Pete's Dragon - a beloved movie from my past but probaly not that great to kids today

Toothless!

It seems I've had a thing for dragons for a long time and not realised it. After dragging my feet and refusing to see How to Train Your Dragon for a long time, when I finally saw it I was enthralled. We know sometimes refer to our dog as Toothless after learning the characters movements in the film were created used a mixture of animals movements including a dog.


Pete's Dragon and Puff the Magic Dragon were always confusing to me, and I have no idea why except for the obvious first initial.

Elliot is a cartoon dragon whose actual screen time was only around 20 minutes, as he can make himself disappear. He is friend to Pete, an orphan in the early 20th century. It makes for the usual hi jinks when Pete says he has a dragon (who invariably destroys stuff) but has an made up invisible dragon. He is on the run from his abusive adoptive parents and somehow manages to wrangle his way into the heart of local lass, Helen Reddy and her dad played by Mickey Rooney. Did I mention this was also a musical? The catchiest song I can recall though is by his vagabond adoptive family who want him back to do their chores and such titled "Bill of Sale" referring to how Pete was purchased and is theirs to own.
Released in 1977 this is one of those often forgotten kids films, kind of how Bed knobs and Broomsticks is a poor mans Mary Poppins, but I actually prefer the former. Reading some of the comments though, of course the cartoon and real life action does not meld too well together a lot of the time, and apparently the kid can't act his way out of a paper bag, but come on people it was 1977! An innocent time, and Mickey Rooney plays a drunk in it! Shennigans abound. Check it out.