Bryce Dallas Howard Robert Redford Oakes Fegley Oona Laurence Wes Bentley Karl Urban
Ah…magic is still alive and all’s right with
the world! When five year-old Pete
has to fend for himself in the forest after a car accident, a dragon who had
been spotted occasionally in that forest through the years suddenly
appears. Without speaking, of
course, he lets the child know that he is a friendly dragon, and Pete knows
from his book about a dragon to name him Elliot. They spend the next six years playing together, building a
tree house, finding shelter in a cave, and foraging for food.
When civilization starts to encroach upon the
forest in the form of housing development, the idyllic lives of the two friends
are about to change. Pete has a
gradual introduction when he is spotted by a girl about his age named Natalie
(Laurence) who is the daughter of the man responsible for clearing the forest. She is a curious child and immediately
wants to make friends and chases after him. He runs up a tree, with her right behind him, but she is not
as experienced as he is and falls.
This brings her parents, who must figure out who Pete is and where he
came from.
Pete has vague memories of his mother, and he
is reminded of her when Natalie’s mother Grace (Howard) gently talks to him, so
he warms up to her. Grace has
grown up in the region and knows the forest very well and some of the lore
about it told to her by her father (Redford). She will work on finding out about Pete’s origins and see
that he is well taken care of.
However, she doesn’t anticipate that greed and
mass hysteria among people in town are going to hamper her efforts. When Elliott is spotted looking for
Pete, trigger-happy Gavin (Urban) whips up the townspeople to get out their
guns and give chase. They are
afraid, but it’s also evident that they love the sport of hunting just for the
fun of it. This is one of the good
messages in the film for children—that they don’t have to run and get their
guns anytime they see something strange or try to exploit it for profit.
In the course of dealing with this issue and
trying to help Pete find his friend, Director David Lowery gives us excitement
aplenty, mixed with tender moments after close calls and significant
discoveries. I think this Disney
production does a fine job in balancing the scariness and tension with the joys
of discovery in the natural world, as well as showing the warmth of a loving
family. I especially appreciated
seeing that Natalie was better than the adults in understanding Pete and
introducing him to things he has never seen or has forgotten. Once again, it’s good for children to
see that model of behavior with a stranger, as opposed to rejecting him because
he is different.
Robert Redford is a powerful figure onscreen,
and when the movie opens and he is telling a group of children about a dragon,
he captures our interest right away.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays her role as daughter, wife, and mother in a
natural, loving way, giving assurance that Pete is in good hands. Both child actors, Fegley and Laurence,
merge into their roles with ease and are delightful to watch. Daniel Hart’s music choices are just
right in using well-known American songs that give a sense of place and time.
For a bit of thrilling magic, go see
Pete’s Dragon.
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