“Pete’s Dragon” straddles two worldsreal and animated
Many people remember 1977 as the year Star Wars was born. Disney also released The Rescuers, one of the first animated films in the ’70s to gain considerable acclaim. That same year, Disney slipped in an oft-forgotten but charming entry to the world of dragons in fictionPete’s Dragon.The film’s plot is a now-familiar take on how a child (unsurprisingly an orphan) retreats into imagination to deal with his difficult surroundings. Even Alice in Wonderland featured a similar premise, so it’s not hard to believe that the film was based on a short story written at least twenty years before the release. What makes Pete’s Dragon so fun to watch is the interaction between the real-life child star Sean Marshall (Pete) and his animated dragon, Elliot (voiced by Charlie Callas).Pete meets Elliot when an invisible force rescues him from his cruel foster family and then reveals itself as an animated dragon. Together, the two travel to the village of Passamaquoddy and encounter a series of interesting characters, including the drunken Lampie, the compassionate Nora, and the scheming Doc Terminus. The film is full of musical numbers, one of which gained mainstream popularity. “Candle on the Water” was nominated for an Academy Award, and a recording by actress Helen Reddy was issued on Capital Records.Elliot is a unique and entertaining take on the historical dragon: mischievous rather than evil, and protective of the young Pete rather than a hoard of treasure. You can track down Disney’s 2009 DVD release, the “High-Flying Edition,” which includes forgotten Disney shorts and historical looks at the role of monsters in mythsome of which are actually quite interesting. The film itself will probably appeal more to children or the young at heart, or those who remember the film from their childhood. However, Pete’s Dragon foreshadowed such films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and The Pagemaster–inventive films which showed that live action and animation could be used to create films which attracted young and old alike.