Pete's Dragon - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Pete's Dragon or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Pete's Dragon

[alyssa]

The film was a moderate success, grossing $18 million over a $10 million budget. However it was a severe disappointment for Disney, who were hoping to repeat the success of Mary Poppins (1964).

[mathew]

Don Chaffey offered and insisted to share Directing credits with animation director Don Bluth, but Disney wouldn't allow it since the majority of the film is live-action. One of the reasons for Bluth's departure from Disney films.

[tamara]

The lighthouse for the film was built on Point Buchon Trail located south of Los Osos, California, substituting for Maine. It was equipped with such a large beacon that Disney had to get special permission from the Coast Guard to operate it, since doing so during filming would have confused passing ships. Pacific Gas and Electric opened the Point Buchon Trail and allows hikers access to where filming took place.

[jim]

GOOFY HOLLER: When Doc Terminus is tied to the harpoon shot from a cannon and flies out the building roof with it.

[sara]

This was the last film Don Bluth made during his tenure at Disney.

[frances]

Mickey Rooney and Jim Backus also starred together in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) and The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (1970).

[tammy]

In her autobiography, Shelley Winters says that she tore a ligament in her foot during production of this film.

[kenneth]

This was the very first film released on VHS by Disney's home media outlet, Walt Disney Home Video. They HAD done releases on the Discovision, but this was the first program they released on their own, on the VHS/Betamax magnetic tape formats plus Laserdisc format at some point, and has the smallest stock number of every home media release the company put out (Stock No. 10). The home video tapes for the first three-to-four years of the studio's home media division retained the "Neon Mickey" Walt Disney Home Entertainment logo from the Discovision releases, but that logo became Walt Disney Home Video and changed from Walt's signature to the corporate one around the 1984 management shift. It would be retired two years later.

[sophie]

An earlier version of the song "Brazzle Dazzle Day" depicted Nora showing Pete how to clean the lamp in the lighthouse, but it was totally re-written except for the name of the song. The only part of the original song that survives in the film is Lampie's line "When your job becomes a frolic, you'll become a brassaholic."