Feature Film
Pete's Dragon
2016
Filmed In
Rotorua & Taupō · Otago · Wellington
Towns & Areas
Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua · Tapanui, West Otago · Stone Street Studios and Battle Hill Farm Park, Wellington
The Story
A heartwarming Disney live-action reimagining about the touching friendship between an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot — who happens to be a giant, furry green dragon.
The Stars
Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, and Hollywood legend Robert Redford. This central pairing carries the film's quiet, character-driven tone across two very different New Zealand regions.
Behind the Lens
David Lowery. Lowery came to this Disney remake from smaller independent drama work, bringing a quieter tone than the 1977 original.
Why NZ?
Disney wanted an enchanted, old-world forest feel. They found it in the towering, majestic redwoods of Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua. Production also headed south to the historic, quirky town of Tapanui in Otago, which perfectly doubled as a sleepy Pacific Northwest lumber town. Two very different New Zealand regions, on opposite ends of the country, both convincingly reading as the same fictional American town. Two very different regions standing in for the same fictional town shows just how much range sits within New Zealand's borders.
On Set
Young co-star Oakes Fegley put it simply: "Actors are just people doing a job, and Robert Redford is just really good at his job." Redford himself was struck by the country, later saying "New Zealand today is the way America was when I was a little kid."
Legacy
A ground-up reimagining of Disney's 1977 original, the film swapped the earlier version's musical tone for a quieter, more grounded family drama.
Full in depth information, stories, anecdotes and fascinating facts of every movie in the regional guides.
Get The Full Guide
Secure Your Founding Member Access All 10 Region Guides, All 45 Movies