Peter Pan & Wendy Review!

Peter Pan & Wendy captures the magic of J.M. Barrie and expands it with a beginning and hints at an end! It is based on the 1953 Peter Pan animated classic. This was in turn based on chapters in the novel, The Little White Bird (1902), expanded in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906), which featured Peter’s days as an infant growing up with fairies. Then, the play, Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1904) which brought in Wendy, her brothers, and the adventures in Neverland. This finally became the novel Peter and Wendy (1911) which simply became known as Peter Pan. There are many films, television, and adaptations of many forms over the years including Peter Pan (2003). The director, David Lowery directed and co-wrote the remake, Pete’s Dragon (2016) for Disney, and also the brilliant Arthurian drama, The Green Knight (2021).  His co-writer is Toby Halbrooks who was one of the producers of The Green Knight. It is currently streaming on Disney+, but I think the film's scope deserves a theatrical release. The film begins, irising out to black and white photos of a infant girl, her mother, and the rest of the family through the years. 

We hear two boys at play with wooden swords. One boy with a top hat and glasses, John (Joshua Pickering) rushes up a stair, his younger brother, Michael (Jacobi Jupe) carrying his teddy bear. Pickering was in the British fantasy series, A Discovery of Witches, and Jupe was in the show, Britannia. The beginning mirrors what was in the 1953 Disney film. Then, it is up the circular stair case when the title appears, there is a green feather through the “t” in Peter. The animated version had a red feather. Wendy (Ever Anderson), in her blue night coat, carries a suitcase as her mother (Molly Parker) reminds her to pack. Anderson played the young Natasha in the MCU film, Black Widow (2021). Lost in Space, the sci fi reboot series, starred Parker as Maureen Robinson. We hear John taking the “treasure” from his mother’s room. Wendy enters the nursery room followed by her brothers still at their duel. She stares out of the window at the stormy sky and what awaits her the next day. Wendy overhears them with John playing Captain Hook and Michael as Peter Pan. This sets her to pick up another wooden sword and join the action! 

Their Newfoundland dog, Nana, barks at the play. Wendy disarms John’s sword and it smashes into a window! Their father, George (Alan Tudyk), in his suit, enters the nursery. Tudyk voiced the Scroll in Disenchanted (2022) as well as many characters in animated features. He sees the damage, again!, and asks who is responsible. John eyes Wendy. He is angry at her and takes backs their swords. Then, he takes away Nana, Wendy says she was having some fun, but her father says she is too old for fun. At the broken mirror, Wendy holds up the “treasure”, her mother’s earrings. Mrs. Darling enters, but Wendy goes to her bed to read Twisted Tale. Her privacy from others is from a drawn curtain. There are Disney books with the title that are spins on the animated movies so this might be a nod to them. Mrs. Darling tucks in the boys into their sheets. John looks at his watch. Michael asks his mother why Captain Hook hates Peter Pan. This is a question that is answered in this story! Mrs. Darling has a chat with Wendy saying that she should set an example as the big sister and a leader. This is the function of the boys so Wendy can take the step into being a young woman.  

Wendy notes that she is going to boarding school in the morning. Mrs. Darling says she had did the same thing, but Wendy says back that she doesn’t want her mother’s life, ouch! Her mother gently tells her daughter that she is growing up. Wendy says she doesn’t want to grow up. Mrs. Darling says that she can’t stop time, what Wendy will miss if she didn’t grow up, and what the world will miss without her. A It’s a Wonderful Life moment. Mrs. Darling starts to sing a lullaby, “All Grown Up”, which is very important. We pan over the house to see Mr. Darling let out Nana to the dog house and then through sparkles that flash towards the window! Closeup of the window, we see the tiny Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi) look through it to see the children. Shahidi is known for the Black-ish spin-off comedy series, grown-ish as the lead character, Zoey Johnson. She uses her magic to open the windows. I love effect of her wings beating at blurring speeds like a hummingbird. POV of Tinkerbell checking on Michael and then John, who are asleep and then flying over to Wendy.

She opens the curtain and then blows pixie dust on Wendy. Also asleep, Wendy starts to float upwards! Tinkerbell guides Wendy over to the room, then suddenly snatched up by John!, Wendy falls. Michael says to Wendy that she was flying and that it was a “little bug” that did it! John opens his hands a little revealing Tinkerbell. She is angry and her voice comes out as a little bell ringing. John suddenly finds a sword at his shoulder! Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) tells him that Tinkerbell is a fairy. Molony was in the television horror movie, The Bad Seed Returns (2022). He stands balanced on the edge of a chair. Molony’s Peter Pan just embodies fun, but there is much more to the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up.  Wendy is stunned that he is real and not a story, Peter asks why he can’t be both, and starts to go through the room. Tinkerbell hops and points to a shaking drawer. Peter explains that he is looking for his shadow. His Shadow Self is Peter’s weakness, the tie to what I think is his past, and of course is magical. Peter Pan chases his shadow around the room and then finally holds it at the top of the stairs!

 

Peter tries to tie his shadow to himself and Wendy brings over a sewing kit. Tinkerbell tries to hold her hand holding the needle back, but Peter reassures her about Wendy. Peter can understand Tinkerbell, Wendy asks him how, and he explains she hasn’t learned to hear her. I really like the insert reactions and gestures of Shahidi. Her bell speech is keeping with the original character and film, but I think it could go a little further with Tinkerbell using ASL like what I expect with Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Peter explains he heard Wendy’s name from her mother’s calls. We see Mrs. Darling calling for Wendy. Peter has an innocent and interesting tie to the house. He says he was waiting for her to say what he had said before that she doens’t want to grow up. Wendy accidentally pokes him with the needle. He is suddenly frightened and Michael brings up their mother gives a kiss. Peter says he needs one, Wendy is hesitant, and then brings a thimble from the sewing kit. He accepts the “kiss”, and then leads them to the window to head for Neverland. John takes his top hat and Michael takes Mr. Bear. Peter says that they have think “happy thoughts” and some pixie dust. 

Tinkerbell lands on Wendy’s hands, Wendy closes her eyes, and thinks of her mother when she was young, playing, and spending time with her family. Wendy says this was when she was happy. She opens her eyes floating above Nana. Michael happily flies and John is a bit nervous. Wendy knowing she can fly starts to go all Supergirl and the others fly along with her. The music by Daniel Hart gently goes into “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!” from the 1953 film, but no singing. Hart worked on Lowery’s films including The Green Knight. They soar through London, a fun scene even with all of the filmed flying!, and Peter bursts into super speed! The best part is flying through Big Ben which ties into the stopping of time theme and the pieces of clock pull back along with the Big Ben chime! They enter a time vortex, I’m expecting the TARDIS, and then float in darkness. Wendy reaches out to touch it and the darkness resolves into ocean water. Tinkerbell races ahead to the dark Neverland in the dawn. Wendy flies over a school of mermaids, speaking of The Little Mermaid, with bio-luminescent tails. All of this is very beautiful. The cinematography is by Bojan Bazelli who worked with Lowery on Pete’s Dragon. 

Wendy starts to run on a grassy hill with the others behind her. Then, Peter leads her to more islands of Neverland. There is so much to Neverland beyond a single island that I hope it is explored in other films possibly a Tinkerbell solo movie maybe featuring Pixie Hollow? Peter and Wendy fly around a cleft in two peaks followed by the others. They are seen by the lookout, Skylight (Jesse James Pierce) on the pirate ship, Jolly Roger! He leaps down on a rope to the deck, tries to rouse the crew, and goes to a cabin door. Skylight nervously knocks at the door and is about to say Peter’s name, but the door is knocked back by a gunshot! Stepping from the cabin is the stylish and brutal Captain Hook played by Jude Law. Albus Dumbledore was played by Law in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). He reminds the crew not to say the name and then calls for Mr. Smee (Jim Gaffigan). The comedian has also been acting including the thriller, Collide (2022). Hook asks for a telescope and sees Peter Pan. He calls for inviting Peter for tea to the rousing cheers of his pirates!  

Wendy is flying when there is a boom below and a cannonball hurtles past her! Peter takes everyone down to a sea cliff overlooking Hook’s ship. Hook calls for a broadside blasting the cannons at the cliff! Peter flies them to another sea cliff. Hook sees him through his telescop and fires a cannon at him! The explosion tosses everyone to the sea! Waves rush in as Wendy is unconscious on a beach. She wakes and finds the fairy dust leave her hands. Wendy picks up Peter Pan’s hat and then runs up a grassy cliff to call out everyone’s names. She falls on her knees and then sees a girl, Tiger Lily, (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) on a white horse speaking to her in Cree. Wapanatâhk was in the comedy film, Rehab (2022). She acts as a lieutenant to the Lost Boys and watches over them and Peter. The other Lost Boys also approach. Nibs (Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez), wearing glasses and bear pajamas sees Peter’s hat. Birdie (Diana Tsoy) in her plant camoflague takes out her spear. Tsoy played Young Zhilan in Kung Fu’s episode, “Guidance” (2021). Wendy is stopped by an arrow loosed by Curly (Florence Bensberg). Tiger Lily asks if she is `The Wendy.’ She is questioned by The Twins (Kelsey and Skyler Yates) if she knows stories.  

Curly sends another arrow, but told to stop by Wendy and Tiger Lily who helps her up. Wendy realizes that she is the Tiger Lily of the stories. Tootles (Caelan Edie), wears a crown of reeds, says they are the Lost Boys. Wendy says they are not all boys. Of course the name is important, just ask the Dread Pirate Roberts, and the character names are the same. This seems to reflect the orphans at the Great Ormond Street Hospital whom J.M. Barrie gave the rights to his creation. Walking to the cliff’s edge is Slightly (Noah Matthews Matofsky) with the telescope carried by Bellweather (Felix de Sousa) with a mud-like mask. Matthews Matofsky is the first actor with Down’s syndrome in a Disney film, the last time I saw a similar actor was Chris Burke as Corky in the drama series, Life Goes On (1989-1993). He asks Wendy to describe her brothers. Tootles takes the wood telescope and asks if her brother has a bear. Wendy looks with the telescope, but can’t find anyone. The Lost Boys doubt Wendy saying she is too old. Nibs points out that she is looking in the wrong direction. Wendy sees her brothers brought aboard a boat, captured by pirates!, and they are brought onto the Jolly Roger. Smee says he had taken in Hook when he was their age trying to return to Neverland! They are taken to see Captain Hook! The pasts of Peter Pan and Captain Hook are respectfully expanded upon by Lowery and leaves room for more adventures! Peter Pan and Wendy is a fun and beautiful addition to the stories by J.M. Barrie!  

Five+ Sprinkles of Pixie Dust out of Five!  

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