This film has almost nothing in common with the 1977 original. This time, a young boy is raised in the woods by a friendly, fuzzy green dragon. Their idyllic life is threatened when a lumber company nears their habitat. Disney’s qualities are in abundance: a simple plot, sweet children, kindly grownups (one mildly bad one to provide conflict) and an earnest, wholesome approach that’s sure to please family audiences. While the effects are fine, it’s hard to take this unusual version of a dragon seriously or realistically. Still, the performances and the story (a bit darker than I expected) are sufficiently involving for younger sensibilities.
(3 / 5)