Pete's Dragon [Original recording remastered, Soundtrack]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 16, 2002)
• Original Release Date: November 3, 1977
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Soundtrack
• Label: Walt Disney Records
• ASIN: B000065814
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,908 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Marrying animation to live action had been experimented with in the '30s and '40s, perfected in the '60s for Mary Poppins, and elevated to tour-de-force status on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but Disney's 1976 feature Pete's Dragon helped pioneer the use of the technique as feature-film vehicle. The song-score of Al Kasha and Joel Hirschorn occasionally rises to the level of the Sherman brothers, their daunting predecessors at the studio, but it also graced one of the last of the old-school Disney musical films. Indeed, it's likely the most consistent element of a much-troubled production (its animation was originally intended for a brief segment at the end, then steadily expanded after the fact). Indeed, there's an almost schizophrenic sense of the traditional Disney musical ethos occasionally clashing with the changing musical mores of the late '70s. The mature, Helen Reddy-performed ballad "Candle on the Water" won a Best Song Oscar^®, but other tunes like "Passamashloddy" and "Boo Bop Bopbop (I Love You Too)" sometimes feel like they could have been outtakes from any six previous Disney musicals. But if the studio's impossibly sunny, marvelously crafted song ethos of its '40s-'60s prime is what you're after, you'll find a familiar friend here. -–Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost Perfect, July 2, 2002

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pete's Dragon (Audio CD)

After being out of print for years, Disney has finally brought back the soundtrack to Pete's Dragon, a personal favorite from their vaults. Since this was its first release on CD, I was anxious to get it.

For the most part, this CD holds up to my expectations. I've always loved the music because the songs have incredibly catchy melodies and fun words. This is great if I get such songs as "Candle on the Water," "There's Room for Everyone," or "Brazzle Dazzle Day" stuck in my head. On the flip side, I also run the risk of getting "Happiest Home," "Every Little Piece," or "Bill of Sale" stuck in my head. On more then one occasion, I have found myself singing these songs in public; it's a little embarrassing out of context. Still, it's worth it since over all the songs are so great.

So what's the problem? The songs appear on the CD in random order. While each song is represented, they are in no logical order, which is a little distracting. Also, some of them have been cut down from the movie. The edits are rather poor and there are a couple times when it's a little jarring on first listen.

It's a shame that Disney didn't take the little extra time and effort it would have required to make this release perfect. Keeping in mind its flaws, it's still definitely worth getting. I'm certainly enjoying my copy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Could Use a Touch of Brazzle Dazzle, August 1, 2004

By 

Bruce Aguilar (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pete's Dragon (Audio CD)

Although the songs on this CD are highly entertainling and sure to get stuck in your head once you've heard them, the CD is poorly produced. As others have noted the songs are not presented in the order they apear in the film. Worse, some have been edited. Below is the odrer in which they appear in the film (edited songs are marked with an asterisk).

1. Main Title
* 2. The Happiest Home In These Hills
3. Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You, Too)
4. I Saw a Dragon
5. It's Not Easy
* 6. Passamasholddy
7. Candle on the Water
8. There's Room for Everyone
9. Every Little Piece
* 10. Brazzle Dazzle Day
11. Bill of Sale
12. Candle on the Water (reprise)

Unfortunately, the reprise of "I Saw a Dragon" is not even on the CD. On the plus side, the booklet includes all the lyrics for each song and the digital remastering has produced a very clear and vibrant sound. It's unlikely this CD will be released again, so if you're a fan of Pete's Dragon or just want to hear some good, fun music, you'll have to deal with shortened versions and a confusing track listing.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disney drops the ball on Elliotts feet, April 19, 2002

By 

Norman Landsburg (Chapel Hill, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pete's Dragon (Audio CD)

When I learned that Walt Disney Records planned to release the soundtrack to Pete's Dragon on CD, I was very excited. However, my excitement was destroyed when I discovered that they have released a heavily abridged version of the score, exactly the same way that Capitol Records released it on vinyl back in 1977 (one track from that set, however, has been omitted; Helen Reddy's single 45 version of "Candle on the Water," which is available on Razor & Tie Record's Helen Reddy compilation).

Several of the film's songs are heavily abridged here, and none of the background score has been presented. Three songs have dance sequences in the film which are nowhere to be found here; the song "The Happiest Home in These Hills" has its opening verse removed, and the line "I'll collect," from "Passamashloddy," is inexplicably missing. Irwin Kostal's arrangements of the Al Kasha/Joel Hirschhorn score earned him an Oscar nomination; the late arranger, an Oscar winner for his song score arrangements on West Side Story and The Sound of Music, with additional nominations for Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, did a fine job here and his work deserves to be presented on CD as it was in the film. Worst of all, the songs are in an arbitrary order, rather than that in which they appeared in the film.

In 1996 and 1997, Disney released a number of film soundtracks with complete songs and score; they have recently been reissued after being out-of-print for a couple of years. The necessary elements for this film most likely still exist, as the studio historically keeps these materials around instead of throwing them out.

Disney should treat all films in their "Original Soundtracks" series equally and not just rehash the LPs which were abridged for space issues rendered irrelevant by compact disc. If you agree with me, call and write to Disney and ask them to revisit the soundtrack to Pete's Dragon as a complete song-and-score disc and not an LP rehash.

At least they bothered to clean up the audio for CD. It sounds good, but that's about all the nice things I can say about this soundtrack. This is a good film and its soundtrack deserves a much better treatment than it got.