For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace, who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales... until she meets Pete, a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories. With the help of Natalie, an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace, who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales... until she meets Pete, a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories. With the help of Natalie, an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.
The film leans left as its core conflict centers on the protection of a magical creature and its natural habitat from human industrial encroachment (logging), championing environmental preservation and the acceptance of the extraordinary.
The movie features a predominantly white main cast without explicit race or gender swaps of traditionally white roles. Its narrative frames traditional identities neutrally or positively, without incorporating explicit DEI themes as central to the story.
While not explicitly depicting Christian institutions, the film subtly aligns with Christian values through themes of faith, belief in the unseen, and community. The character of Meacham, whose unwavering belief in the dragon is ultimately validated, embodies a positive portrayal of faith and wonder.
Pete's Dragon is a family adventure film centered on an orphaned boy and his dragon. The narrative focuses on themes of family, belonging, and the magic of the natural world. There are no identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes present in the film's storyline or character arcs.
The film features Grace Meacham as a prominent female character, but her role does not involve direct physical combat. There are no scenes where she, or any other female character, engages in and wins close-quarters physical fights against male opponents.
The 2016 film is a reimagining of the 1977 original, introducing new human characters rather than directly gender-swapping established ones. While some new characters fill similar narrative roles, they are not presented as gender-altered versions of specific characters from the source material.
The 2016 film is a remake of the 1977 movie. A review of the main characters from the original and their counterparts or new significant roles in the remake reveals no instances where a character's established race was changed.
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