It’s no secret that Disney’s live-action adaptation of their animated classics have helped them become a powerful box-office juggernaut. The studio has already released two this year alone, and have a third planned for release later this August, though you could say that it was an unexpected choice.

Pete’s Dragon is a new telling of the 1967 classic film from David Lowery. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Wes Bently, Karl Urban, and newcomers Oakes Fegeley and Oona Laurence the film is a bit of an unconventional but welcomed adaptation, as it uses the bare bones elements of a savage boy being raised by a dragon, who then finds a home with his fellow humans, who try to figure out how he could live for so long on his own. While certain members of the small town community know of Pete’s secret friend, others see it as a threat, and are bent on capturing the creature.

We were recently invited to sit down with a group of journalists at the El Capitan last week to listen to David Lowery talk about the differences between the original and upcoming film, his process of bringing it from script to screen, the tone, songs, and more.

Check out the eight reasons why you should see this film below.