable dragon. Straying from the conventional aesthetic of your typical scaled dragon, director David Lowery opts for the fur-covered approach, and the results are winning. Lowery has license to take such deviations from the animated classic, because although it is beloved by many, it is arguably one of the less viewed of Disney's collection and ultimately not as emblematic of people's childhoods. The changes from the source material aren't offensive; they're enchanting.
Strong performances also anchor Pete's Dragon and capture the magical essence whilst maintaining a feel of verisimilitude. Oakes Fegley as Pete is particularly impressive, and after a year of hit and miss performances from child actors, Fegley firmly establishes himself as a young talent on the rise. He does an extremely effective job at portraying his infectious relationship with the CGI creature as well as showing Pete's emotional conflict as he is torn between his loyalty to Elliot and his growing warmth to his newfound human companions. Bryce Dallas Howard proves that she is the actor to call when it comes to casting archetypal roles; having played a cold, controlling and work obsessed figure in Jurassic World, she does a 360 in Pete's Dragon and portrays the caring and maternal matriarch. However, Howard's talent is undeniable and Grace is most likeable and agreeable. Karl Urban and Wes Bentley provide solid performances, although the sibling dynamic between their two characters is never appropriately developed, rendering it irrelevant to the overall story.
Aside from this minor nit-pick, Pete's Dragon delivers all of the necessary emotions in spades and it creates for one of the most whimsical and delightful family films of the year. It seems Disney's streak of successful animation adaptations won't be scuppered here.
EB
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, Robert Redford.
In the Pacific Northwest, rumours have swirled for years that a dragon lives deep within the forest - mainly perpetuated by woodcarver Mr Meacham (Robert Redford). His daughter Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) believes the stories to be folklore until she discovers a young boy called Pete (Oakes Fegley) living in the forest, claiming his friend Elliot, a dragon, has been his companion all these years. As Elliot's once fable-like existence becomes public knowledge, he becomes the victim of prying eyes and ill-mannered attention - can Pete and his newfound human pals save Elliot?
The answer to that question is invariably predictable, but the journey that Pete's Dragon takes us on to reach the conclusion is incredibly emotional and the film is in no way robbed of the fist-pump worthy ending, despite its inevitability. From the very first scene that depicts how Pete and Elliot came to form their unlikely duo, our heartstrings are pulled and our threshold for emotional confrontation tested. This evocation of emotion does not subside, as throughout the film we witness Pete and Elliot's loving bond and are touched as Pete shares some poignant moments with Grace and her step-daughter. Pete's Dragon will challenge even the steeliest of cinema-goers not to get misty-eyed.
Were it not for the strong heart-wrenching beats, we would not care for Elliot as deeply as we do - it's also helpful that Elliot is just so damn cute. Made for a modest budget of $60 million (yes, believe it or not, that's modest for Disney), no expense was spared on the special effects that devised the loveable dragon. Straying from the conventional aesthetic of your typical scaled dragon, director David Lowery opts for the fur-covered approach, and the results are winning. Lowery has license to take such deviations from the animated classic, because although it is beloved by many, it is arguably one of the less viewed of Disney's collection and ultimately not as emblematic of people's childhoods. The changes from the source material aren't offensive; they're enchanting.
Strong performances also anchor Pete's Dragon and capture the magical essence whilst maintaining a feel of verisimilitude. Oakes Fegley as Pete is particularly impressive, and after a year of hit and miss performances from child actors, Fegley firmly establishes himself as a young talent on the rise. He does an extremely effective job at portraying his infectious relationship with the CGI creature as well as showing Pete's emotional conflict as he is torn between his loyalty to Elliot and his growing warmth to his newfound human companions. Bryce Dallas Howard proves that she is the actor to call when it comes to casting archetypal roles; having played a cold, controlling and work obsessed figure in Jurassic World, she does a 360 in Pete's Dragon and portrays the caring and maternal matriarch. However, Howard's talent is undeniable and Grace is most likeable and agreeable. Karl Urban and Wes Bentley provide solid performances, although the sibling dynamic between their two characters is never appropriately developed, rendering it irrelevant to the overall story.
Aside from this minor nit-pick, Pete's Dragon delivers all of the necessary emotions in spades and it creates for one of the most whimsical and delightful family films of the year. It seems Disney's streak of successful animation adaptations won't be scuppered here.
EB
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