Elliott is the titular deuteragonist in Disney's 1977 film, Pete's Dragon and its 2016 live-action remake. Elliott, as the film's title suggests, is a large green dragon who befriends a young orphan named Pete. Elliott is a gentle and docile giant, except he doesn't like it when somebody such as cruel people abuse little orphaned children whenever he takes good care of them. He also has the ability to fly, breathe fire and can even turn invisible.
In the 1977 movie, his vocal sound effects were provided by the late Charlie Callas. In the 2016 movie, his vocal sound effects were provided by John Kassir.
The film's animators opted to make Elliott look more like an eastern, rather than western, dragon because oriental ones are usually associated with good. The film is the first involving animation in which none of the Nine Old Men (Disney's original team of animators) were involved. One technique used in the film 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. Ken Anderson, who created him, explained that he thought it would be appropriate to make him "a little paunchy" and not always particularly graceful when it comes to flying. Don Hahn, who was assistant director to Don Bluth on the film, gained some experience working with a combination of live-action and animation before later going on to work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Personality
Elliott is a dragon with the ability to become invisible. He is depicted as a benevolent character who assists children in need, like Pete. He is pleasant-tempered and good-natured, but fairly clumsy, even when flying, and reacts badly to alcohol. He is also shown to be very protective of Pete.
Elliott is by profession a guardian of abandoned children, coming and going, seeking those who are in need of a friend, at least until they have a family who can be there for them or until their problems are all resolved. Once a child has no further need of him, he sadly moves on and never sees them again.
Elliott can be a bit of a mischief-maker, intentionally or not, although he never means real harm to anyone.
Powers and Abilities
Dragon Physiology: Elliott has several physical attributes that surpasses that of most other dragons.
Superhuman Strength: Elliott possesses large amounts of immense strength, partly because of his enormous size.
Superhuman Speed and Agility: Elliott can run or fly at high speed and is extremely agile while flying in the air.
Flight: Like all dragons, Elliott's wings give him the ability to fly. Naturally adapted to flying, he is quick and extremely maneuverable.
Fire Breath: Like all dragons, Elliott's primary weapon is his fire breath which he can project from his mouth.
Invisibility: Elliott's main ability is rendering himself invisible, allowing him to blend into his surroundings and even camouflage himself.
Prehensile Tail: Like all dragons, Elliott possesses a long prehensile tail that he can use to help balance himself, but can also use it to hold things in its grasp.
Physical Appearance
In the original film, Elliott was created and designed by Ken Anderson. In one of the promotional posters, he is said to be "20 feet tall" and "40 feet long", but in the actual film, he appears to be closer to roughly 12 feet in height. According to the song, "It's Not Easy", he has a camel's head, a crocodile's neck, a cow's ears, and is amphibious as well (this is confirmed in a later scene).
Elliott himself is a fairly tall dragon with a very prominent chin and a large tummy big enough for Pete to sit on as a cushion. He has emerald-green scales, a mint-green segmented underbelly, and forest-green spots of varying sizes along his body. He has bubblegum-pink hair in a style similar to a pixie-cut on his head and at the end of his tail, which acts as a third arm. He has purple spikes running down his spine, and small pink bat-like wings with a lighter pink webbing on his back which, despite their size, are still able to let him fly, albeit a little awkwardly.
Throughout most of the original film, Elliott's eyes display no visible irises, but tend to change color to match his emotions. For instance, when Elliott gets scared by his own shadow, or sneezes, his eyes become light shades of blue and green; when he belches fire after drinking liquor, and again when he loses his temper at the thought of Pete caught by the Gogans again, his eyes become a fiery shade of red as the "irises" somehow enlarge through his whole eyes. When Elliott grows flustered as Nora kisses him, Elliott has blue eyes.
Appearances
Pete's Dragon
Elliott is initially shown as an unseen force that prevents the abusive Gogans from capturing Pete, who is running away from them. His true form is revealed the next morning, when they have breakfast in an apple-orchard. He invisibly follows Pete into the town of Passamaquoddy, where his clumsy antics cause Pete to be labeled as a source of bad luck.
Elliott reveals himself to Lampie, the lighthouse keeper, before he and Pete escape to a seaside cave. When Pete is taken in by Nora, Lampie's daughter, Elliott remains invisible, leading her to believe he is merely an imaginary friend. He later accompanies Pete to school, causing more trouble when Ms. Taylor, the schoolteacher, threatens to punish Pete. This leads to Dr. Terminus, a medical showman, plotting to capture him, as dragons supposedly have many medical uses.
At some point, Elliott locates Paul, Nora's lost fiance, and cures him of amnesia. The night that Paul is to return, Elliott is captured by Dr. Terminus, and Pete by the Gogans, but Elliott frees himself and Pete and they return to the lighthouse, where a storm-surge has extinguished the lamp. Although cramped in the narrow staircase, Elliott uses his fire breath to relight the lamp, revealing himself to Nora and Lampie. The next morning, Elliott is praised by the townspeople, while Nora is reunited with Paul, and they take Pete home. This leads Elliott to leave in search of another child to help. After saying goodbye to Pete, he flies away.
House of Mouse
Elliott was a common audience member at the club. In the episode "Ask Von Drake", he asked Ludwig what kind of day it was, and he replied by saying, "It's a brazzle-dazzle day, of course!" (after a song in Elliott's own film). In "Mickey and Minnie's Big Vacation", he, along with [w:c:villains:Maleficent Maleficent], Mushu, Madam Mim, and the Reluctant Dragon, caused a fire on the stage.
Pete's Dragon (2016)
In the remake version, Elliott is known as the "Millhaven Dragon" who lives in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, Millhaven. His appearance is significantly altered, losing his trademark pink hair and gaining thick, green fur around his body. He also has a noticeable resemblance to both dogs and lions in his body and face and sports protruding lower fangs, visible when his mouth is closed (one partially broken). As in the earlier film, Elliott can fly, blow fire, and turn invisible to camouflage himself. In this version of the story, he cared for and protected Pete for six years, after Pete survives his parents' death.
When Pete is found by Park Ranger Grace Meacham, her fiancé Jack, and Jack's daughter, Natalie, Elliott discovers Pete has gone missing and becomes very worried. He is spotted by Jack's brother, Gavin, who along with his fellow lumberjacks, follows Elliott's trail into the forest. When they come upon Pete and Elliott's treehouse, Elliott is quick to chase them off. After locating Pete and realizing that Grace and Jack care for him, Elliott sadly returns to his cave.
Pete later returns to the forest with Grace, Natalie, and Grace's father, Mr. Meacham to introduce them to Elliott. As he makes friends with the family, Elliott is ambushed and tranquilized by Gavin and the other lumberjacks, who then chain him up in their mill's warehouse.
Natalie Pete free Elliott, who is still too weak and weary from the tranquilizers to fly away. Mr. Meacham, Grace, and the kids then drive Elliott out of the mill towards the forest, with police in hot pursuit. During the chase, Jack rejoins them and Gavin unsuccessfully tries to stop the group from escaping. Halfway across the bridge, Elliott, now regaining his strength, angrily breathes fire at the police to stop his pursuers, causing the bridge to become damaged. Pete tries to calm him, but the dragon refuses to listen until Pete shows Elliott that Grace and Jack are in trouble. Elliott then dives after Grace and Jack to save them when the damaged section of bridge collapses. When helicopters appear, however, Pete and Elliott fly away, despite Grace's pleas.
Returning to the ruins of their treehouse, Elliott, knowing that Grace and her family can care for and love Pete as much as he has, prepares to leave as everyone now will be after him. He then encourages Pete to go back to them, and after a tearful final hug, they go their separate ways. Pete then reunites with Grace, Natalie, Jack, and Mr. Meacham, while Elliott flies away to find a new home.
Elliott is not seen nor heard from again afterwards, but it is shown that he is living happy and free among many other dragons somewhere in the mountains. Pete, now living with Grace and her family, is also shown to know where Elliott lives.
Once Upon a Studio
In the animated short, appears flying along with Cody to get to the group photo.
Printed material
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (graphic novel)
In the graphic novel adaptation of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Mickey fights the battle with thinner, and the dragon is accordingly crushed. However, once the fight is over, Mickey looks back at the dead robotic mass, and comments that he'd seens "something familiar in that thing ― something good" (which implies Mickey recognized Elliott). In the ending, rather than being carried like a Chinese New Year dragon as in the game, he is turned into a musical float.
Video games
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
A Blotworx version of Elliot was created by the Mad Doctor, and resembles the Pete's Dragon float from the Main Street Electrical Parade. The Doctor has ordered him to guard of his underground laboratory. He serves as a boss battle; Mickey can either use magic paint to redeem the blotling that has been controlling the robotic Elliott, or destroy the creature entirely with magic thinner; in this case, the battle will be completed by leading the roof to collapse on the monster. In the fragment of ending resulting from the first option, Elliott, freed from the influence of the Blotling, wanders the streets of Mean Street. In the ending resulting from the latter option, the fragments of the robotic Elliott are carried by the citizens in the manner of a Chinese New Year dragon puppet during the parade.
Elliott makes an appearance in Disney INFINITY as a cameo. In the 3DS version, he would change all the adventures on the game board to Power Adventures.
Elliott also makes a brief cameo appearance in the Drawn to Animation presentation inside The Magic of Disney Animation at Hollywood Studios, where he is seen in a photograph with Mushu, who refers to him as his cousin.
Trivia
Elliott makes a cameo in the Who Framed Roger Rabbit Special Edition DVD on one of the menus, but does not appear in the film itself. Considering that the film takes place in 1947 and Pete's Dragon debuted 30 years later, his absence would make sense.
In the original movie, Elliott was his actual name whereas in the 2016 remake, he was named after a dog character named Elliott in Pete's favorite book.
Also, Elliott's name is spelled with two "t"s in the 1977 film, while in the 2016 remake it's spelled with only one "t".
At some point, it was intended for Elliott to be completely invisible for most of the film, except when Dr. Terminus attempted to chop him up for medicine. However, due to belief that the audience would "lose patience", it was decided to have Elliott to be visible frequently in the final film.
According to Ken Anderson, Elliott was named in honor of his old friend, American actor Elliott Gould, who was a frequent cast member of Hollywood films in the 1960s
