Peter et Elliott le dragon

Son propos exclusivement destiné à un auditoire enfantin parvient tant bien que mal à faire oublier les innombrables incohérences et raccourcis, tout en justifiant sans doute la légèreté d'une morale plus que convenue et l'étroitesse de personnages à peine ébauchés.

The dragon is by far the greatest innovation over the original, which cut corners by making the hand-drawn character «invisible» for nearly half the movie: Here, Elliot doesn't just look believable, but he sounds it as well, with every breath and sigh adding credibility to a creature we desperately want to be real.

The human performances strike just the right notes. I haven't yet mentioned Robert Redford as a wise old guy who spins yarns about the fabled dragon - only to eventually come to the creature's aid - but his presence is just so terrific here. Howard is sweet and gentle as Pete's surrogate mother, and youngsters Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence are natural and completely believable.

Thanks to Lowery's humanizing magic, Pete's Dragon is that rare family film you really can take to heart.

Meanwhile, Howard and a supporting cast including Robert Redford as her tale-spinning dad and Wes Bentley as her significant other haven't been given much to do here beyond reacting to the mighty Elliot, who himself proves to hold all the magical allure of a dusty Disneyland animatronic.

Globalement, si Peter et Elliott le dragon ne manque pas de moments riches en émotions et en rebondissements et qu'il plaira aux jeunes, on est loin d'un «grand» Disney, le long métrage étant bon, sans plus. À voir donc lors d'un passage au petit écran.

L'impact du point culminant n'en est que décuplé - les plus sensibles essuieront quelques larmes. Soyons honnête: Pete's Dragon n'a rien de vraiment nouveau à dire sur la famille ou l'amitié, mais il le dit avec une telle candeur qu'on ne peut que se laisser emporter.

The only good remakes are those that have a legitimate reason to exist and something to add to the story that's already been told, and Pete's Dragon fits that in every way. 

After half an hour or so of those stutter steps, Pete's Dragon starts working on you, much like those gold standards of the boy-and-his-otherworldly-friend genre, E.T. and The Iron Giant. 

There isn't a lot that's unexpected here, like a few too-obvious characterizations (loggers = evil; environmentalists = saints). But it's a simple story, heartwarmingly told.

This is one of those medium-sized (or medium-sized seeming) movies with a big heart and lots of family appeal—the kind of film that can make adults feel like kids without making them feel gullible or stupid, and that can entertain more attentive and patient children simply by putting a memorable world and memorable characters onscreen. 

Avec, en bonus, un Robert Redford au jeu simple si chaleureux et un dragon incroyablement attachant, Pete's Dragon est d'une qualité comparable au Cinderella de Kenneth Branagh. Cette adaptation qui vient du cœur modernise ce conte pour le rendre accessible à une toute nouvelle génération. 

Bien qu'on ait voulu lui donner une saveur écologique, l'intrigue, sans grands rebondissements, est alourdie par des personnages manichéens, campés de manière souvent forcée. Seuls le petit Oakes Fegley et le vétéran Robert Redford s'avèrent attachants, grâce à leur jeu plus naturel.