Pete's Dragon (1977 movie)

Pete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical movie from Walt Disney Productions. It is a live-action movie but its title character, a dragon named Elliott, is animated. The story is about a young orphan named Pete who goes to the town of Passamaquoddy a small fishing community in Northeastern Maine. His only friend is a dragon named Elliott. Elliott is also his protector and can make himself invisible.

Pete's Dragon
Directed by	Don Chaffey
Screenplay by	Malcolm Marmorstein
Story by	S.S. Field Seton Miller (short story)
Produced by	Jerome Courtland Ron W. Miller
Starring	Helen Reddy Jim Dale Mickey Rooney Red Buttons Shelley Winters Sean Marshall
Cinematography	Frank Phillips
Edited by	Gordon D. Brenner
Music by	Joel Hirschhorn Al Kasha (Songs) Irwin Kostal
Production company	Don Bluth Entertainment
Distributed by	Walt Disney Productions Buena Vista Distribution Company, Inc.
Release date	January 1, 1977 (1977-01-01)
Running time	134 minutes
Countries	United States United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$10 million
Box office	$36,000,000

Cast

• Paul Winchell (voice) as Elliott a Apatosaurus-like dragon with the chest of a Adélie penguin, the spikes of a alligator, the bones of a apatosaurus, the knees of a asian elephant, the wings of a bat, the teeth of a bear, the forehead of a bison, the body of an brontosaurus, the nostrils and horns of a bull, the head of a camel, the tongue of a chicken, the face of a clownfish, the ears of a cow, the belly and feet of a crocodile, the back of a dog, the crest of a donkey, the butt of a duck, the obesity of a elephant seal, the throat of a fossa, the paws of a fox, the mandible of a frog, the scleras of a gazelle, the neck of a giraffe, the eyebrows of a hippo, the hair of a horse, the shoulders of a hyena, the arms of a kangaroo, the claws and toes of a komodo dragon, the eyeballs of a lion, the hump of a moose, the chin of a mule, the spots of a panther, the jowl of a pig, the legs of a polar bear, the earlobes of a rabbit, the eyes of a rat, the maxilla of a rhino, the eyelids of a Sable antelope, the fangs of a sand cat, the pupils of a seal, the scales of a shark, the tonsils of a sheep, the tail of a snake, the elbow of a tiger, the gum of a turtle, the mouth of a tyrannosaurus rex, the the lips of a wildebeest, and the muzzle of a zebra.
• Jimmy MacDonald as Elliott (growling)
• Hal Smith as Elliott's vocal effects
• Sean Marshall as Pete, an orphan boy whom the Gogans treat like a slave.
• Helen Reddy as Nora, Lampie's headstrong but kind daughter.
• Mickey Rooney as Lampie, a Passamaquoddy's lighthouse keeper and Nora's father.
• Jim Dale as Dr. Terminus, a scheming quack.
• Red Buttons as Hoagy, Terminus' sidekick.
• Shelley Winters as Lena Gogan, the matriarch of the Gogans.
• Charles Tyner as Merle Gogan, Lena's husband.
• Gary Morgan and Jeff Conaway as Grover and Willie Gogan, Lena and Merle's adult sons.
• Cal Bartlett as Paul, Nora's fiancé.
• Walter Barnes as the Captain of the ship on which Paul returns home.
• Jane Kean as Miss Abbey Taylor, a mean schoolteacher.
• Jim Backus as the mayor of Passamaquoddy

Awards and honors

Academy Awards

Pete's Dragon was nominated for two Academy Awards:

• Academy Award for Best Original Song - Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn for "Candle on the Water"
• Academy Award for Original Song Score - Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn and Irwin Kostal

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Awards

The movie was nominated for four Saturn Awards:

• Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film
• Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor - Red Buttons
• Saturn Award for Best Costume
• Saturn Award for Best Special Effects

Golden Globes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated Pete's Dragon for one Golden Globe Award:

• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn

Other websites

• Pete's Dragon on IMDb