Gunning for a better critical reception than fellow live-action fairytale Alice Through the Looking Glass, David Lowery’s high-profile reimagining of Pete’s Dragon is the latest movie to tumble off Disney’s fairytale production line, and a new trailer and poster arriving today showcase the ways in which the filmmaker – best known for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – is offering a new spin on an old classic.
First released back in 1977, Pete’s Dragon is a heartfelt tale revolving a young boy (Oakes Fegley) who considers himself a forest dweller. With no family or home to call his own, Pete wards off loneliness by befriending a giant, feathery and winged reptile, much to the amazement of Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard).
Also starring Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Wes Bently, and Karl Urban, expect Pete’s Dragon to take flight in all of its feathery glory when Disney’s live-action reimagining graces theaters on August 12.
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 Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott 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.