I simultaneously want to see this film again, and want to stay far away for fear it will fail to live up to my expectations. There's gotta be a German word for that feeling. Nostalgenfruede?
I actually watched it on Netflix a few months ago for the first time in a decade, probably. It actually was still as good as I remember it. The worst part was watching the original trailer from the 90s beforehand and having the announcer go "A boy and his giant eagle". I almost didn't watch it because of that... but in the end, I still enjoyed it.
This reminds me of the infamous song "Every Little Piece" about dismembering Pete's Dragon and selling its parts for top dollar. People are too damned sensitive.