Disclosure: Disney provided me with a product to facilitate this post. The words and opinions expressed in this review are strictly of my own.
Disney’s Pete’s Dragon soars home this holiday season with exciting never-before-seen bonus features on Digital HD, Blu-ray™, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand! The heartwarming adventure is the re-imagining of Disney’s 1977 classic, Pete’s Dragon. The story is about an orphaned boy named Pete who meets his best friend Elliot in the woods, who just happens to be a dragon.
About the Pete’s Dragon Story
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted children in the sleepy town of Millhaven with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger in these very woods, his stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home to speak of, who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliot, and from his descriptions, Elliot seems remarkably similar to the fabled dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories.
As Grace slowly begins to earn Pete’s trust, opening his eyes to the possibility that there is a world beyond his forest, his presence causes Grace to take a look at her own life, including her relationship with Jack (Wes Bentley), who owns the local lumber mill. Jack wants to support Grace’s endeavors to study and protect the surrounding woods but needs to focus on keeping his company profitable at the same time, and it is driving a wedge between them.
When Pete’s idyllic life with Elliot in the forest is in danger, Grace, along with the help of Jack’s 11-year-old daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence), sets out to uncover the truth about this dragon and determine where Pete came from…and where he belongs.
Bonus features include*
BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:
- Notes to Self: A Director’s Diary – Director David Lowery narrates the personal diary he kept through the filming of “Pete’s Dragon” in this intimate and fascinating look at the movie’s making.
- Making Magic – Discover fun facts about what went into designing this spectacular, lovable dragon.
- “Disappearing” Moments – The director shares a montage of the film’s “lost” scenes.
- Welcome to New Zealand – Experience the wonders of New Zealand and learn why it’s a magical place to visit … and to make a movie.
- Audio Commentary – Gain an insider perspective from director David Lowery, co-writer Toby Halbrooks and actors Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence.
- Music Videos
- “Nobody Knows” by The Lumineers
- “Something Wild” by Lindsey Stirling featuring Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
- Bloopers
DVD:
- Making Magic
DISC SPECIFICATIONS:
Product SKUs: Digital HD/SD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, Disney Movies Anywhere,
DVD and On-Demand
Feature Run Time: Approximately 103 minutes
Rating: PG in U.S., PG in CE, and G in CF
Aspect Ratio: Blu-ray Feature Film = 1080p High Definition / Widescreen 2.39:1
DVD Feature Film = Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA & 2.0 Descriptive Audio,
Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks
DVD = English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks,
English 2.0 Descriptive Audio
Languages/Subtitles: Blu-ray = English SDH, Spanish and French
DVD = English SDH, Spanish and French
Beautiful Film for Holiday Entertaining
Disney’s Pete’s Dragon is a beautiful film perfect for holiday entertaining! The new version of the beloved Disney film appeals to a whole new generation of film goers with its breathtaking scenery and heartwarming tale of an orphaned boy dealing with a sense of belonging.
Filmed in New Zealand
Pete’s Dragon was entirely filmed in gorgeous New Zealand as Millhaven, a fictional logging town in the American Pacific Northwest. Factual locations of filming include the Rotorua District, Tapanui in West Otago and Stone Street Studios in Wellington.
Tapanui
Tapanui’s main street was closed off for a week for filming and residents generously leased approximately 55 of their homes to the movie production company. Other alterations made for production in Tapanui included a local pub closing its 120-seat restaurant so it could be turned into wardrobe department. The production of Pete’s Dragon not only brought excitement to the area, but also money. The Licensing Trust which controls the Forest Lodge Hotel reported in the month of production their revenue jumped up $100,000, due to an increase in champagne sales. They sold more bottles of Moet & Chandon in one night than they would in a year!
Magnificent Redwoods
The most beautiful scenery of Pete’s Dragon was the forestry shot in the area near Tokoroa. The forest is the home to several magnificent giant Californian Redwoods, which made it the ideal location double for America. It contains more than 200,000 acres of pine trees, which enabled the production to create a number of different landscapes. The visual aspect of the forest grabs the deepest attention of movie viewers and draws them into the heart of the story.
Weta Digital
You can’t mention Pete’s Dragon without giving ultimate props to Weta Digital located beside Stone St Studios in Wellington. It is the visual effects company founded by filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor that is responsible for bringing the dragon, Elliot, to life. The spectacular green dragon is incredibly lifelike that it satisfies the imaginations of extreme dragon enthusiasts. Elite is amazing! The movie is worth seeing for just that fact alone!
Robert Redford
Another success to Pete’s Dragon is the talented cast. Iconic actor and filmmaker Robert Redford stars as Meacham, a passionate wood carver who tells stories about an encounter with a dragon that lives in the woods outside of Millhaven. Redford, age 80, is not only well known for being an award winning accomplished actor and filmmaker, but also a lifelong environmentalist. Since the early 1970’s, Robert Redford has served for almost 30 years as a Trustee of the Board the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is noted to have been influential with many pieces of environmental legislation including the Clean Air Act (1974-75), The Energy Conservation and Production Act (1974-76), and the National Energy Policy Act (1989). He is timeless and his acting is impeccable! If you are a Redford fan, don’t miss his outstanding performance in Pete’s Dragon!
Magical Homerun
Overall, Pete’s Dragon is a heartwarming and visually stunning movie that the entire family will love. The production location, visual effects, talented cast, impressive group of artists, and touching storyline (written and directed by Lowery) makes the film a magical homerun for the holidays!
Stay Connected
Website: Movies.Disney.com/Petes-Dragon-2016
Facebook: Facebook.com/DisneyPetesDragon
Twitter: Twitter.com/DisneyPetes
Instagram: Instagram.com/DisneyPetesDragon
Disney’s Pete’s Dragon Digital HD Giveaway!
Courtesy of our friends at Disney, a lucky reader is going to win Pete’s Dragon on Digital HD!
To enter the giveaway, please follow the instructions provided on the Rafflecopter form. Please leave a relevant comment to show your support! Thank you!
Open To US Residents Only- age 18 + Ends December 20th , at 11:59 pm (eastern time)! Enter Daily!
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