Coming off the heels of outlaw crime drama Ain't Them Bodies Saints, independent filmmaker David Lowery appeared to be an unlikely candidate to remake a Disney family adventure. But the trailers and clips that have been released so far have made it apparent that Lowery's vision for the new remake is strikingly different from the original.

Released in 1977, Pete's Dragon starred Helen Reddy in a musical for children about a boy and his dragon who run away from an abusive adopted household and discover happiness in a small fishing community. The New York Times described it as "the most energetic and enjoyable Disney movie in a long while." It was a modest box office success and earned Academy Award nominations for one of its songs and its musical score.

In the new version, forest ranger Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) finds a young boy named Pete (Oakes Fegley) in the woods. The boy claims to have lived in the forest for years with a dragon called Elliott. Initially, Grace doesn't believe him, but in the clip below, she meets Ellliott.

The other players in the scene are Grace's father (Robert Redford) and young family friend Natalie (Oona Laurence). Natalie is daughter of a lumber mill owner (Wes Bentley), who can be glimpsed briefly in a new TV spot.

Here's a funny video that features Bryce Dallas Howard and various crew members talking about the challenges involved in making a movie with a sometimes invisible 20-foot tall dragon on the set.

Pete's Dragon opens in theaters nationwide on August 12.