Some secrets are too big to keep. But Disney did eventually have to show us a bit more of Pete’s dragon, Elliot. That’s what you’ll find in the new trailer for Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon,” along with some other great footage that makes this film seem like much more than just a reboot. It’s a re-imagining of the story.
I have to say that after watching this trailer a lot of my trepidation about the film has vanished. It’s full of actors I admire and a dragon that appears to be able to hold his own on the screen. I only hope the story is not too hokey.
There is one big difference that’s a lot more obvious in this trailer, Elliot is a lot more furry in this movie than he was in the original. Turns out the director was inspired to go with more fur by his love of a household pet.
“I wanted the design furry and that’s because I love my cats. And, when I pet my cats, I say: ‘I wish this guy was 20 feet tall!’,” said directory David Lowery. “Look, if you put a Game of Thrones dragon in this, it’s going to be scaly and kind of cold. And it’s going to be cool, but I want this to be the kind of character — a dragon — that you really want to give a hug to. And that I want to snuggle up with. There is no reason that dragons can’t be furry!”
About the movie
A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, “Pete’s Dragon” is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon. “Pete’s Dragon” stars Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Oakes Fegley (“This is Where I Leave You”), Wes Bentley (“The Hunger Games”), Karl Urban (“Star Trek”), Oona Laurence (“Southpaw”), Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (“Cedar Rapids”) and Oscar winner Robert Redford (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”). The film, which is directed by David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”), is written by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein and produced by Jim Whitaker (“The Finest Hours,” “Friday Night Lights”), with Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Great Gatsby”) serving as executive producer.
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliot. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliot seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.
Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.