Review of Pete’s Dragon (1977)
Seen in 2019.
I saw the 128-minute US cut.
A white child slave in New England knows the Bolibompa dragon.
Mixed-media musical children’s fantasy. Very slow, with two layers of boring villains. The media integration is good for the period but looks terrible from 2019. I suppose the main attraction is in the wish-fulfillment fantasy of a child having control over a hugely powerful, flying, fire-breathing monster who is also cuddly and kind (to the child) and turns invisible on command. This idea is pure schlock, but it’s treated with an uncommon amount of respect for the integrity of the narrative and for the child audience.
References here: Rick and Morty (2013).