DVD Review: Pete’s Dragon: High Flying Edition

Movie Info:
Writer: Malcolm Marmorstein, Seton I. Miller
Director: Don Chaffey
Cast: Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, Sean Marshall, Jane Kean, Jim Backus, Charles Tyner, Gary Morgan, Jeff Conaway, Cal Bartlett, Charlie Callas, Walter Barnes
Rating: G
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: November 3, 1977
DVD Release Date: August 18, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $21.49

Wow. Disney has changed! In the 70s, darker topics weren’t taboo. In my plot outline you might do a double take if you read it and haven’t seen the film. Yes, I do discuss not one, but two, drunk characters. How often would you expect to see THAT in a Disney classic? Well, here it is. These two drunk characters act…well…drunk. It’s hard to take them seriously because of this, but that’s the point!

Also, how many Disney stories deal with abuse? The old Disney movies addressed a lot less fluffy topics. Maybe that’s why my generation grew up to think today’s Disney is full of fluffy, marshmallow-y, not so yummy goodness. With the dark stuff, some parents who get into the Hannah Montana, bubblegum-ness might dislike it, but truthfully, it is not really all that dark. In truth, I like these kind of movies more. I wish Disney wouldn’t have gone soft.

I remember watching Pete’s Dragon as a kid. Unlike Ash, we didn’t have HBO. Instead, we had the Disney Channel. I was exposed to all of the 1960s and 1970s Disney movies because of this. I remember liking this movie, but I don’t recall it ever being my favorite Disney film. I liked Disney animation a lot, and for live action I preferred Freaky Friday, North Avenue Irregulars and Escape to Witch Mountain. Like Mary Poppins, another Disney favorite of mine, Pete’s Dragon combines live action with animation. I don’t really mind this myself, but I can see how some people wouldn’t be fans of this.

Overall, Pete’s Dragon is a fun, Disney-filled, adventure film. Don’t take it too seriously and don’t be offended by the drunk characters. If you are then I have to say you stink. Old Disney, even with all its flaws by today’s standards, will always be better than new (today’s) Disney. That’s a fact, and it’s why it is easy to overlook what today’s audiences would consider inappropriate for a child audience. Lighten up and like this film for what it is!

The Pete’s Dragon Plot
It’s hard to be an orphan. Pete isn’t just an orphan, he’s treated worse than Oliver Twist ever was. His adopted family, the Grogans, abuses him and treat him like a slave. The only comfort Pete has is his animated, dragon friend, Elliott. With Elliott’s help, Pete runs away from the Grogans.

Everything seems to be going smoothly on their journey, but when the two travel to Passamaquoddy, Elliott accidentally gets into a huge spat of trouble. Since Elliott can make himself invisible, and usually only shows himself to Pete, the result of the chaos Elliott creates is thrust upon Pete’s small shoulders. Of course, it doesn’t help when Elliott is accidentally visible to Lampie, the drunk lighthouse keeper, who can’t keep his mouth shut. That just makes matters worse!

Lampie’s daughter, Nora, takes Pete (and by default, Elliott) in. She lives at the lighthouse at Passamaquoddy Point. Around the same time, a con-artist pretending to be a medical practitioner, Dr. Terminus, returns to Passamaquoddy. Joining him is Hoagy, his crazy, drunken, mentally ill assistant. When Lampie starts spreading rumors about a dragon in the town, Dr. Tereminus sets out to find out the truth, because he wants Elliott for his body parts, which he can use to make medicine.

With the Grogans after Pete, the doctor after Elliott and a romance brewing when Elliott finds Paul, Nora’s long lost love, there is seldom a boring moment in Pete’s Dragon. It’s up to Pete to keep himself and Elliott safe and reunite Paul and Nora, if he can. If only, then perhaps they can all have the happy ending they desire.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Pete’s Dragon is available in anamorphic widescreen with a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. If you’ve seen the 2001 remastered version you might not notice a lot of differences between this DVD and that one. The 2001 version looked amazing back then, and today it still looks pretty good. It’s not as amazing as it could look, given the changes in DVD that have been made in recent years, but it still looks good.

When you consider that the film was made in the 70s, it looks even better. The level of detail is fairly high and the detail (especially during the live action scenes) is close to exceptional. There is some dirt and the occasional spot of grime or noise. Some blurry moments are here, as well. These things are noticeable and it would have been nice to see this classic cleaned up, but all things considered this is an acceptable transfer.

Like the video transfer, the audio transfer doesn’t appear to have been updated from the previous DVD. The Dolby Digital English 5.1 transfer has aged worse than the video. While the sound isn’t horrible, it does sound like an older track. The updated track breathes a little bit of life into the musical renditions, which is nice. The dialogue is easy to hear. The biggest problem seems that the audio is inconsistent in how good it sounds. Subtitles include English for the Hearing Impaired and Closed Captioning.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Pete’s Dragon fans should be thrilled by this lineup. Generally, older movies like this are recycled every so often. While one might think that has happened here, especially when looking at the audio/video transfer, that actually isn’t the case. The bonus features tell another story. There is a nice selection of previously ported and new bonuses available in this set. Like most Disney DVD’s these days, Pete’s Dragon is enabled with Disney Fast Play. Parent’s that are putting this on for their kids will like that it immediately starts playing without any prompting. Of course, if you’re watching this with the family you can easily bypass Fast Play.

Previews are accessible before the movie and through a previews section in the bonus area. Previews include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Princess and the Frog, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Earth, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Up, Disney Blu-ray, Disney Movie Rewards, and D23.

“Brazzle Dazzle Effects: Behind Disney’s Movie Magic”: In this 25 minute featurette, you get a combination of two features. The first part includes Disney’s history of mixing live action with animation. You get to see some clips from the 20s and later. It’s interesting to see how the quality gets better as time moves on. Meanwhile, the second half looks at this movie specifically. Narrator, Sean Marshall, talks about his experiences and what technical advances were used in Pete’s Dragon.

“Terminus & Hoagy Hunt Elliott”: This is a deleted storyboard sequence. It’s a small scene, lasting just over two minutes in length. Thanks to the rough pencil art and the incredibly basic video it’s hard to appreciate it for what it’s worth. Still fans might enjoy seeing this.

“Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You, Too)”: This short feature gives you a chance to hear another rendition of this song along with some concept sketches of one of the scenes in the film.

“Original Demo Recordings”: This offers fans a new (or at least different) look at “Brazzle Dazzle Day”, “Every Little Piece”, and “The Greatest Star of All.” The final musical scene here is labeled as a “Comic Opera.” This is performed by Ferdinand with an audience of Dr. Terminus. In the case of the comic opera, this is something that didn’t make the cut into the final film.

“Promotional Record” is a twelve minute look at four songs in the film. The four songs include “It’s Not Easy,” “Brazzle Dazzle Day,” “There’s Room for Everyone,” and “Candle on the Water.” I really enjoyed these and found them to be quite amusing. The 70s vibe make these worth watching.

“Where’s Elliott?: The Disappearing Dragon Game”: Kids might enjoy this hide and seek type game. The narrator is on hand to give out some cheesy clues that are supposed to help you get through the game. DVDs shouldn’t have games, so don’t expect anything amazing. If you do, you will surely be disappointed.

“Disney Family Album”: This serves as part of the documentary series and includes a couple of smaller bonuses. There is a two minute clip on the animator, Ken Anderson. In this, Anderson talks about what he brought to the characters and his feelings on his work in Pete’s Dragon. Up next is “The Plausible Impossible,” a slightly longer feature that is available, which looks at a 1956 Halloween episode of Disneyland. This is small, but Disney fans are going to enjoy seeing it again.

“Lighthouse Keeping”: This serves as your cartoon feature. It’s a short from 1946, in which Donald Duck goes head to head with a pelican that wants to sleep. This is ported from the previous release and does not appear to have been changed in any way.

Also included are a series of art galleries. stills of Elliott and Pete (17), Behind the Scenes (26), and Publicity (14). The pictures here are worth checking out once but other than that they will probably be ignored. Two trailers (domestic and international) are included, along with “About Pete’s Dragon,” a text feature that looks at the movie and various aspects of the production.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Pete’s Dragon has that happily ever after, maybe, kind of feeling most of the Disney movies of the 70s seemed to have. While there may be some things you wouldn’t expect in today’s Disney movies (drunkenness anyone?) this is still a Disney classic and it’s one you might remember growing up with, like I did. I don’t see anything wrong with this movie. It’s fun, hopeful, and somewhat magical. I recommend watching this one with your kids, together.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Pete’s Dragon, Disney, Family Entertainment, High Flying Edition, DVD Review, Animation, Family Movie

Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.