The 15 Best Movies of 2016

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Productions

14. Pete’s Dragon

Disney had a great year with at least two of their films grossing over $1 billion dollars, and each of their movies hitting number 1 on the box office. But, and I could receive a tongue lashing over this, I found their live-action output to be far superior to their animated efforts. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy Zootopia, Moana or even Finding Dory, but films like The Jungle Book and Pete’s Dragon hit me where I live.

David Lowery’s remake of the 1977 Disney live-action/animated hybrid is a taste kookier than this rather straightforward retelling of the story of a feral boy named Pete and his pet dragon Elliott played like a home-spun fable. With its folk-inspired musical score and small-town setting that didn’t have a cell phone in sight, it felt like 1977 was still alive and well. The cast, including the luminous Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence and newcomer Oakes Fegley spun a tale that, dragon aside, is about finding your family. Sure, you could say that’s the theme of every Disney film, and that’s true, but Pete’s Dragon emphasized that it is in our differences and our refusal to conform to society that makes our families love us. In a year where we saw differences rooted out as bad, Pete’s Dragon couldn’t have come at a better time.

Next: Queen of Katwe