Pete's Dragon/Trivia


 * The story was acquired by the Disney studio in the 1950s, originally intended for the Walt Disney anthology series on TV.
 * Pete's Dragon was the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system.
 * The movie features an instance of the "Mickey laughing," heard when Doc Terminus gets caught in a harpoon line.
 * Pete's Dragon was the first Disney feature film to be released on VHS home video, in October 1980.
 * The lighthouse for "Pete's Dragon" was built on a point above Morro Bay, California, substituting for Maine. It was equipped with a such a large beacon that Disney had to get special permission from the Coast Guard to operate it, since operating it during filming would have confused passing ships.
 * Jeff Conaway, who played Pete's "brother" Willie, is better known for his role as Kenickie in the film version of Grease.
 * Animators opted for an oriental, rather than occidental, dragon, because oriental dragons are usually associated with good.
 * Singer Helen Reddy, famous for the feminist anthem, "I Am Woman," makes her second big-screen appearance as Nora, while screen veteran Mickey Rooney plays her father, Lampie.
 * The song, "Candle On The Water," by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschorn, received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Song, along with tunes from two other Disney films – The Rescuers and The Slipper and the Rose: The Story Of Cinderella. The Oscar went to "You Light Up My Life," from the film of the same name.
 * The original story called for Elliott the dragon to remain invisible throughout the entire film.
 * The film is the first involving animation in which none of the Nine Old Men -– Disney's original team of animators –- were involved.
 * One of the movie's special effects involved compositing, whereby up to three scenes might be composited together -– for example, a live foreground, a live background, and an animated middle ground containing Elliott.
 * Third wave ska band Reel Big Fish recorded a cover version of the song "It's Not Easy" from the film for their "Duet All Night Long" split EP with Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer.
 * In an apparent nod to the film, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz has at times adopted the name dragonspete to chat in online rooms.
 * The main antagonist in Pete's Dragon is Lena Gogan, and the secondary antagonist is Doc Terminus.
 * It is rated G.