Pete's Dragon

PG

Starring: Robert Redford, Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, and Karl Urban
Running Time: 1 Hour and 42 Minutes

To be completely honest, I was not a fan of Disney's 1977 original movie "Pete's Dragon".
That was the movie starring Helen Reddy and I did not enjoy it at all, so I was very skeptical about how this new version was going to play out.
I was actually pleasantly surprised. This was a sweet and sentimental movie with a magical touch.
This story takes place in New Zealand where young Pete (Oakes Fegley)  has been orphaned since he was five years old. He survives by living in the forest where a giant dragon named Elliot befriends him and takes him under his wing. The two of them form a unique and loving bond living in a very isolated area.
There is a legend among the local townspeople of a very large and mythical dragon who lives in the forest! A man named Meacham (Robert Redford) claims to have actually seen the dragon in the forest. All of the people are reluctant to believe his story.
When the local loggers start to cut away at the forest, Pete and Elliot encounter humans for the first time. When Pete is discovered by a woman named Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her boyfriends daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence), they take the bedraggled young boy into town with them where they try to figure out who he is. They discover that he is the lone survivor of a car wreck where both of his parent's were killed six years ago. They take Pete to the hospital for an evaluation where he escapes and they set out to try and find him.
I enjoyed this movie and found the magical relationship between Pete and Elliot the dragon to be heartwarming and touching. This is a great movie about imagination, determination and love.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG. There a a couple of scenes that might be difficult for young children to see, especially if they have pets and love animals. I think children over the age of seven are are appropriate to see this movie.
I am giving "Pete's Dragon" three bags of popcorn.