Pete's dragon
Behind The Scenes Filming
When Tapanui, West Otago became Millhaven!
In 2015, the quiet rural town of Tapanui (population ~770) was transformed into the fictional Millhaven, Oregon, for Disney’s spectacular remake of Pete’s Dragon.
With its rolling landscapes, charming streets, and breathtaking natural beauty, Tapanui became the perfect backdrop for the film’s heartwarming story. For several weeks in April, the town buzzed with excitement as a cast and crew of around 250—including Hollywood stars Robert Redford, Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence, Karl Urban and Wes Bentley, Toby Halbrooks and Jenesis Au-Yeung—brought the magic of Pete’s Dragon to life.
Today, visitors can walk the same streets, explore the stunning scenery, and experience the place where Disney created a little movie magic in the heart of West Otago, New Zealand.
Building Transformations ~ Becoming Millhaven
Many of Tapanui’s businesses underwent dramatic transformations for the filming of Pete’s Dragon, with some taking on entirely new identities while others received subtle makeovers to fit the look of Millhaven. The production also ventured beyond the town, with key scenes filmed at Conical Hill, where a long-closed sawmill, the Tapanui Agricultural Centre (TAC), was brought back to life on screen.
Released in the U.S. in August 2016, the film showcased the breathtaking landscapes of West Otago, with cutting-edge visual effects by Sir Peter Jackson’s Weta FX helping bring Elliot the dragon to life.
Click on the images below to see them in full.
Cast and Crew Accommodation
Filming for Pete’s Dragon took place in studios in Wellington, the forests of Tokoroa, before the crew began filming in and around Tapanui. With Tapanui being a small rural town, accommodation options were limited. Even with nearby hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and other lodgings, housing the full cast and crew—around 250 people—was a challenge.
To bridge the gap, local residents were invited to lease their homes to the production team. Reports vary on the number of houses made available, with estimates ranging from 55 to 87. Regardless, not everyone could be accommodated in Tapanui alone, so cast and crew members were also housed in the surrounding towns of Lawrence, Gore, and Mataura. Local people who appeared in the movie as extras and those whose premises were used for filming have agreements with confidentiality clauses in them, as such we can't reveal the addresses where the stars of Pete Dragon stayed.
Rumors swirled about Robert Redford’s accommodation, with many speculating that he would stay in Queenstown and commute by helicopter. In reality, he kept it simple—staying in a house just outside Tapanui.
Filming in Tapanui & Around West Otago
Filming took place in and around Northumberland Street, which is the main street of Tapanui, as well as Cemetery Road, Conical Hill and other places. If you visit Tapanui, you will be able to recognise many of the buildings from the movie even though the signage and colours have since changed back to the way they were pre-film. This gallery features information boards that were dressed to suit the Millhaven town as set in the film, as well as props brought in such as the American Postal Box, and the film crew, extras and actors all in action.
With Thanks
As a gesture of gratitude for Tapanui’s hospitality and involvement in the filming, the Pete’s Dragon cast and crew gifted the town a unique keepsake—a large circular saw blade with plaque mounted on a chunky sleeper. This tribute, displayed beside the Tapanui Courier building, features the saw blade (with its teeth safely covered) cutting through a log, symbolizing both the town’s forestry heritage and its role in bringing Millhaven to life on screen.
