The “re-imagining” of the 1977 Disney movie Pete’s Dragon was definitely an unusual choice in the midst of Disney’s live-action remakes. Previously we had seen a teaser trailer that showed only the silhouette of the dragon. Only now has an image been released allowing us to get a better look at Elliott in the live-action Pete’s Dragon.

Director David Lowery spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the design, “We explored pink, just to see what would happen. From the get-go, the aesthetic was always to make everything feel as handmade as possible, including effects. To really have it feel like a blur between a very grounded realistic world and a world in which a big green dragon that can turn invisible can exist.”

He is, of course, referring to the pink design Elliott had in the original movie, who was traditionally animated in 2D. Ken Anderson, who created the original Elliott, explained that he thought it would be appropriate to make him “a little paunchy” and not always particularly graceful when it comes to flying. This does not appear to be the case with the new Elliott. Though his green fur gives him a cuddly feel, he certainly looks as fierce as any fantasy dragon.

Production designer Jade Healy explained that, “David saw this furry, soft dragon that kids could imagine, when they go into the woods, could actually be there. There’s one video of a giant panda tumbling in his cave, and we looked at that again and again as our Elliott—this big animal who just doesn’t know what to do with his body.”

Pete’s Dragon is directed by David Lowery and stars Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Robert Redford. The movie will be released on August 12, 2016.

Will you be seeing the remake of Pete’s Dragon? What do you think of the new design for Elliott?

Edited by: Kelly Conley