Pete's Dragon

Pete (Marshall) is orphaned and freckly; the dragon is animated and pale green. As a pair they're technically unconvincing and emotionally unpalatable, particularly when they snuggle together in close-up or when the dragon uses a gentle finger to lift a tear from his pal's eye. But the film's sentimentality is mostly contained in the trite and foolish songs; the remainder is familiar Disney knockabout comedy, depending for much of its appeal on the mugging of mountebank Jim Dale, his assistant Red Buttons, and Mickey Rooney's cuddly drunk of a lighthouse keeper. The dragon itself grunts, grins and goofs around, but isn't half as appealing as its creators obviously hoped. More character and better animation would have helped.