A live action family film with a little CGI magic woven in, Pete's Dragon is a breath of fresh air for kids who've grown up on a diet of Pixar and DreamWorks animations, and for parents who remember Spielberg's "old school" classics such as E.T.
Set in the 1980s, in a small town surrounded by woods, the story starts ominously. Five-year-old Pete is reading to his parents from the back seat of the car when an accident occurs leaving him stranded in the woods alone. Wolves gather around him and a dark shadow slowly crashes through the trees, terrifying those on-screen and in the audience.
Then something lovely happens; Pete's saviour shows his face and the tone immediately changes. Elliot, as Pete calls him, is a furry (as opposed to scaly) dragon with the kindest eyes you'll ever see, and he gently offers Pete his big paw for safety. As far as "meet-cutes" go, this one has us at "Are you going to eat me?"
Five years later Pete (Oakes Fegley) and Elliot, who has the power of invisibility, spend their days running and flying through the woods together. Though Elliot can't talk, their communication is clear, and Weta Workshop continues the charm offensive by giving Elliot at least as much personality as any other character - including being poor at landing and sneezing slime rather than breathing fire.
