Pete's Dragon (1977)
Pete's Dragon (1977)
The beautiful bold coastline of Maine with it's cliffs and lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages has long been an inspiration for the settings of films. Though Pete's Dragon never outright states that it is set in Maine, there are plenty of hints that Maine is the setting for this musical adventure film. The first hint is the name of the fictional town that the film is set in, Passamaquoddy, which is the name of a tribe of natives that inhabited North Eastern Maine, and New Brunswick, which is how the real life locations of Passamaquoddy Bay, and West Quoddy Lighthouse/State Park got their names. So knowing that this film takes place in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine, and the village is named Passamaquoddy, and that there is a lighthouse located near this small fishing village would give hints to the real life location of this fictional village where young Pete and his dragon friend Elliot found their home. As I was researching this, my first thoughts, led me to the small village of Eastport Maine, which lies on Moose Island separating the Cobscook Bay and the Passamaquoddy Bay. This small town was the setting for an Mtv show called Murder In Small Town X. However as I researched the area more (this is one of my favourite areas of Maine by the way), I started to feel that Maine's easternmost village of Lubec would be the more logical real life setting for Pete's Dragon. Lubec is the home of the West Quoddy Lighthouse, and the West Quoddy State Park. Lubec is a fishing village, that at one time made its living from sardine fishing, and the West Quoddy Lighthouse is one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the country. Though the real life lighthouse is a beautiful red and white candy striped lighthouse tower, the village of Lubec however fits perfectly as the real-life setting of Passamaquoddy. Also the West Quoddy Lighthouse is the most Northeastern point in the United States, and the first place in the United States to watch the sunrise, and the closest point in the United States that you can get to being Africa (that fact came as a surprise to me, but when I looked at a map it somehow made sense). Now, not to disparage my beautiful home state, the family from which Pete is fleeing from in the beginning of the film, the Gogans, do fit the negative stereotype of rural folks in northern Maine, as being the "south of the north". I don't like this stereotype, but I can't pretend that even though it is over exaggerated, the Gogans are the same folks that you can still see in that part of the state driving big loud pickup trucks, with confederate flags, and waving Trump flags (yes, even up here in yankeeland we have these ignorant folks waving the confederate flag). So even with the Gogans, it helps to paint Lubec as the real life setting for the fictional Passamaquoddy from Pete's Dragon.
Pete's Dragon is an interesting film, let's just say that as it stands this film would not be made today, and though I haven't yet seen the remake, I can guarantee that there are definitely some elements of the original film that would have been changed. I will also say this, there is no way in hell that I as a woman would ever step foot in the pub in Passamaquoddy, that would be a terrifying place for a woman, and the scene where Nora goes into the Bar after her father Lampie, and the song I Saw A Dragon then is sang, the way that she is grabbed and pawed at by the bar patrons is a pretty traumatic thing to watch, and a big hand to Nora for handling it so well. Also the sheer amount of alcoholism in this film, there is no way that Disney would make this film today. However, I am not going to talk about how this film is "problematic", and there is no way in hell that I would say that it should be "cancelled" or anything like that. We all know right from wrong, and we all know that what passed in 1977 does not pass as acceptable in 2021, but it doesn't mean that this film can't still be enjoyed, we just see certain elements differently, and we know that we as a people have grown and hopefully improved since then. I will say nothing more about it.
Pete's Dragon follows a young boy Pete, and his friend Elliot who is an animated dragon, he flees from the terrible Gogan family who adopted him to use him as slave labour on their farm. He finds himself in the small fishing village of Passamaquoddy, where he instructs Elliot to turn invisible, and clumsy Elliot causes Pete trouble, and he ends up taking refuge in a cave along the shore, near the lighthouse. Nora finds him there, and tells him that the tide is coming in so he is not safe, and invites him to stay with her in the lighthouse. But her father Lampie saw Elliot while he and Pete were still in the town, and though no one else believe Pete about Elliot, Lampie does. But later the secret of Pete's dragon makes it way to the ears of snake oil salesman Dr. Terminus, who develops a plan to capture Elliot to chop him up and use him to make potions, and Dr Terminus teams up with the Gogans who have come to town to take possession of Pete. However Nora and Lampie have decided to make Pete part of their family. But can they save Pete from the Gogans, and Elliot from Dr. Terminus, and what will it take for Nora to believe in Elliot's existence?
Pete's Dragon was directed by Don Chaffey with a screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein. The film is based on the unpublished short story Pete's Dragon And The USA (Forever After) by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field. Disney originally optioned the film rights to the story in 1957, but the film went into developmental hell for years, as no one knew exactly how to make this film. Then in 1975 Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn were brought on to compose the songs for the film, and with Don Chaffey on board as the director, the film began to take shape as a musical, and the character of Elliot was to be an illustrated dragon. Animation in the film wasn't done by any of the old Disney animators who were used for most of Disney projects, instead the job was given to Don Bluth and his assistant Don Hahn. The experience that Don Hahn gained from this film, would be instrumental for his film Who Framed Roger Rabbit years later. The film utilized a yellow screen process (the same as the modern green screen) that allowed a live background, and a live foreground, with the animated character. Pete's Dragon was produced by Walt Disney Productions and Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution in 1977. The film was a box office success grossing $36-39 million on a budget of $10 million. The film also won several awards, however it was met with mixed critical reception at the time, and on online film review sites it is still met with mixed reception. I think that with Pete's Dragon there is an element of those who watched it as a kid in the late 1970's-the early 1990's have fond childhood memories of the film, but I feel that for various reasons that it is a film that might not appeal to a more modern youth film audience. Also musicals have a way of polarizing people, people either tend to love them or hate them, and then with the Vaudeville style acting this is definitely
not a film that appeals to everyone.
Pete's Dragon stars Sean Marshall as Pete, Charlie Callas as Elliot, Helen Reddy as Nora, Mickey Rooney as Lampie, Jim Dale as Dr. Terminus, Red Buttons as Hoagy (Dr. Terminus' assistant), Shelley Winters as Lena Gogan, Charles Tyner as Merle Gogan, Lena and Merle Gogans sons Grover and Willie are played by Gary Morgan and Jeff Conaway, Jane Kean plays the strict teacher at the school Miss Taylor, and Jim Backus as the Mayor of Passamaquoddy. This film has a wonderful cast, especially with the the casting of Sean Marshall, Helen Reddy, and Mickey Rooney. Sean Marshall was an inexperienced actor, but what he lacked in actual talent he made up for with his cute facial expressions, and the way that he just captures this youthful innocence. Then there is the amazing Helen Reddy, who shines as bright as the lighthouse when she is on screen. She has this heart warming beauty to her, and she just fills the screen with her light when she is doing her scenes, and her high level of talent helps to elevate the inexperienced Sean Marshall, rather than overshadowing him. I honestly can not say enough positive things about the amazing Helen Reddy. Then of course there is Mickey Rooney, who plays the perpetually drunk Lampie, who is the father of Nora, and who becomes as much friend as father/grandfather figure to young Pete. He is so perfect for this role, and he just has this element of kindness to his voice and to his face. I also definitely want to give props to Jim Dale, who plays Dr. Terminus and Red Buttons who plays his perpetually drunk assistant. Jim Dale makes the perfect cartoon villain in the film, and Red Buttons perfectly compliments him as his reluctant and bumbling assistant. Then for me as a kid who grew up loving Gilligan's Island, there is Jim Backus, who fans of Gilligan's Island will recognize as the millionaire Thurston Howell. It was great seeing him in this film, as the Mayor, honestly it was almost like seeing him as Mr. Howell, he is a similar character in a way. I just can't praise this cast enough, great acting, and their singing is amazing. 
Wait hold up, have I seriously spent the last three hours writing a film review praising a Walt Disney film!? Yes, it is true as much as I hate Disney, I have always loved Pete's Dragon, as a kid I was attracted to this film because it had a dragon, and because it was set in a fishing village, and it had a lighthouse in it, all things that really appealed to me as a kid. However I don't think I'd seen this film since 1990 or so, and last night I my roommate asked if we could do Pete's Dragon for my Maine Movie Monday review, and I wholeheartedly agreed. So I made up some fish tacos, and we sat down around the coffee table in the living room with the cats, and we watched Pete's Dragon. I had so much fun watching this childhood favourite with my amazing roommate last night. They are a huge fan of musicals, so it was even more special to share this film with them. Pete's Dragon still looks good after all these years, with its vivid colours, clean animation style of Don Bluth (one of my favourite animators by the way), and great acting, and it tells a heartwarming story of a young boy who finds a family and his place in the world, however my roommate and I definitely had thoughts about the way the film ended, and we find that it is a type of ending that is too common in children's films, and because I am not a fan of the message that that kind of ending gives off I find myself more attracted to films like The Neverending Story, because of how it encourages kids to never give up their imagination, and that it is important to keep your head up in the clouds. I will not say more, I want you to experience this film for yourself, and not spoil the ending for you. If you haven't seen Pete's Dragon, I highly recommend checking it out. I don't know if it is a must see film, I would like to say that it is, however it is a very dated film, and I do sadly feel that there are elements of this film that some modern viewers would not care to see, and I suppose for them I hope the remake is a good film (I have no plans to see it though). So I think see it for yourself, there are some that may feel that this film is a relic of the past and should stay there, but as a woman who will be turning 40 this year in May, this film really brings back warm childhood memories and is special to me.
Pete's Dragon follows a young boy Pete, and his friend Elliot who is an animated dragon, he flees from the terrible Gogan family who adopted him to use him as slave labour on their farm. He finds himself in the small fishing village of Passamaquoddy, where he instructs Elliot to turn invisible, and clumsy Elliot causes Pete trouble, and he ends up taking refuge in a cave along the shore, near the lighthouse. Nora finds him there, and tells him that the tide is coming in so he is not safe, and invites him to stay with her in the lighthouse. But her father Lampie saw Elliot while he and Pete were still in the town, and though no one else believe Pete about Elliot, Lampie does. But later the secret of Pete's dragon makes it way to the ears of snake oil salesman Dr. Terminus, who develops a plan to capture Elliot to chop him up and use him to make potions, and Dr Terminus teams up with the Gogans who have come to town to take possession of Pete. However Nora and Lampie have decided to make Pete part of their family. But can they save Pete from the Gogans, and Elliot from Dr. Terminus, and what will it take for Nora to believe in Elliot's existence?
Pete's Dragon was directed by Don Chaffey with a screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein. The film is based on the unpublished short story Pete's Dragon And The USA (Forever After) by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field. Disney originally optioned the film rights to the story in 1957, but the film went into developmental hell for years, as no one knew exactly how to make this film. Then in 1975 Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn were brought on to compose the songs for the film, and with Don Chaffey on board as the director, the film began to take shape as a musical, and the character of Elliot was to be an illustrated dragon. Animation in the film wasn't done by any of the old Disney animators who were used for most of Disney projects, instead the job was given to Don Bluth and his assistant Don Hahn. The experience that Don Hahn gained from this film, would be instrumental for his film Who Framed Roger Rabbit years later. The film utilized a yellow screen process (the same as the modern green screen) that allowed a live background, and a live foreground, with the animated character. Pete's Dragon was produced by Walt Disney Productions and Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution in 1977. The film was a box office success grossing $36-39 million on a budget of $10 million. The film also won several awards, however it was met with mixed critical reception at the time, and on online film review sites it is still met with mixed reception. I think that with Pete's Dragon there is an element of those who watched it as a kid in the late 1970's-the early 1990's have fond childhood memories of the film, but I feel that for various reasons that it is a film that might not appeal to a more modern youth film audience. Also musicals have a way of polarizing people, people either tend to love them or hate them, and then with the Vaudeville style acting this is definitely
not a film that appeals to everyone.
Wait hold up, have I seriously spent the last three hours writing a film review praising a Walt Disney film!? Yes, it is true as much as I hate Disney, I have always loved Pete's Dragon, as a kid I was attracted to this film because it had a dragon, and because it was set in a fishing village, and it had a lighthouse in it, all things that really appealed to me as a kid. However I don't think I'd seen this film since 1990 or so, and last night I my roommate asked if we could do Pete's Dragon for my Maine Movie Monday review, and I wholeheartedly agreed. So I made up some fish tacos, and we sat down around the coffee table in the living room with the cats, and we watched Pete's Dragon. I had so much fun watching this childhood favourite with my amazing roommate last night. They are a huge fan of musicals, so it was even more special to share this film with them. Pete's Dragon still looks good after all these years, with its vivid colours, clean animation style of Don Bluth (one of my favourite animators by the way), and great acting, and it tells a heartwarming story of a young boy who finds a family and his place in the world, however my roommate and I definitely had thoughts about the way the film ended, and we find that it is a type of ending that is too common in children's films, and because I am not a fan of the message that that kind of ending gives off I find myself more attracted to films like The Neverending Story, because of how it encourages kids to never give up their imagination, and that it is important to keep your head up in the clouds. I will not say more, I want you to experience this film for yourself, and not spoil the ending for you. If you haven't seen Pete's Dragon, I highly recommend checking it out. I don't know if it is a must see film, I would like to say that it is, however it is a very dated film, and I do sadly feel that there are elements of this film that some modern viewers would not care to see, and I suppose for them I hope the remake is a good film (I have no plans to see it though). So I think see it for yourself, there are some that may feel that this film is a relic of the past and should stay there, but as a woman who will be turning 40 this year in May, this film really brings back warm childhood memories and is special to me.
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