When it comes to being considered "agreeable" entertainment for children - 1977's "Pete's Dragon" made its first big mistake (and definitely not its last) by having an almost unendurable running time of 129 minutes.... Sheesh!Another real problem here was the animated (and clearly mentally-challenged) dragon named Elliot. I mean, he was such a babbling, incoherent, and clueless doofus that I found myself looking forward to the times when he wasn't on screen.Anyway - From an adult's perspective - "Pete's Dragon" had very little charm or appeal to it. This badly-staged Disney production had "Made-For-TV-Movie" written all over it.Yep. I should've known better than to have watched this silly nonsense.

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.

This takes you back to the era of invisible friends, kids who talked to Martians through their lunch boxes, and pure imagination where we had to create our own games rather than turn on a switch or pick up a remote control. Yes, this is typical Disney silliness, but there's a lot to enjoy in it in spite of all that goody-goody happiness.Sean Marshall is Pete, the troublesome adolescent who is truly lonely and finds a friend in an animated dragon who sings, although not very well. He's run away from his foster family (Ma Shelley Winters has the bill of sale to prove it), and ends up living with the eccentric Mickey Rooney and his sweet daughter (Helen Reddy). One of the top singers of the 1970's, Reddy was a very charming actress, and her solo, "Candle on the Water", is one of the sweetest movie songs ever written. When Marshall, Rooney and Reddy break down and declare, "It's a Brazzle, Dazzle Day!", you're back in movie musical heaven, reminding you that Rooney was once the Sean Marshall of his era, singing and dancing with Judy Garland and conducting an orchestra where the members and their instruments were pieces of fruit or a huge slice of cake.Jim Dale takes over the villainy here as the carny man who wants to get his hands on Pete, and when he joins up with the over-the-top Winters and her brood, it's a mud-flying moment of fun with Elliott the Dragon being just as mischievous as Pete when confronting his new best friend's foes. Other professionals like Red Buttons and Jim Backus add to the fun here, with a musical score that threatens to top both "Mary Poppins" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" in originality and some spot on choreography that may have you applauding.This was Disney's last live action/partially animated musical, a bit past their golden era, but showing that they were concerned about the state of film as America transfered from one turbulent era into another. Some critics might call it dated, and it even may be slightly similar in theme to "Finian's Rainbow" (a dragon instead of a leprechaun), but it's still a ton of fun and filled with magical entertainment that pretty much everybody can enjoy.