Pete's Dragon (1977)

 

Pete’s Dragon blends live action film with animation, and part of its overall success lies in the willingness of the audience to accept a cartoon dragon in the “real” world of the rest of the movie. The movie itself cleverly addresses this by having initially skeptical characters eventually come to accept the appearance of a dragon it their midst, and for the most part, this plot device works. The title character Pete (Sean Marshall) is an orphan who is running way from an abusive family headed by Shelley Winters’ Lena Gogan. Oh, and he has a pet dragon named Elliot who escapes with him. They wind up in a town named Passamaquoddy, a town seemingly filled to the limit with eccentrics, where they meet Lampie (Mickey Rooney), the lighthouse keeper, and his daughter Nora (Helen Reddy). Lampie is a drunk, so no one believes him when he first tries to convince them that he has seen a dragon. It falls to Nora to try to keep Pete safe. She’s alone at the lighthouse because the man she loves has been lost at sea. A couple of con men, Dr. Terminus (Jim Dale) and Hoagy (Red Buttons), arrive in town, and it isn’t long before they learn about the dragon. To be fair, it’s tough not to know about a dragon that runs through the schoolhouse and leaves a hole in his shape. He’s mischievous, impish, always getting Pete in trouble; he’s also a convenient scapegoat for all that ails the town, such as its low supply of fish. Dr. Terminus, Hoagy, and the Gogan family team up to capture Elliot; the Gogans are also trying to retrieve Pete since they consider him their “property” after having bought him from an orphanage to work on their family farm. While Pete’s Dragon may be a kid’s movie, it features some major Hollywood talent in its cast. Rooney is a real pro here; he can play drunk very convincingly. Marshall is okay as Pete, but he never had a significant career as an actor once the 1970s were over. Reddy is a natural, and her performance is a standout. The true focal points, though, are Winters and Dale, who seem to be in a scenery-chewing competition. It’s tough to pick a winner between the two of them since both of them seem to be enjoying overacting so much. They bring a lot of fun to the film. To be honest, most of the songs are rather forgettable (even though the music was the focus of the Academy’s attention), but the Oscar-nominated “Candle on the Water” is a true highlight and one of my all-time favorite Disney songs. It’s beautifully shot with Reddy in front of the revolving light of the lighthouse. It’s done mostly in just one take with a slow zoom to a close-up. Seeing the sequence always brings me joy. Throughout the film, we really don’t get a back story about how Pete met Elliot. How does one meet a dragon that can turn himself invisible? We only learn that Elliot appears to a child who needs protection. If there’s a message to this film, it may simply be about finding the people (or dragons?), the “family,” that you truly need at different points in your life. That may not be the most profound idea, but its simplicity may be what makes this film still resonate with viewers.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song (“Candle on the Water”) and Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score