Pete’s Dragon

Tapanui: How a small New Zealand town became the heart and soul of Disney’s Pete’s Dragon

“Edge of the Forest”: an apt description of quiet West Otago township Tapanui, the words located underneath it’s welcome signage. On first look, this forestry town on New Zealand’s south island, a few hours east of Queenstown, is no more than a quick stop-off on a road trip through the region’s stunning scenery, which includes…

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Shot on Location: How New Zealand gave power to Pete’s Dragon

“Shot on location in New Zealand”. Ever since Peter Jackson made cinematic history with The Lord of the Rings franchise, that enticing sentence has been more than enough to let moviegoers know they are in for some spectacular production value. It’s almost cheating in a sense, calling on New Zealand’s famously majestic scenery to enhance…

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Building Pete’s Dragon: How an Indie Director and a New Zealand Studio Helped Redefine Disney

As it turns out, giving the reigns of a big-budget Disney film to a Director who until now has been best known for indie cinema can be just the thing an old underappreciated story needs. That’s exactly what Walt Disney Studios did to breathe new life into Pete’s Dragon, recruiting David Lowery to helm an…

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Film Review: Pete’s Dragon (PG) (USA, 2016) brings the feels

Do you remember the 1977 Disney film Pete’s Dragon? No? Good, neither do most. But Disney’s new string of live action remakes is now having a crack at the original – which has become something of a cult favourite in the Disney archives – in an attempt to replicate their success with The Jungle Book…

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Disney’s Pete’s Dragon to close Village Cinemas’ Fairytale Film Festival

From July 30th until August the 18th, Village Cinemas will be playing some of Disney’s most beloved live-action fairytales for the Fairytale Film Festival. The festival will conclude with an exclusive preview screening of Pete’s Dragon, Disney’s anticipated live action reboot of the 1977 classic of the same title. The festival comes on the back of the success…

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