VHS Movie Reviews for Pete's Dragon

Pete's Dragon

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VHS Movie Reviews of Pete's Dragon

Movie Review: Perfect Condition
Summary: 5 Stars

This item arrived in perfect condition and earlier than they estimated! I am extremely happy!

Movie Review: "I Swear I Saw a Dragon!"
Summary: 5 Stars

Pete (Sean Marshall) is a poor orphan. He's been adopted by the mean Gogan family run by the matriarch Lena (Shelley Winters). The Gogans make him work from morning til night and beat him for the slightest thing.

So, naturally, he runs away. Only this time he has help in the form of Elliot. Elliot is a dragon. And while he doesn't always think about what he's doing, he means well. And he really wants to help Pete.

Pete and Elliot happen to find the town of Passamaquoddy on the coast of Maine. Their first trip through town doesn't go well, so they find themselves out by the lighthouse, where they make friends with Lampie (Mickey Rooney) the lighthouse keeper and his adult daughter Nora (Helen Reddy). Have they found a real home at last?

Meanwhile, Doc Terminus (Jim Dale) and his assistant Hoagy (Red Buttons) have wandered into town. The Doc is a quack, selling fake potions and running from one town to the next just ahead of the lynch mob. They get word of the dragon and set out to capture him for the money they can make from his body parts. Will they get their hands on Elliot?

This was a favorite movie as a kid, and I still find it entertaining as an adult. Which is surprising when you consider the serious subject matter dealt with. Lampie is an alcoholic and Pete is running away from an abusive home. I think one reason it works is that the villains are so over the top you can't take them too seriously. There's some classic vaudeville in them. Heck, I often feel like booing the bad Doc.

And the music really helps. Yes, this is a musical with 10 songs. Honestly, I love all these songs in their own way. Of course, "Candle on the Water" is the most famous. I think my favorite is "Brazzle Dazzle Day."

Elliot is an animated dragon inhabiting a live action world. While by no means state of the art for today, it does hold up remarkable well for a 30 year old film.

All told, this really is a fun movie that kids of all ages will enjoy. If that's you or your family, sit down and watch this classic today.

Movie Review: Whimsical Family Musical
Summary: 4 Stars

"Pete's Dragon" is a solid family film that's full of music, fun, and adventure. It stars Sean Marshall as Pete, a lonely orphan who's managed to escape from the hands of the evil Gogan family who legally "bought" him from the orphanage. A friendly and sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott helps him escape, and they end up in the coastal town of Passamaquoddy, Maine. Unfortunately for Pete, Elliott gets them into a lot of trouble with the locals. They hide out in a cave until a friendly lighthouse keeper (Helen Reddy) finds them and takes Pete in to live with her and her father (Mickey Rooney). No one believes that Elliott really exists (except for Nora's dad) until Elliott trashes the town school. A travelling "doctor," Dr. Terminus (Jim Dale), and his partner in crime, Hoagie (Red Buttons), cook up a scheme to capture Elliott and use him for profit. Oh, and the Gogan family is still looking for Pete as well. To top it all off, Nora longs for a lost love whom Pete claims that Elliott will find. It's all played out lighthearted and sort of silly, scattered with music and horseplay throughout.

The cast is very strong. Including all of the above mentioned legends and newcomer Marshall, the cast also includes Shelley Winters as the Gogan matriarch, Jim Backus ("Gilligan's Island"), and Jeff Conaway ("Grease" and "Babylon 5"). The music is very good, although it isn't on the same level as songs featured in other Disney classics. For the 1970's, the blending of animation and live action is pretty good.

The DVD itself is okay. The digital transfer is good although a few shortcomings can be seen in the film. The audio is good except in a couple of the songs, where it gets louder and quieter at brief times. Special features include a fun featurette called "Man, Monsters, and Mysteries" which highlights a still-standing theory on the Loch Ness Monster. There's a modest "Where's Elliott?" game, a Disney Family Album excerpt, preview trailers, and a funny short featuring Donald Duck called "Lighthouse Keeping."

If you're a big fan or collector of Disney, this film is a nice purchase. If you only want films that the whole family can watch, you might want to preview this disc before buying it. The film may get a little boring for youngsters since the dragon isn't always on screen and their are long segments of nothing but live action and story development that might lose their interest. Also, the run time clocks in at just over two hours. That's not good if you have an impatient tot running around. My six year-old enjoyed it, but she loves musicals to begin with. Overall, "Pete's Dragon" is a decent family musical film for families with children five and up. Enjoy it.

Movie Review: Pete's Dragon
Summary: 5 Stars

The movie is as good as a I remember it when my daughter was little.
My four year old granddaughter absolutly loved it and was mesmerized by it
and loved playing the games.