Flash forward to six years later. Pete has been living in the forest all this time under the protection of Elliot. He is finally discovered by forest ranger Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who takes him home with her fiancé Jack (Wes Bentley) and his young daughter, Natalie (Oona Laurence). Elliot is unaware of what has happened to Pete and ventures out of the forest to find him. The only person who ever spoke of seeing a dragon before is Grace’s father, Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford), who has told tall tales of meeting the creature. No one has ever believed his stories. If Elliot does not find Pete soon, then the whole town may know that they were much more than just stories.

This movie is strictly a family affair. It would not be a good choice for date night. Kids are going to love the new Elliot and should find the story whimsical. The original Elliot was a hand drawn cartoon character, this new one is CGI all the way. He looks more like a big green puppy dog with wings. His snout is just like a dog’s and he even chases his own tail. Any child would love to play with him. The special effects that created him look flawless. However, like most Disney movies, the 3D effects are sub-par and does not add anything to the experience, so look for 2D showings.

The grown up cast is top notch, as you would expect, but the two kids really stand out in this picture. Neel Sethi received plenty of praise for his role as Mowgil in The Jungle Book earlier this year and Oakes Fegley deserves just as much. He does fantastic work considering a great deal of the time he was acting with something that wasn’t there. The original movie was a classic to many children when it came out, this new one may be a classic in their children’s eyes.

2.5 Swords