The Disney Studio was in a huge state of "FLUX" when Disney died in the 1960's. The Theme Parks were what kept the company afloat. Well the theme parks and the re-issues of their classic movies. Before the days of Home video Disney would re-issue 2 sometimes 3 animated films a year. Titles that were only released every 5-7 years included "DUMBO" "Snow White" "101 Dalmatians" "Peter Pan" "Bambi" "Pinocchio" & "The Jungle Book". Disney Studio however took a chance in 1977 and made a movie musical when musicals were no longer popular the results were this charming film "Pete's Dragon". In this film "Pete" is an orphan who has just ran away from his adoptive home. He was basically a slave and not treated as a member of his family. He is also comes across as a likable child. What has saved "Pete" was a dragon named "Elliot" that served as his protector and his friend. Many people call this film slow but to me it is far from that. It is not a music video with 10 cuts a minute. It is an enjoyable film. A film that calls for a family viewing experience. Now I saw this film originally in 1977. There is many different running times for this film. For the life of me I can not tell you what was eliminated from the film I saw in 1977. That version ran 131 Minutes. Today The Home video Runs 128 Minutes. What is missing I could not tell you.

An orphan boy and his magical dragon come to town with his abusive adoptive parents in pursuit.Mickey Rooney never disappoints, but this film leaves something to be desired. The animation is cheesy, the story runs a bit too long, the romance with the lost sailor seems unnecessary. Most of the songs are pretty awful (though the ones sung by the snake oil salesman are alright).Maybe in the 1970s this was very entertaining, but today it was rather blah. Exactly why is unclear, as many other 70s (or older) films have held up quite well. One key reason may be just that the boy playing Pete was not very likable.

Another classic from Disney ... this is a movie I actually find myself watching ... and smiling. The talent is a mixture of classic actors from an era long gone, and replaced, all too often, by actors that just don't have the magic needed to engulf us with a hundred and one emotions.Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, Mickey Rooney, and many of the musical industries best dancers that have worked with stars like Jane Powell, Shirley Jones, and Kathryn Grayson. I did notice one of the male dancers that was also dancing up a storm in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.Sean Marshall is the perfect Pete ... and it was refreshing to hear someone else say that entertaining is wonderful, but the fame is the pits! I often wonder how people like the stars of this little gem deal with the fame. Imagine having perfect strangers running up to you ... wanting autographs, and to just touch you, as if whatever you've got may rub-off on them.Helen Reddy was excellent as Nora ... the entire cast was perfect casting. If you are into feel good musicals ... on one of those rainy blue Mondays ... this film is for you.The songs are catchy ... you'll have them roaming through the corridors of your mind for days! That's Entertainmant!

What a surprise! Much better than I remembered it. Great songs and cast with great performances by Red Buttons and Mickey Rooney. Shelly Winters plays a wonderfully-horrible villain with "blackout" teeth. A simple story about a magical dragon that only Pete can see (at first) and clever dragon mechanical effects: Pete riding Elliott, toasting apples, dragon footprints, his "outline" on the schoolhouse wall, thrashing around inside a whale-sized net. The dragon animation by Don Bluth is fanciful, which is good because this is a children's' movie. Some technical glitches, as the "yellowscreen" (sodium vapor) process renders Elliott the Dragon somewhat prone to minor color-"timing" shifts. But this is not something that kids care about anyway. Some of the songs are way too long or are there just too many songs? When shown on "broadcast" TV it was often abridged. Like "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" it attempted to become the next "Mary Poppins" and we will have to see how that works out when its upcoming sequel appears. My two favorite segments are Helen Reddy rolling around on exploding beer barrels (ridiculously fun!) in the town pub, and the "Professor's 3-part musical "rant" "using every little piece" of Elliott the Dragon in potions and powders Although "Candle on the Water" is the Oscar-nominated song, Red Buttons and Mickey Rooney round out a great cast I bet your kids start humming "Brazzle-Dazzle Day" as the movie ends! Remade in 2016 with a friendly, furry, green (CGI) dragon.