Pete's Dragon (2016): Dir: David Lowery / Cast: Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban: Wonderful family film update of the 1977 Disney classic about control and the overuse of imagination. Director David Lowery manages to avoid remaking the previous film and settles for a great retelling. It begins with a family drive that ends in tragedy with only young Pete as a survivor. He is found by an invisible dragon named Elliott who visualizes himself to Pete and they remain isolated in the forest for six years. Bryce Dallas Howard plays a ranger who discovers Pete and seeks to civilize him. She is impressed with his survival abilities although adapting to civilian lifestyle is an issue. Robert Redford plays her father who tells stories of the dragon he once encountered and believes to be still at large. Wes Bentley plays a lumber mill owner whose daughter quickly befriends Pete. He is the boyfriend to the Dallas Howard character although the role isn't very broad. His brother is played by Karl Urban. He works at the mill but also leads the hunt for Elliott when space is invaded and Elliott feels threatened. Like the previous film the violence is toned down and focuses more on the relationship at hand. Elliott was a mere cartoon in the original film. Here he is a computer generated effect that will appeal to children while also being visually appealing to adults. While the original film focused on the imagination, this update focuses on what the imagination creates within this digital age and how some reboots can improve or match ever so slightly. Score: 9 ½ / 10
Review of Pete's Dragon
