Pete's Dragon

A dragon, A dragon, I swear I saw a dragon……

One of my all-time favorite Disney movies is Pete’s Dragon.  When I was a young boy I often pretended to have my own Elliott, yes he was the reason I was always getting into trouble.

Pete’s Dragon, released in 1977 was the first Disney film to be recorded in Dolby Stereo sound. It was also the first Disney feature film to be released on VHS in October of 1980 (Be Kind and Rewind :))  The story is of a young orphan boy named Pete who stumbles into a town called Passamaquoddy, a fishing community in northern Maine.   Pete has a dragon friend named Elliott who is only visible to Pete, causing Pete to take blame for everything Elliott does.

The film was written by Malcolm Marmorstein and produced by Don Chaffey.  Even though the film was set in Maine much of the filming was done in California, including the lighthouse scenes.    For the lighthouse, Disney actually constructed a lighthouse in Morro Bay, CA.   Because Disney wanted it to look authentic it was outfitted with a large beacon which required special permission from the Coast Guard.

The film was nominated for many awards including Academy Awards for best original song.    Last year Disney announced a remake of Pete’s Dragon.   David Lowery has been announced as the director and filming is supposed to begin in New Zealand this fall.   There have also been rumors of Robert Redford playing a town local who tells tales involving dragons that no one believes.

What do you think, would you like to see a remake of Pete’s Dragon?