Easily one of Disney’s most underrated films, Pete’s Dragon is a 1977 musical mix of animation and live-action that chronicles the friendship between a young orphan and his invisible dragon pal, Elliott in a small coastal town in Maine. The film was released during a strange time that found Walt Disney Studios trying to remain relevant against an entertainment landscape that was dominated by gritty films and family pleasing blockbusters like Star Wars. In fact, there is an aww shucks old-fashionedness and a slower place that dominates Pete’s Dragon, which is also part of its enduring charm — something that is propelled even further by the chemistry of cast members Sean Marshall, Helen Reddy (who performs the film’s warmly remembered song “Candle on the Water”), Jim Dale, and Mickey Rooney. With a new, big-budget CGI remake of the film that bares little resemblance to its predecessor hitting theaters today, I’d like to encourage you to set aside some time this weekend to check out the original Pete’s Dragon. You’ll find yourself discovering that magic can be found in the unlikeliest of places all over again.
