Last year, Robert Redford took A Walk In The Woods with Nick Nolte in a breezy adaptation of Bill Bryson’s awfully big adventure of the same name. This year, his onscreen daughter Grace Meacham (Bryce Dallas Howard) discovers an eleven-year-old boy by the name of Pete (Oakes Fegley) partially clothed and abandoned in a forest. Who is he? Where are his parents? And why does he refer to his friend Elliot as a dragon? For those who have seen Malcolm Marmorstein’s 1977 musical upon which this film is based, answers on the back of a postcard. For those, like me, who have not, all will be revealed. But as the trailer suggests, Pete has not been on the magic mushrooms and nor is his friend Elliot a bad ‘un – but a giant reptile with green wings who breathes fire and occasionally snots.

The moral of director David Lowery and his co-writer Toby Halbrook’s adaptation is spelt out early in Redford’s croaky-voiced narration: “If you go through life only seeing what’s in front of you, you’re missing out on an awful lot.” In other words, don’t judge a book by its cover, all that glitters is not gold and other tired clichés. For some, dragons and monsters are scary and should be captured or shunned or shot. (For dragons and monsters read Muslims or any other minority.) A sentiment shared by Grace’s brother-in-law Gavin (Karl Urban) who seeks to exploit Elliot in much the same way that the abusive ringmaster did of John Merrick in The Elephant Man. “This thing is going to put me on the map,” he boasts. Others look beyond the sharp claws and long teeth and see a warm heart and a beating pulse. Such as the brave little soldier Pete and the wise old owl Mr Meacham (Robert Redford) who put people before profit and overcome fear through understanding.

Magic, and the belief thereof, is what unites Pete and Mr Meacham. And magic there is in abundance in this delightful film which should appeal to young and old, dragon-worshippers and reptile-agnostics. Much of this is down to the cinematography by Bojan Bazellie and, in particular, the visual effects by Weta Digital who have also had a hand in two other popular and well-received animations this year: The Jungle Book and more recently The BFG. What makes Pete’s Dragon so distinctive and refreshing though is its sparse use of CGI: effects are not used to dazzle or detract, but to compliment the live action. The same could be said about the screenplay which is light on schmaltz and heavy on substance. Though at times the plot is a little pedestrian and the much trumpeted magic is more Paul Daniels than Derren Brown. But, overall, Pete’s Dragon is a wonderful piece of good old-fashioned storytelling which has at its heart a strong message about compassion as echoed in a song from its 1977 predecessor: There’s Room For Everyone.

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Peter Callaghan
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