Interview With Pete’s Dragon Stars, Oakes Fegley & Oona Laurence #PetesDragonEvent

Last night I took my kids and two of their friends to go see Pete’s Dragon. They have been asking and asking ever since I first showed them the trailer. They knew I had gone to LA and saw the movie, and came home with some awesome Pete’s Dragon books, puzzles and Elliot himself (well, sort of). They totally thought I was an even cooler mom when they saw that I had super disappearing/invisible powers just like Elliot. But when I shared with them after the movie last night that I actually got to sit down with “Pete” and “Natalie” from Pete’s Dragon, they could hardly contain their excitement.

Fresh out of the Pete's Dragon movie, and the kids are all smiles.

Fresh out of the Pete’s Dragon movie and the kids are all smiles.

Honestly, my youngest (5 years old), is generally very sensitive when it comes to movies (seriously, she nearly cried when Nemo and Dory got lost). So I wasn’t sure how she would handle Pete’s Dragon. I expected her to end up in my lap the entire time but she didn’t join me not once. And she (along with my other two), genuinely loved the movie. They’re looking forward to the DVD release so they can watch it over and over again.

Their favorite part?

Apparently “everything”. My 6-year-old says the ending is her favorite but I can’t give that away. So be sure to check it out. And if you need additional reasons, here are four more reasons to watch.

Okay so back to that time we sat down with these two adorable kids to chat about their experience working on Pete’s Dragon:

Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence arrive at the world premiere of DisneyÕs PeteÕs Dragon at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood on August 8, 2016. The new film, which stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley and Karl Urban and is written and directed by David Lowery, has been drawing rave reviews from both audiences and critics. PeteÕs Dragon opens nationwide August 12, 2016..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence arrive at the world premiere of Disney’s Pete’s Dragon at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood on August 8, 2016. The new film, which stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley and Karl Urban and is written and directed by David Lowery, has been drawing rave reviews from both audiences and critics. Pete’s Dragon opens nationwide August 12, 2016..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Oakes who plays “Pete” and Oona who plays “Natalie” in the film talked about their experience working on the set, and of course working with Elliot the dragon 🙂

Oakes talked about the fact that they had to undergo stunt training before they started filming,in regards to flying on a dragon. He said they “felt safe with all the stuntmen” and that they “just had a ton of fun and felt safe while doing it.”  When watching the film, it hadn’t even occurred to me that they had to learn any stunts because everything felt so real.

Oona tried to get my mascara running when she spoke of her most difficult scene in the film being when Pete had to say bye to Elliot. She said that scene really made her cry and ripped her heart out. She really connected with the character and the storyline.

I asked them, what message do you want our kids to take away from watching this movie?

Here is what Oakes had to say (and Oona agreed): Just for them to know that family is very, very important.  And that you can’t give up on your family because they are there for you whenever.

Oakes Fegley 2 Pete's Dragon

Oakes Fegley Photo credit: Jana Seitzer / MerlotMommy.com

I was really impressed to know that this film was shot with only their imagination of what Elliot the dragon would look like. It’s one thing to be a great actor/actress, but when all you have to rely on is a tennis ball or a marker on the wall as your guide, it takes you to a whole other level.

Both Oakes and Oona were brilliant in the film and they were so poised, confident and personable during this interview. As I mentioned earlier, we’re looking forward to adding Pete’s Dragon to our movie collection.

Oakes & Oona 4 #PetesDragon

Bloggers interview Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence of Pete’s Dragon

Group shot: bloggers with Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence

Group shot: bloggers with Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence

Don’t forget to check out these free Pete’s Dragon activity sheets here, and get the deets on my red carpet experience here. Oh, and if you missed my interview with Bryce Dallas Howard, you can check that out here.

Visit the official PETE’S DRAGON website here, and the official trailer for Pete’s Dragon here.

PETE’S DRAGON IS NOW OUT IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE. GO SEE IT TODAY!

For all of the latest, follow Pete’s Dragon on Facebook, Twitter (#PetesDragon), and Instagram.


Disclosure: On behalf of Disney, I was invited to attend an all-expense paid trip to cover the world premiere of Pete’s Dragon, as well as other press events. As always, all opinions are my own.

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1 Comment

  • Moms 'N Charge Chatting it up With THE Wes Bentley of Pete's Dragon #PetesDragonEvent - Moms 'N Charge
    August 17, 2016 at 9:01 AM

    […] Hey y’all hey! I’m back with another Pete’s Dragon exclusive! Have you taken the kids to see the movie yet? Trying to figure out what it’s really all about? Be sure to check out what my kids had to say here. […]