The remake of the Disney’s 1977 live action/animated musical film, Pete’s Dragon, is hitting theaters this Friday, and it looks like it’s going to be a success. Reviews from the early screening are already surfacing on the internet, and they are very favorable.
The story centers on a boy named Pete, portrayed by Oakes Fegley, who lived in the woods with a dragon named Elliot for six years after his parents died in a car crash. Elliot is very protective of Pete and the woods where they live.
Pete became friends with a local ranger named Grace Meacham, portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard, who tries to find out Pete’s identity and the truth about Elliot. As the movie advances, more people learn about the dragon in the forest which is the plot’s turning point.
Pete’s Dragon had a modest budget
Director David Lowery counted with a small $60 million budget for the movie, but he managed to include neat massive special effects. The dragon looks amazing. He recognized it was not an easy production. The director said the movie was extremely hard to make, and that he had to go out of his comfort zone to pull it off.
The production team filmed in New Zealand and the events of the movie take place in the Pacific Northwest in the 80’s. The country served as the perfect home for the unusual depiction of a dragon Lowery is bringing to the big screen.
The dragon is the result of a combination of different animals. Among the “ingredients” that were used to create the creature are a cat, lion, dog, bear, and eagle, among others. Consequently, Elliot is very different from the medieval or Asian concept of a dragon. For instance, he doesn’t have scales. Instead, he has furry skin.
The Oscar Winning company, Weta Digital, were responsible for the effects that gave life to Elliot, the star of the movie.
The plot changed a little bit
The original Disney movie debuted in 1977. Back then, the film cast also included the animated creature. However, visual technology has improved significantly over the last four decades, so the new Elliot is much more appealing than the one in the first movie.
The director wanted to approach the history in a different way. Back in 1977, only Pete could see the dragon, but in Lowery’s version, everyone can see Elliot. It is still unclear how much this fact changed the original storyline.
The original movie received nominations for the Academy Awards for the song ‘Candle On The Water’ and another one for Original Score. ‘Pete’s Dragon’ is going to hit the movie theaters on August 12, 2016.
Source: Indie Wire