"Pete's Dragon" is enchanting, thrilling and funny. You you may shed a few tears, too.

Anchoring the film as Pete is Oakes Fegley, the young Lehigh Valley actor who started out on the Civic Theatre of Allentown stage as Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."Writer-director David Lowery opens the film with the back story about an orphan boy living in the Pacific Northwest woods for six years, and Elliot the Dragon, who has taken Pete under its wings.The dragon legend is rendered eloquently by Meacham, a kindly woodcarver (Robert Redford). When Pete is glimpsed, Meacham's daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), a forest ranger, seeks him out.Grace's boyfriend, Jack (Wes Bentley), has a daughter, Natalie (Oona Laurence), who befriends Pete. Lurking in the plot background is Gavin (Karl Urban), a lumber mill owner in the fictional town of Millhaven, who sees Elliot as a cash cow that he can charge admission to see.The action ramps up when Meacham commandeers a Mack Truck (replete with iconic Bulldog hood ornament), hauling a flatbed with Elliot on board in a chase led by the local sheriff (Isiah Whitlock Jr., delivering one of the funniest lines).The computer-generated Elliot has gentle-giant body language, grunts, howls and cooing, luminous brown eyes and a snaggletooth mouth (the left tooth is broken in half). The animation seamlessly blends Elliot, who has the invisibility superpower, into scenes with Pete and environs.Fegley delivers a subtle performance. He has a stillness that the camera likes. You wonder what he's thinking. This is a very sensitive portrayal.Fegley also projects a solid, determined and brave presence as a denizen of the forest, scampering about, running and leaping. He gets to howl a bit, too.The chemistry between Fegley and Laurence (equally excellent), just on the cusp of attraction, is charming. Their scenes together bring wistful memories of summer to mind. It's good to see a girl's part with a strong countenance.Howard is delightful and forthright as the woman whose moral compass spurs her to action.Redford is an effective curmudgeon in a persnickety sort of way.The screenplay by Lowery (director, "Ain't Them Bodies Saints," 2013; "St. Nick," 2009) and Toby Halbrooks (feature film screenplay debut) is based on a screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein ("Return from Witch Mountain," 1978; "Pete's Dragon," 1977), which was based on a story by Seton I. Miller ("Kid Galahad," 1937; "The Adventures of Robin Hood," 1938; "The Sea Hawk," 1940; Oscar screenplay recipient, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," 1941) and S.S. Field ("On Such a Night," 1937).The film has a Spielbergian sense that recalls "E.T.," with touchstones of "Tarzan" and "King Kong." While there's not a lot of dialogue, there are a few bon mots ("If you go through life only seeing what's in front of you, you're going to miss out on a whole lot."). Beautiful cinematography (Director of Photography Bojan Bazelli, "Hairspray," 2007; "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," 2005) conveys the majesty of mountains, forest and sky,"Pete's Dragon" soars. It recalls the Disney films of wide-eyed wonder that baby boomers grew up with. Take one of your children, a nephew or a grandchild and see the world the way Pete and his dragon see it."Pete's Dragon,"MPAA Rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children.) for action, peril and brief language; Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy; Run time: 1 hr., 43 min.; Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.Credit Readers Anonymous:The "Pete's Dragon" soundtrack, with a lovely score by Daniel Hart, includes Leonard Cohen's "So Long, Marianne."Box Office,Aug. 12: "Suicide Squad" perched at No. 1 two weeks in a row with $43.7 million, $222.8 million, two weeks, sandwiching "Sausage Party" at No. 2, opening with $33.6 million, and "Pete's Dragon,' at No. 3, opening with $21.5 million;4. "Jason Bourne," $13.6 million, $126.7 million, three weeks; 5. "Bad Moms," $11.4 million, $71.4 million, three weeks; 6. "The Secret Life of Pets," $8.8 million, $335.9 million, six weeks; 7. "Star Trek Beyond," $6.8 million, $139.6 million, four weeks; 8. "Florence Foster Jenkins," $6.6 million, opening; 9. "Nine Lives, $3.5 million, $13.5 million, two weeks; 10. "Lights Out," $3.2 million, $61.1 million, four weeks.Unreel,Aug. 19:"Ben-Hur,"PG-13: Timur Bekmambetov directs Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro and Nazanin Boniadi in the history drama adventure film epic about Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince accused of treason by an adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army. After years at sea, Judah goes back to his homeland, seeking revenge, but finding redemption."War Dogs,"R: Todd Phillips directs Miles Teller, Bradley Cooper, Ana de Armas and Jonah Hill in the comedy drama based on a true story about two young entrepreneurs, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm United States' allies in Afghanistan."Kubo and the Two Strings,"PG: Travis Knight directs the voice talents of Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes and George Takei in the animated fantasy film about a young boy named Kubo who must find a magical suit of armor to defeat a vengeful spirit."Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World,"PG-13: Werner Herzog directs the documentary about the Internet with interviews with Lawrence Krauss, Kevin Mitnick, Elon Musk, Lucianne Walkowicz.Four popcorn boxes out of five popcorn boxes.