When you hear the film title ‘Pete’s Dragon’, I wouldn’t be surprised if the image of a real boy with a very green, very cartoonish dragon comes to mind. But this 2016 live action is in fact a far cry from the 1977 film it shares a title with. It may be billed as a remake, but the plots are actually quite different. Where the original shows orphan Pete escaping abusive guardians with his imaginary dragon Elliot, in this movie orphan Pete has been living in the forest for six years with only his very real dragon for company.

When Pete (Oakes Fegley) discovers that trees in his forest are being felled, his secret hideaway is no longer a secret when Natalie (Oona Lawrence) finds him and gives him away to her site foreman father Jack (Wes Bentley) and his park ranger girlfriend Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard). What follows is an adventure which sees Pete try to hold onto his way and life and protect his beloved dragon Elliot from Nick’s troublesome brother Gavin (Karl Urban) and the men who want to see the dragon destroyed.

Having never seen the original, I can only talk for this version, but in terms of family entertainment, this doesn’t really put a foot wrong. Its adventurous, exciting and a wonderful blend of magic and sentimentality. Elliot, still bright green with overly large eyes, is just about real enough to believe but cartoony enough to hark back to the 1977 original. It’s not the best animation I’ve seen, but it is certainly not the worse.

The entire cast is well suited to well suited to their roles, with each character having their own story to tell, but it really is young actor Oakes Fegley who steals the spotlight as orphaned Pete. When we first meet Pete, he is a true Mowgli style wild child, completely unafraid of wild animals or anything that could harm him. Appearing in almost every scene, Fegley carries the story with apparent ease as character goes through an emotional rollercoaster. Peter is utterly torn between his life in the wild with Elliot and the new normal life he is introduced to with Grace and her family, and Fegley completely illustrates that turmoil in his performance. He is certainly one to watch out for in the future along with Oona Lawrence who plays the role of Natalie with sweetness and charm.

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As Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard creates a likeable and believable character who rediscovers the magic of the stories from her childhood when she meets Pete and Elliot. She’s a caring character, who only wants the best of Pete, yet she does come across as a little clueless at times. That and with her ranger uniform and regularly concerned facial expression, you can’t help but draw comparisons to her Jurassic World character Claire. Nevertheless, you find yourself drawn to her and Howard’s chemistry with Wes Bentley’s Nick is realistic. Karl Urban plays a convincing villain as Gavin and Robert Redford impresses as Meacham, Grace’s father who always believed in the tale of dragons in the forest.

Overall, Pete’s Dragon is ideal family viewing, enough action to engage older viewers and enough magic to keep little ones entertained. It may not share the exact same plot as the original, but it still has that wonder and sentiment, just given a major update and an extra dose of adventure.