‘Pete’s Dragon’ provides audience sense of family

“Pete’s Dragon” starts with a scene of a couple traveling through the mountains. They have their young son, Pete, with them. Pete is reading his parents a book about a dog named Elliot. As he is reading a deer comes into the road, causing his father to swerve.
Both of Pete’s parents die in the rollover. Being the brave boy his mother told him he was, he picks up his book and heads into the forest. A pack of wolves that surround him gets scared off. Pete turns around and sees a dragon.
Pete asks the dragon if it is going to eat him, then Pete touches the dragon after it calmly approaches him and the fur turns a bright green color.
Jump ahead six years.
Grace Meacham is a forest ranger who is serious about her work in the woods. She has a passion for nature and wants to protect it. She lives in the small town of Millhaven with her father.
Mr. Meacham is a wood carver who is known for his stories about a mysterious dragon that ‘lives’ in the forest which Grace is working to protect. The local children come by their home to listen to Mr. Meacham, and Grace listens in disbelief before heading to work.
Grace is in the forest with a co-worker and hears a noise. This noise leads her to an owl in a tree. Grace sets her things down and marks the tree with blue spray paint to protect it from the lumberjacks who are working in the area.
As Grace is following the owl Pete follows quietly behind. While Grace is marking the tree he grabs the compass she laid down and quickly runs away. Before Grace can find him, a co-worker comes up and asks Grace if she is ready to leave.
The next day the lumber crew and Gavin, their leader, are out cutting away. Gavin’s brother, Jack, and niece, Natalie, show up. Shortly after they arrive so does Grace. Jack and Grace are engaged to each other. While they try to talk to Gavin about how many trees he is cutting down Natalie makes her way into the woods.
Pete is in the area and Natalie finds him. She attempts to climb the tree he is in and slips, screaming. Grace, Jack, and Gavin come running and Pete tries to run. Gavin catches him, but Pete falls and hits his head.
Gaining consciousness, Pete wakes up in a hospital room. Instantly terrified, he opens the window and escapes.
While this is going on, Gavin and his men seek out Pete’s hiding spot, armed with guns. Elliot ends up revealing himself, but survives by knocking their guns away.
Now knowing that the dragon from the Millhaven Fables does exist, Gavin gets greedy and tries to find Elliot once again. Gavin succeeds. However, his efforts to become rich and famous are opposed by Grace, Natalie, Jack, Pete, and Mr. Meacham.
In the end, Elliot escapes and Pete gets adopted by the newlyweds. After his recent adventures, Mr. Meacham, refuses to tell another tale about the dragon of the Millhaven Forest.
The closing scene shows Pete with his new family, as they watch Elliot fly away with his.
Large and furry, “Pete’s Dragon,” will leave you with a warm feeling of protection and sense of family. This movie is well written and has a great story line. I enjoyed watching it in a theater filled with young families.
Each scene captivates the attention of the audience. The bond between each character is clear and easy to understand. I appreciated the entire plot and enjoyed a few laughs as well. I strongly recommend watching this film.