by H. Nelson Tracey/ www.cinemacy.com
It’s a travesty that the description ‘family movie’ has become categorically marooned by studios and the public alike as a juvenile and tasteless affair. Animated movies aside, the subgenre is no longer seen for its potential: to enrich the lives of all those who watch it, provide a nourishing dose of spectacle to the wide-eyed young audiences and sincere delight to the parents and older folks who accompany them.
“Pete’s Dragon,” now playing in theaters and the latest of Disney’s live-action remakes, has exactly the type of magic that’s been missing from the big screen. Admittedly, I haven’t seen the original version, one of Disney’s less-branded properties, so I can only speak to how the current film stands up. The title is a reference to our protagonist, Pete (Oakes Fegley), an orphaned boy who lives deep in the woods, alone with the green dragon, and for years has avoided human companionship. I expected the film to wait a long time to reveal the titular dragon as most movies would, but instead he’s introduced and shown right from the get-go, a nice device that reminds us this is their story, not the story of the outsider townspeople we will soon meet. Yes, the dragon is shown early on, but its enchantment continually grows as stakes are raised. This introduction works as a way to immediately put us on our protagonist’s side: while the outsiders nearby don’t believe in such creatures, we as an audience do.
These outsiders are a well-cast ensemble of familiar actors, all living in small town U.S.A. Bryce Dallas Howard is Grace, the no-nonsense forest ranger who’s never seen a dragon. Her fiancé Jack (Wes Bentley) and brother-in-law Gavin (Karl Urban) are loggers encroaching upon the forest. Oona Laurence plays Jack’s daughter, Natalie, and continues to prove herself as one of the greatest child actors currently working, in this touching supporting performance. Lastly, the legendary Robert Redford plays Grace’s wise father, Meacham, who reflects the movie’s wisdom with a reverence that can only come from cinema’s finest, in a role that likely was tailor-made to fit to him.
Aside from Bentley’s character, who we don’t get too much exposure to, this entire ensemble shines in their respective roles, and each is given the opportunity to grow as a character thanks to the adventure they experience. There’s no need for crude humor or pandering kid jokes, but instead these characters make the story come alive without lowering the bar. Time and time again the film respects our intelligence as viewers and develops with a certain grace that never takes us out of the story. It’s amazing that something simple and well-executed feels like a marvelous revelation in this case and I’m happy to have experienced it.
Impressively, the film avoids being easily diverted into overused tropes. From the moment the protagonists are established as loggers and rangers, I was waiting for the inevitable heavy-handed environmental message that always feels hypocritical coming from a major studio. As we learn more about Pete, I was ready for a certain orphan backstory that you’ll think has to be employed. But the film is above all that, it never succumbs to the on-the-nose mentality. Instead, these themes of wilderness/nature and mankind’s interference stay subdued knowing that within the context, all audiences are mature enough to understand what’s at stake.
Most of all, this is a beautiful story about what it means to grow up, perhaps the perfect theme for the genre. There’s even a feeling reminiscent of “Room”, one of last year’s finest entries, in the protagonist who similarly enters society for the first time, and while the rest of us can relate to the emotion of holding onto the past while life changes so fast, rarely can a movie so smoothly depict this. It offers an easily comprehensible storyline while also layering in meaningful themes to be understood differently by the many age groups who may all relate to varied experiences.
And on another note, the 3D in this movie provides no noticeable enhancement, so it isn’t worth the extra upcharge. The movie works great by itself, and I invite moviegoers of all ages and interests to experience this treat; check your cynicism at the door and let the wonder and magic take you as it did for me.
At a time when it feels like compassion is being shortchanged in both the world at large as well as my own personal experience, “Pete’s Dragon” is an adventurous and triumphant return to those joyous feelings that make the world feel like a better place. Let this film serve as a benchmark for what a family movie can and should be: an emotional embrace of heartwarming adventure from start to finish.
“Pete’s Dragon” is rated PG for action, peril, and brief language. 102 minutes. Now playing in theaters nationwide.
