Pete’s Dragon Blu Ray Release Date and Special Features

Walt Disney Home Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of director David Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon (2016), a reimagining of Disney’s cherished 2012 original that centers on an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon. The new family film stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Robert Redford, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence and Isiah Whitlock Jr., and arrives on Blu-ray on November 29th.

Families will be captivated by this magical movie followed by never-before-seen bonus features, including a revealing look at director David Lowery’s personal diary kept during the filming of Pete’s Dragon, the design process behind the lovable dragon Elliot, deleted scenes, a tour of the film’s breathtaking production location of New Zealand, audio commentary by filmmakers and actors and hilarious bloopers.

Pete’s Dragon stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World) as Grace, a forest ranger in the Pacific Northwest who happens upon 10-year-old Pete, played by Oakes Fegley (This is Where I Leave You). Oona Laurence (Southpaw) is Natalie, the 11-year-old daughter of Jack, a lumber-mill owner played by Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games). Karl Urban (Star Trek) is Jack’s bumbling brother Gavin and Oscar-winner Robert Redford (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) portrays Mr. Meacham, an old wood carver who delights the local children with tales of a fierce dragon.

The film is directed by David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) from a screenplay by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein and produced by Jim Whitaker, p.g.a. (The Finest Hours), with Barrie M. Osborne (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) serving as executive producer.

Writer/director Lowery reveals, “I look back on childhood as an adventure, and I wanted to capture that on screen in the smallest—but also the biggest—way.” The big—the creation of an irresistible 24-foot tall, green, furry dragon that can breathe fire and turn invisible—is brilliantly tackled by the team at the Academy Award-winning visual effects company Weta Digital (The Hobbit films and The Lord of the Rings trilogy). But it’s the small moments between characters that so beautifully convey the film’s powerful message: the importance of friendship, family and finding one’s place in the world.

Pete’s Dragon is presented in 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround. Extras include:

Trailer Time: Pete’s Dragon (2016) *Remaking a Kinda Sorta Classic

Pete’s Dragon is a remake of a 1977 Disney live-action/animation hybrid film that was most notable for introducing me to the town of Passamaquaddie, ME, which is easily one of the most enjoyable town names in world history.  2016’s Pete’s Dragon really has more in common with Tarzan than the original film, which takes the names of the character and the title and reworks most of the rest.  Visually, obviously an improvement:

Honestly, I’d be paying no attention to this film whatsoever were it not for two things.  One, Disney is currently in the midst of perhaps the greatest year any studio has ever had both financially and critically.  Two, I want to know which small child in the Redford family is responsible for one of the greatest actors of all-time being in this film.  No, seriously, I’m curious, because-God love him-how many more Robert Redford performances are we going to get?  What if this is it?  What if this Orson Welles in Transformers: The Movie (except that was awesome)?  Releasing right after Jason Bourne and Suicide Squad, it presents a family option, and if it can garner some decent reviews Disney will no doubt continue to build their own private moon with all of the money they’ve gleefully taken from us in just the first six months of the year.  Pete’s Dragon is scheduled for an August 12, 2016, release.