Pete's Dragon - 1977 and Now
Friday, July 29, 2016 at 12:00PM Our year of the month is 1977! Here's Chris looking back on Pete's Dragon...
As Disney has been increasingly revisiting their classics in live action, big budget form, the resulting films have revealed the evolution of family storytelling over the decades. Cinderella showed an increased emphasis on character, while this year's The Jungle Book was an example of the shift towards realism even in fantastical, unrealistic settings. While these rehashings are becoming old hat already, one of the most exciting films still to come this summer is the remake of 1977's Pete's Dragon.
The recent Disney revamps have extrapolated upon or directly lifted from their original source films, but the first glimpses of Pete's Dragon have already revealed a sharp turn in tone. Again, they are trading in a more modestly minded lark for larger spectacle. If nothing else, the creation of the dragon Elliott embodies the shift from traditional animation to digital imagery.
Rewatching the original is almost a shock as an adult - it's far more absurd and loose than you might remember...
There's a large supply of buffoonish villains and more than most of its songs are just diversions from the plot. It may not even be up to Disney's standards for the era - think of it like a boozy, outdoorsy cousin to Mary Poppins. However, you can't stifle its showmanship and general amenability. The gags are broad, the practical effects more silly than awe-inspiring, with tunes that you'll more likely hum than belt.
Except of course for Helen Reddy as leading lady Nora belting the film's Oscar-nominated song "Candle on the Water". She's a magnetic delight with all of her numbers, so we really should have gotten more of the "I Am Woman" singer on screen.
The rudimentary blend of animation and live action may not have aged well, but it still entertains when Elliott's invisibility leads to set gags aided by practical effects. It may look dated, but by demanding a little bit of your imagination it is making Elliott a more realized character.
However, its vaudevillian charms are a reminder of how much our tastes and expectations have changed for family entertainment. Even children's modern slapstick comes from farting Minions and smartassed talking animals. There is no real danger or fear in the original, its antagonists too dunderheaded to make children terrified for the sake of Pete and Elliott. Meanwhile the trailers for the new iteration feature flames, tears, leaps, and crashes. It may not be of the brooding variety like some blockbusters, but it is nevertheless more straightfaced than its source.
We'll be waiting a few more weeks to see the final result for ourselves, but the reviews are already strong and promise that we are in for a more emotional experience. That leaning on emotionalism (maybe with a fair amount of Spielberg/Amblin inspiration) is not unlike the differences seen in the 1977 and most recent Star Wars entry. We don't want to just enjoy things anymore, we want to feel them.
The new Pete's Dragon opens on August 12.
Disney, Pete's Dragon, musicals, remakes
Reader Comments (4)
I have a soft spot for the original "Pete's Dragon", but agreed that it's totally wackadoo. The villains were truly upsetting even if the sense of danger was never that high. Did they think a child slavery subplot was okay just because "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" kind of hinted at it?
Chris, thank you for this wonderful piece. I adore this film, and it's all because of Helen. She is my favorite singer of all time, and it's criminal that she's been inexplicably forgotten. I got my little niece hooked on this and it's her favorite.
brookesboy - thank you kindly!
I always thought this was really bad Disney- right down there with their other fantasy musical disaster "Babes in Toyland" - so this is one time when I have no problems with the remake.