New Trailer, Poster, & Pictures for Disney's PETE'S DRAGON Re-make

Somewhat flying (no pun intended) under the radar this summer, but definitely among one of the films I'm most excited to see this year is director David Lowery's (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) re-make of the beloved 1977 Disney film, Pete's Dragon. Very much mixing animation and live-action the same way the original did, but this time with CGI rather than hand-drawn animation, this re-imagining looks absolutely stunning. As we glimpsed in the teaser trailer earlier this year there is something almost mythic about the tone in which Lowery seems to be implementing. With this new, full trailer that tone is amplified even more as we get our first real look at the titular dragon as well as a better glimpse of the narrative arc the film will take and the antagonist in the form of Karl Urban that will be threatening to capitalize on the fact there is a real-life dragon living in the nearby woods. More than anything though, it is the striking cinematography (Lowery once again teaming with cinematographer Bojan Bazelli) that stands out in this trailer. The look and feel of the film seem to have been firmly understood by the entire production as this looks to be the result of a singular vision. Whether it be the shots of Elliot flying through the magic hour clouds or emerging from a cave in a fog dampened forest-there looks to be magic in every frame. While I'm still somewhat cautious about the fully CGI Elliot there is much to like on display here and I can only hope the final product makes good use of what all this production clearly has going for it. Pete's Dragon stars Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Wes Bentley, Oona Laurence and opens on August 12th, 2016.


Synopsis: A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, “Pete’s Dragon” is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon. “Pete’s Dragon” stars Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Oakes Fegley (“This is Where I Leave You”), Wes Bentley (“The Hunger Games”), Karl Urban (“Star Trek”), Oona Laurence (“Southpaw”), Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (“Cedar Rapids”) and Oscar® winner Robert Redford (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”). The film, which is directed by David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”), is written by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein and produced by Jim Whitaker (“The Finest Hours,” “Friday Night Lights”), with Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Great Gatsby”) serving as executive producer. 

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliot. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliot seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.