
After they abandon their search, Pete falls asleep. The family calls for Pete to return and promise they will treat him better, while contrastingly expressing their true intentions to punish him severely ("The Happiest Home in These Hills"). In New England in the early 1900s, an orphan named Pete flees the Gogans, his abusive foster family, with the assistance of an unseen force he calls Elliott. The film spawned a live-action remake made by Walt Disney Pictures and released in 2016. Capitol Records released a single of Reddy performing " Candle on the Water" (with a different arrangement from that in the film) that reached #27 on the Adult Contemporary charts. The film received two nominations at the 50th Academy Awards, for musical scoring and original song. It was a moderate financial success, grossing $18 million over a $10 million budget. The film was released on Novemto mixed reviews from critics, though some praised the animation.

The project was initially conceived in 1957 as a two-part episode of the Disneyland television series, but it was shelved until it was revived as a musical film in 1975. Field, the film stars Sean Marshall, Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Jeff Conaway, Shelley Winters, and the voice of Charlie Callas as Elliott.

Based on the unpublished short story "Pete's Dragon and the USA (Forever After)" by Seton I. Pete's Dragon is a 1977 American musical fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey, produced by Jerome Courtland and Ron Miller, and written by Malcolm Marmorstein.
