Review of Pete's Dragon (2016) by Benjamin S — 23 May 2017

Pete's Dragon is not a great movie, neither of them are really. The first one is utterly forgettable aside from the novelty of the animation and it's inclusion in the Main Street U.S.A. Electrical Parade, and this one is nothing that special and pretty heavy on old Disney tropes. But whereas the first movie descended into the vault of movies I'm pretty sure I saw as a kid but have no memory of seeing, this one I really really liked. It's nothing that's going to change the world, but as an old-school Disney film in the vein of something they might have made in the mid-70s, it's extremely likable.

Despite some pretty heavy suspension of disbelief required to get there, I really like the whole feral child idea they present here. It's a lot like The Jungle Book or Tarzan, but rather than actual animals, it's a giant dragon. First off, I just like the feral child trope. Second, adding a magical dragon into that mix is just whimsical as hell. The effects on the dragon are also really good. It's not exactly Disney's A-game, not on par with a Pirates movie or Marvel, but even their B-game is pretty damn convincing. I liked how the dragon's movements were a lot like a dog or a cat, giving it a familiarity and instant likability.

After he's found we hit a lot of the familiar paths you're going to hit in this type of story. He finds a family, meets a girl, puppy love and finding out what family means ensues. You've seen this before. You've also seen the asshole uncle who works for the evil lumber company and wants to steal the dragon for...reasons...I forget why. The uncle is my only major problem with the movie. He's actually sort of a believable character, more than his type usually is, in that I know people who are actually like him. Thing is, I hate those people, and I don't need a movie to affirm the fact that those people suck. I hate the uncle, and I hate the stupid climax in this movie where the dragon gets captured and they mope and dope before the obvious happy ending. It's lazy screenwriting, and it sucks.

So yeah, Pete's dragon has a major dip in enjoyment for me for about 15 minutes in the third act, and while most of the tropes are actually enjoyable for what they are a few of them are kind of irritating. Still, the overall feeling Pete's Dragon left me with was a good one. At the end of the film, I just felt nice, I felt happy. It's not a great movie, but it's a nice movie with a healthy dose of that Disney magic.