Disney Countdown

And now for Disney's newer version of Pete's Dragon. The Movie: The 2016 version of Pete's Dragon was directed by David Lowery.  Whereas many of Disney's recent live-action fantasies had opened in the spring, this film instead was given a summer release.  Despite mostly positive reviews from critics, Pete's Dragon only performed moderately at the box-office. Like the original, this Pete's Dragon tells the story of an orphan boy who has as his only friend a dragon named Elliot that can turn invisible.  And that's pretty much where the similarities end.  This version of Pete's Dragon is set in the Pacific Northwest and takes place in the early 1980s.  Young Pete is orphaned at age 5 when he is the only survivor of an automobile accident in the remote woods that kills his parents.  Pete is taken in and cared for by the dragon Elliot.  Six years later, a logging crew is making unauthorized deep intrusions into the forest.  Grace is a park ran...

A now for a live-action musical with animation, the original Pete's Dragon. The Movie: Pete's Dragon is a mostly live-action musical fantasy with the title dragon being animated.  It was directed by Don Chaffey, who was known for Jason and the Argonauts and One Million Years B.C.  Pete's Dragon was a modest success at the box-office with mixed reviews from critics.  Today it is one of the lesser known Disney films, but it does have a bit of a cult following. Pete's Dragon is based on an unpublished short story by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field.  The movie takes places in Maine near the beginning of the 20th century.  Pete is a young orphan running away from an abusive adopted family of hillbillies.  Pete's only friend is the dragon Elliott, who can turn invisible when he wants.  They come across the town of Passamaquoddy, and Elliott's clumsiness causes Pete to become an instant pariah.  While hiding in a cave, Pete is discovered by Nora,...