<P> Principal photography commenced in January 2015 in New Zealand , with Lowery directing . Rehearsals began early January 2015 , while news reported the beginning of the shooting on January 26 , 2015 , set to last through April . Live - action filming locations included Bay of Plenty , Taupo and Wellington , while CGI was done at Stone Street Studios . On February 10 , 2015 , a press release confirmed that principal photography had commenced . Shooting took place in and around Wellington and Rotorua , before transferring to Tapanui , where the old Blue Mountain Lumber mill was used as the mill in the film , and the main street became Millhaven for two weeks . Production concluded on April 30 , 2015 . </P>
where was the new pete 's dragon filmed
New Zealand