Let’s pretend for a moment that somewhere inside the central office of the Disney Corporation, there is a vault. Out of this vault comes classic, beloved releases that have stood the test of time and will continue to register as childhood treasures. They come digitally remastered, packed with special features and commentaries. Now let’s imagine that next to this vault is a smaller more cumbersome cellar of sorts. It’s dark and damp and the floorboards creak when you step across them; now, browse the isles and remove director Don Chaffey’s pseudo-animated 1977 musical, Pete’s Dragon. I’d never heard of the film prior to having to review it, and now I know why. This is a slow moving, by the numbers, easily forgettable musical comedy, with the titular dragon having none of the staying power of prior and future Disney mascots.
The story of orphaned Pete (Sean Marshall), who is bought by the full-blown hillbilly Gogan family for $50, opens with Pete on the run from the Gogans. On the run with the boy is his pet dragon, the nonsensical and non-threatening Elliot. You would imagine that the film would attempt to create a sense of danger or at least a minor threat, but when the Gogans break into the first musical number of the film, "The Happiest Home in These Hills,” you slowly begin to lose interest. The film moves extremely slowly and the musical sequences, while handsomely structured and well choreographed, just don’t leave much of an impression. The only song that stands out is the Oscar-nominated “Candle on the Water,” if only for how elegantly the piece is staged, with none of the pomp that pervades the majority of the film.
Pete comes across the town of Passamaquoddy, where he is essentially adopted by Nora (Helen Reddy), whose alcoholic father Lampie (Mickey Rooney, the most entertaining performer in the film) runs a lighthouse right outside of town. When the subtly named Dr. Terminus (Jim Dale) comes to town hocking false cures, he hears of the dragon and sets his focus on capturing the magical beast. In the meantime, Pete grows closer to his adoptive family when the Gogans make an appearance in town. What follows is the typical climax and denouement familiar to anyone who’s seen enough Disney films.
The cast acquits well, especially Rooney as the constantly drunk and manic Lampie (alcoholism in this film is treated as a necessity to Lampie’s comedic maneuvers). Reddy is more than up to the part of Nora, smiling and strutting through several set pieces. The animation, while clearly outdated at this point, is not unwatchable and doesn’t detract from the film nearly as much as the pacing. Overall, Pete’s Dragon is an easily forgettable feature that would have been much easier to enjoy had the film not been saddled with glacial pacing. Slow, predictable, and un-involving, Pete’s Dragon is a Disney feature you’re not likely to recall.
DVD Bonus Features
There are plenty of special features included in this release, but whether you will be interested in perusing them depends on your interest in the film. The most comprehensive of the bunch is “Brazzle Dazzle Special Effects,” clocking in at 25 minutes and offering a look at the incorporation of animation into live action. This is by far the most thorough offering you get on this, though the rest of the features offer momentary distraction. There’s an art gallery of stills from the film, as well as production photos and concept art; meanwhile “Original Song Concept ‘Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You, Too)” and “Original Demo Recordings” and “Promotional Record” present original and new versions of some of the songs featured in the film. “Where’s Elliot? The Disappearing Dragon Game,” is a kid’s game; the object of which is, you guessed it, finding Elliot. Also included is a storyboard sequence for a scene deleted from the film, the Donald Duck 1946 short “Lighthouse Keeping,” and two brief pieces of the legacy of Disney animators and animation.
"Pete's Dragon: High-Flying Edition" is on sale August 18, 2009 and is rated G. Animation, Children & Family, Comedy, Musical. Directed by Don Chaffey. Written by Malcolm Marmorstein, Story by Seton I. Miller, S.S. Field. Starring Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Sean Marshall.
