When my grandson Stuart was born with pulmonary atresia, we adjusted our life styles to accommodate his limitations. The lack of oxygen from too much physical activity turned his nails and lips blue. When he became a toddler and I called him, he came running and opened his small mouth like a baby robin to accept his heart medication from the dropper. I spent countless hours sitting on the couch with him, watching Disney movies and keeping him still. Pete’s Dragon, one of our favorites, we watched again and again. We could sing the songs and quote the actors at the least provocation. Surgery has long since repaired Stuart’s heart problem and he has grown up, but Pete’s Dragon remains one of my favorite movies. Hence, when I took my youngest grandsons to the theater recently and heard that a new Pete’s Dragon would arrive in theaters soon, anticipation filled me. The previews titillated my interest and I vowed to see the new movie at first opportunity. That opportunity arrived this past weekend. My sister Sarah Nell and I went to Statesboro to shop and see the new movie.
The movie opens with a car crash. A family consisting of a mom and dad and a small boy set out on an adventure. The little boy is reading a child’s book in the back seat, but his mom has to help him with the harder words. He’s obviously not very old, maybe three or four. Suddenly there’s a crash, the car flips, and the little boy crawls out with his book and backpack. The next scene shows the child with Elliot the dragon in the dragon’s lair. At this point, I have to remind myself to accept all the discrepancies. This is after all a Disney movie and magic is perfectly acceptable.
Pete and Elliot live an idyllic and happy life in the north woods of the forest where no one ever ventures. They fly through the air, Pete holding tightly to Elliot’s green fur. Pete often leaps off the cliff and Elliot swoops down to catch him. They curl up together at night and in some magical way, Pete manages to grow for the next six years under the watchful care of Elliot the dragon. They are undisturbed by the human race until one day when Gavin, the big, bad logger, ventures too deeply into the forest for trees to cut. That’s when the problems begin.
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