Pete's Dragon poster & wallpaper

Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney

This story of a winsome orphan and his guardian dragon features an Academy Award-nominated score and song, Helen Reddy's "Candle on the Water." The combination of a live-action story with an animated ...( read more  read more... )figure was innovative in 1977, and the green dragon with pink wings will still charm youngsters today. However, its plot has the boy running from a nasty family to whom he's been sold into slavery, as well as an evil magician who tries to steal the dragon for his parts. These dark story lines may scare or bore younger children, who only want to see Elliot the dragon belch fire and give Pete rides on his back. And older children who might appreciate the plot may scoff at the relatively crude animation. This leaves a rather narrow audience window of about ages 3 to 7. A cast of veterans includes Shelley Winters, Mickey Rooney, and Red Buttons, who all turn in the hammiest of performances. Acting newcomer Reddy demonstrates both why her acting career never took off and why her singing career did. (Lines like "You're a bunch of superstitious ding-dongs" don't give her much help.) However, her sometimes awkward performance as the lonely lighthouse keeper who gives the boy a home provides the film with its heart. Bottom line: it's a keeper for diehard Disney fans, dragon lovers, and those who remember this movie fondly from their childhood. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Flixster Users

61% liked it

54,079 ratings

Critics

53% liked it

19 critics

G, 2 hrs. 8 min.

Directed by: Don Chaffey

Release Date: November 3, 1977

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DVD Release Date: January 16, 2001

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Stats: 1,797 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,797)

  • BiologyBabe2012
    April 20, 2008
    BiologyBabe2012
    Didn't even like it when I was little.
  • Godless
    January 9, 2008
    Godless
    I hated this when I was a kid and I hate it even more now.
  • armybratgeo
    August 9, 2007
    armybratgeo
    I saw this in the movies with my best friend too...great kids movie, still like it
  • sheens431
    August 5, 2007
    sheens431
    Been a long time, but I remember liking this movie.
  • darkGentleman
    July 14, 2007
    darkGentleman
    Liked the story, hated the songs!!!!
  • Hallez
    November 24, 2009
    Hallez
    Live action Disney, Pete's a runaway who takes shelter with the lighthouse keeper and his daughter, unfortunately a swindler is out to steal his dragon and use him for make shift potions.
  • doglover000000
    August 31, 2009
    doglover000000
    This is a great family, musical film!
  • stormyweather980
    August 15, 2009
    stormyweather980
    "Pete's Dragon" is one of the most underrated Disney movies ever made. It's one of the few Disney movies that I haven't ever heard a lot about. It's about an orphan named Pete (Sean Marshall) and his only friend Elliot, a dragon. Once Pete is adopted by some people who live in a ...( read more)lighthouse, the movie takes an interesting twist.
    I thought "Pete's Dragon" was a good movie. It's entertaining, parts of it are funny, and it even has a few good songs. If you would like to see an interesting and entertaining movie, I recommend getting "Pete's Dragon." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. Would've been cool to have my own dragon....
  • doctordoom
    August 11, 2009
    doctordoom
    A classic Disney film. One of my favorites when I was a child. A Disney film that brought animation interaction with a live cast. It does now seem kind of dated but is still fun to watch. The animation was quite good. A great film for kids and the family to watch.
  • BatataPalha
    July 14, 2009
    BatataPalha
    Dragon story, Bah. not interested at all.

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Pete's Dragon Trivia

  • What was the name of the little boy in "Petes Dragon"?  Answer »
  • Well if there's enough room for a chowder-head like you, then there's more than enough room for a dragon  Answer »
  • Which blonde bombshell played a baddie in semi-animated film "Pete's Dragon"?   Answer »
  • What film has this quote:"The boy is our legal property ,same as the family cow"?  Answer »
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