PETE’S DRAGON [1977 / 2012] [35th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray + DVD] [USA Release] It’s A Brazzle Dazzle Brilliance!
For the first time ever on Blu-ray, you and your family can rediscover Walt Disney’s classical musical adventure and the 35th Anniversary Edition of ‘PETE’S DRAGON’ in dazzling Blu-ray 1080p high definition and with an all-new digital restoration!
When Pete, an orphan, and his best friend Elliott an invisible green dragon wanders into the seaside town of Passamaquoddy, the townspeople think he is behind a slew of hilarious mishaps. But after a daring rescue, they change their tune and believe in Pete’s fire-breathing buddy.
Filled with friendship and fun, and featuring the 1978 Academy Award® nominated “Candle on the Water” [Best Original Song for 1977]. This family classic on Disney Blu-ray turns every viewing into a Brazzle Dazzle Day.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nomination: 1978 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Music for an Original Song for Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn for the song “Candle on the Water.” Nominated: Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score for Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn and Irwin Kostal. 1978 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Original Score for a Motion Picture for Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. 1978 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. Nominated: Saturn Award forBest Supporting Actor for Red Buttons. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Costumes for Chuck Keehne and Emily Sundby.
FILM FACT No.2: The project was initially conceived in 1957 as a two-part episode of the Disneyland television series, but it was shelved until it was revived as a musical film in 1975. The lighthouse for the film was built on Point Buchon Trail located south of Los Osos, California, substituting for Maine. It was equipped with such a large beacon that Disney had to get special permission from the Coast Guard to operate it, since doing so during filming would have confused passing ships. Pacific Gas and Electric opened the Point Buchon Trail and allows hikers access to where filming took place. The film's animators opted to make Elliott look more like an oriental, rather than occidental, dragon because oriental dragons are usually associated with good. The film is the first involving animation in which none of the “Nine Old Men” –Disney's original team of animators--were involved. One technique used in the movie involved compositing with a yellowscreen that was originally used in ‘Mary Poppins’ and similar to today's greenscreen compositing, whereby up to three scenes might be overlaid together – for example, a live foreground, a live background, and an animated middle ground containing Elliott. Ken Anderson, who created Elliott, explained that he thought it would be appropriate to make him "a little paunchy" and not always particularly graceful at flying. Don Hahn, who was an assistant director to Don Bluth on Pete's Dragon, gained some experience working with a combination of live-action and animation before later going on to work on ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’
Cast: Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, Sean Marshall, Jane Kean, Jim Backus, Charles Tyner, Gary Morgan, Jeff Conaway, Cal Bartlett, Charlie Callas (Elliott voice), Walter Barnes, Al Checco, Henry Slate, Jack Collins, Robert Easton, Roger Price, Robert Foulk, Ben Wrigley, Joe Ross, Arline Bletcher (uncredited), Rocky Bonifield (uncredited), Patrick Dennis-Leigh (uncredited), Kim Diamond (uncredited), Debra Dilley (uncredited), Debbie Fresh (uncredited), Rusty Gilligan (uncredited), George Golden (uncredited), James MacDonald (Elliott's Roars In Net Scene voice) (uncredited), Julie Phillips (uncredited), Ken Renard (uncredited), Dinah Anne Rogers (uncredited), Dee Giffin Scott (uncredited), Johnny Silver (uncredited), Dennis Stewart (uncredited) and Arthur Tovey (uncredited)
Directors: Don Chaffey and Don Bluth (animation director) (uncredited)
Producers: Jerome Courtland and Ron Miller
Screenplay: Malcolm Marmorstein (screenplay), S.S. Field (story) and Seton I. Miller (story)
Composer: Irwin Kostal (score)
Cinematography: Frank V. Phillips A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor]
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (Anamorphic)
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD High Resolution Master Audio French: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH and French
Running Time: 128 minutes
Region: Blu-ray: All Regions and DVD: NTSC
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Buena Vista Distribution / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘PETE’S DRAGON’ [1977] is a live-action animated musical feature film from Buena Vista Distribution. It is a live-action film but its title character, a dragon named Elliott, is animated. It is about a young orphan boy named Pete [Sean Marshall] who enters a small fishing town in Maine in the early 20th century. His only friend is Elliott [voiced by Charlie Callas] and animated by Don Bluth, who also acts as his protector. Elliott can make himself invisible and is generally visible only to Pete, which occasionally lands him in trouble with the locals. The film was originally released on the 3rd November, 1977 and also featured in the film are Helen Reddy, Mickey Rooney, Jim Dale, Red Buttons, Jeff Conaway and Shelley Winters. It was directed by Don Chaffey, and the songs are by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn.
A young orphan named Pete is fleeing his abusive and nasty foster family the Gogan’s and is led by Lena Gogan [Shelley Winters]. As they pursue Pete an unseen force appears, especially when Pete calls Elliott the dragon to distracts them. Lena Gogan, her husband, Merle Gogan [Charles Tyner], and their sons, Grover Gogan [Gary Morgan] and Willie Gogan [Jeff Conaway], are determined to find Pete because in Lena Gogan's own words, “We paid $50 for that kid, and we ain't got fifty more.” The lazy, inept, and constantly-bickering Grover Gogan and Willie Gogan are told by their equally-heelish parents that “If we don't get him back, you two boys are gonna have to start working the farm with your own two hands.”
From here on we move to the quaint seaside town of Passamaquoddy, a hopeful oasis of peace and quiet for Pete that’s far-removed from the evilness of his guardianship. Elliott is told to disappear and behave himself, the second request proving as difficult as can be for a mischievous green dragon. The local fishermen complain about the recent scarcity of fish and believe Pete is the cause. Nora [Helen Reddy] reminds them the fishing grounds shift from time to time, and sings the song “There's Room for Everyone” in town. Nora takes Pete to start school, where Pete is punished unfairly by Miss Taylor, the strict teacher, as a result of Elliott's antics; and is enraged and smashes into the schoolhouse.
The same goes for moments where Pete tries fixing Elliott’s errors, quick reflexes putting his hands on the objects in question was either the school bell’s rope or his teacher’s chair, and therefore painting them red. It’s as funny to watch as it is heart-breaking; Pete’s attempts to shield Elliott from ridicule and violence born by fear forcing him to endure the punishment for actions out of his control. But it’s reciprocal, the dragon saving his hide plenty of times by flying them out of trouble or running interference for quick getaways. They’re two peas in a pod, this creature an obvious figment of Pete’s imagination as a psychological coping device somehow brought to life as protector. Until a suitable family can be secured, Elliott will remain by his side.
As headstrong lighthouse keeper Nora takes an interest in the Pete’s plight and already caring for one child and her town drunk of a father named Lampie [Mickey Rooney] who actually sees Elliott and of course is dismissed as the crazy louse he is when looking to tell everyone else the Pete is actually a step-up on the self-sufficiency scale and also helps to take her mind off her fiancé Paul [Cal Bartlett] who sailed out to sea a year prior never to be heard from again. The two become thick as thieves, a friendship burgeoning as strong as that with Elliott and could be the person to give Pete the life he deserves; he the hope in miracles she has all but lost.
The next morning the townspeople praise Elliott for his help and Nora is reunited with Paul . . . who, as it turns out, was the sole survivor of a shipwreck at Cape Hatteras. However, he suffered total amnesia due to his ordeal in the storm. Then, one day recently, his bed suddenly tipped over (courtesy of an invisible Elliot), he bumped his head, and got his memory back. Sadly, now that Pete is safe and has a loving family of his own, Elliott reveals that he must go. He and Pete say their goodbyes and he flies off to help other children.
Add a corrupt conman in Dr. Terminus [Jim Dale] and his lackey Hoagy [Red Buttons] to seek capturing the dragon while the eventual return of the Gogan’s clan threaten Pete’s freedom and you have your adversaries for this tale of fantastical wonders and love’s familial bond. Who gets to see Elliott and how, namely while being drunk, is carefully plotted to draw the climactic convergence of so many characters out. The selfish gain of Dr. Terminus and the Gogan’s is elaborated in multiple songs while Nora’s bittersweet heartbreak and Pete’s newfound happiness are expressed via the song “Candle on the Water” and “It’s Not Easy” respectively. Some things are obviously slightly dated for today’s audiences, but the message still remains universally true to the spirit.
The animation effects putting a two-dimensional hand-drawn dragon into frame with live actors and settings surprisingly hold up through the high-definition restoration process. You can tell characters in the foreground are superimposed on many backgrounds along with them, but the way he interacts is practically seamless. The pains taken to even shade drop shadows on Elliott when objects are close by aren’t to be ignored. Neither is the decision to change his colouring while flying in and out of tree shade and sunlight. This transition might not look perfect, but the fact the animators went the extra mile to render the juxtaposition as authentic as possible is unquestionably admirable.
In the end there’s a lot to love for young children with cartoon type laughs and wild imagination. The nuance of the lyrics for songs sung by villains will go over their heads while making adults cringe to think of the cavalier abuse at play, so hopefully melodies are hummed by grade schoolers and not voiced in full. Jim Dale’s a perfect Disney arch villain, the Gogan’s vile despicable cretins, and Mickey Rooney a loveable teddy bear of a man. Marshall’s innocence lends Pete the perfect mix of vulnerability and courage, Helen Reddy’s empathy with her parental instinct to be respected rather than feared. And as for Elliott the dragon: well you don’t get much cuter than him. Faithful, loyal, and selfless to a fault and we can certainly all learn from this lovable beast. There’s always room for everyone.
PETE’S DRAGON MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE HAPPIEST HOME IN THE HILLS (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Shelley Winters, Charles Tyner, Gary Morgan and Jeff Conaway]
BOO BOP BOPBOP BOP (I Love You, Too) (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Sean Marshall and Charlie Callas]
I SAW A DRAGON (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Mickey Rooney, Helen Reddy and Ensemble]
IT’ NOT EASY (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Sean Marshall and Helen Reddy]
PASSAMASHLODDY (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Jim Dale, Red Buttons and Ensemble]
CANDLE ON THE WATER (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Helen Reddy]
THERE’S ROOM FOR EVERYONE (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Helen Reddy, Sean Marshall and Ensemble]
EVERY LITTLE PIECE (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Jim Dale and Red Buttons]
BRAZZLE DAZZLE DAY (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Helen Reddy, Sean Marshall, and Mickey Rooney]
BILL OF SALE (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Shelley Winters, Charles Tyner, Gary Morgan, Jeff Conaway and Helen Reddy]
FINALE: I SAW A DRAGON / BRAZZLE DAZZLE DAY (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn) [Sung by Helen Reddy, Sean Marshall, Mickey Rooney, and Company]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Once again the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you this 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray disc of ‘PETE’S DRAGON’ in a beautiful 1080p encoded image and an equally impressive 1.66:1 anamorphic aspect ratio. The picture quality is as sharp as ever in this recent conversion, and all the locations from the swamp, the cave, the lighthouse and the town of Passamaquoddy look colourful and vibrant. Almost as perfect as something comparably shot in today’s standards, and I was quite pleased about viewing Elliott the green dragon in this very nice looking transfer, especially his pink and green colours are brilliant and when you see the live-action characters combined with Elliott, in my mind it works very well and you must remember the trick effects were not as sophisticated as films made today and so I personally liked the overall effects of the film. So all in all I was very impressed at what Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment was able the present this film, as they gave it a great deal of thought to this 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray restoration.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Once again the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you this 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray disc of ‘PETE’S DRAGON’ in an exceptional 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround tracks are well balanced, great sound and is a solid mix. Nora, Pete, Lampie, Elliott, Dr. Terminus all come across crisp and clean. The sound effects seem clearer than ever, from swooshing tails to sea-storms, the ambient atmospheric sounds are more dynamic than ever and the music of Helen Reddy is richer and more melodic than ever before and no real issues with the sound. While it delivers some clean, decisive sound from the front speakers, the rear speakers are oddly left out much of the time. Even during scenes where crowds have gathered, the rear speakers seem reluctant to join in on the fun, also for a few raucous occasions, like the raging storm, or Elliott ploughing through a couple schoolhouse walls. The songs and their accompanying music are featured nicely. Otherwise it is a very acceptable audio mix, but a shame they could not have been able to get some surround sound effects with the back speakers.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Brazzle Dazzle Effects: Behind Disney’s Magic [2009] [480i] [1.37:1] [25:25] Here we learn about the History of the Walt Disney's Magical Mix of Live-Action and Animation! This documentary was produced for the 2009 DVD, and is narrated by an unseen Sean Marshall [Pete]. The first fifteen minutes of the programme looks at the evolution of Walt Disney's and way back in the 1920s started to experiment with special effects and camera tricks and other projects that mixed live-action with animation, which was done by a process called “Sodium Vapor Process” and occasionally referred to as “Yellowscreen,” and is a photochemical film technique for combining actors standing in front of a white sheet and then they would run the film trough the camera a second time to combine the two images with the cartoon characters and was originated in the British film industry in the late 1950s, and was used extensively by The Walt Disney Company in the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to the more common bluescreen process. Petro Vlahos is credited with the invention or development of both of these processes with Wadsworth E. Pohl and Ub Iwerks, and received an Academy Award® in 1965 for the “Sodium Vapor Process” used in films like ‘Alice in Cartoonland;’ ‘The Three Caballeros;’ ‘Song of the South;’ ‘The Chronicles of Narnia;’ ‘Enchanted;’ ‘Mary Poppins;’ ‘In Search of the Castaways;’ ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks;’ ‘The Love Bug;’ ‘Island at the Top of the World;’ ‘Darby O’Gill and the Little People’ and ‘That Darn Cat’ which Sean Marshall explains in great detail and it is a great overview, covering films like and along with short interviews with Virginia Davis-McGee [Alice], Roy E. Disney, and even an old audio commentary recording of Walt Disney from a Black-and-White CBC TV Special interview done in the early 1960s. The second half of the feature is an exclusive focus on the making of the film ‘PETE’S DRAGON,’ including some footage from the film's premiere. Sean Marshall's narration is filled with a lot of love and appreciation for that memorable summer in 1976. Sean Marshall spotlights in the various cast and crew, my favourite story he shares was how Mickey Rooney and Red Buttons spent so long improvising a short scene that the first take ran nearly twenty minutes. This documentary is truly the highlight of this Blu-ray disc, even if we do not to see how Sean Marshall looked in 2009.
Special Feature: Deleted Storyboard Sequences: Terminus & Hoagy Hunt Elliott [1976] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:27] Listen to this rare demo dialogue track as you view the storyboard sketches. This documentary, produced for the 2009 DVD. This is one of Dr. Terminus's attempts at capturing Elliott, as they discuss it without realising that Elliott has been following them. It's amusing, but I can see why it was deleted from the film.
Special Feature: Original Song Concept: Boo Bop Bopbop Bop [I Love You] [1976] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:36] Hear the first demo recording from 1976, with early storyboard sketches of Pete singing to Elliott! Hearing the demo version rather than the final film lets us imagine what it would have looked like if it had been included in the film.
DVD Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Original Song Concept: Boo Bop Bopbop Bop [I Love You] [1976] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:36] Hear the first demo recording from 1976, with early story sketches of Pete singing to Elliott! Hearing the demo version rather than the final film lets us see and hear the scene at its earliest form.
Theatrical Trailers [1977] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:32] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘PETE’S DRAGON.’ Here you get to view two trailers of the film, but sadly the first trailer is of very poor quality.
Sneak Peek Trailers: Cinderella [1950] [1080p] [1.37:1]; Wreck-It Ralph [2013] [1080p] [1.78:1]; Anti-Smoking Campaign [2012] [1080p] [1.37:1], Disney Movie Rewards [2012] [1080p] [1.78:1]; Disney Parks [2012] [1080p] [1.78:1]; Disney Junior [2012] [1080p] [1.78:1]; Peter Pan [2012] [1080p] [1.37:1]; Secret of the Wing [2012] [1080p] [1.78:1]; BRAVE [2012] [1080p] [2.35:1]; Cinderella II +III [2012] [1080p] [1.78:1]; Finding Nemo [2013] [1080p [1.78:1] and PLANES [2013] [1080p] [1.78:1].
Finally, ‘PETE’S DRAGON’ Blu-ray disc gives a technical presentation that really shines, and makes viewing feel fresh and renewed. I recommend purchasing this Blu-ray, especially based solely on its upgrade in the video quality department, compared to the inferior DVD release I use to own. Also, as great as the transfer is now, a new digital scan and re-composition of the visual effects shots would greatly enhance viewing experience, but despite this, it is still a great Blu-ray purchase. Overall, the film is a perfect example of what 1970s Walt Disney Studios use to produce. Family friendly were Walt Disney’s goals, and earnest attempts to emulate the Walt Disney era, with its own strengths, but ultimately it does not feel quite like “What Walt Would Do.” However, we shouldn't condemn a film outright. This is still a very well-made film, with a strong performances from all of the cast, and amazing (if slightly overdone) songs. With the film is definitely aimed at a family oriented scenario, it still makes for a favourite film from the “Disney's Legacy” era in-between the period between Walt Disney's death in 1966 and the company's corporate shake-up in 1984, with a winning performance by much of the cast, and the remarkable animation of Elliott the dragon in the film, I think ‘PETE’S DRAGON’ is still a winner. I would rather watch this Walt Disney film than the live remake. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
