Blockbuster or Bust: Peter Pan & Wendy
“But to David Lowrey, director of Peter Pan and Wendy, Neverland is a place where childhood dreams go to die.”
Neverland – for many, this fictitious word conjures up images of a vivid wonderland in which time stands still and children never have to grow up. It is a marriage between childhood fantasy and that very real sense of urgency we all experience in our adolescence to explore a world that isn’t our own, free from the influence of grown-ups – which, ironically, is the very essence of growing up itself, isn’t it? Yes, it is a daydream of fairies and pirates, but ever-lurking beneath the surface of Peter Pan are questions of life, death, and what it means to change, all found in the form of ticking crocodiles and classic character foils. But to David Lowrey, director of Peter Pan and Wendy, Neverland is a place where childhood dreams go to die.
Like many, I share a particular fondness for Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan from its dazzling artistic direction to its dreamy characters – although looking back with modern eyes I would never make excuses for some of the incredibly problematic depictions within the film. With such a simple plot and a heaping helping of insensitivity, Peter Pan has always had room to grow into a more complex tale of the heartaches and hopes that come with life’s inevitable changes. There’s always been potential for a more independent Wendy, a more emotionally complex Peter, less jealous girl tropes, and more respect for indigenous peoples. J.M. Barrie’s original story features some moments that the film industry hasn’t touched upon in classics like the charming 2003 live-action iteration of Peter Pan or the saccharine joy of the 1991 classic Hook. So what went wrong to make the recent Disney+ release of Peter Pan & Wendy such a clear flop?
Story
Imagine a rendition of Peter Pan in which the title character isn’t a hero, Wendy has hardly any relationship with Peter, and Captain Hook plays the victim. Now, you’ve got the 2023 film, Peter Pan and Wendy. I really wanted to love it, but I quickly realized that the story was irreparably flat and devoid of conflict, with the exception of a few dramatized battles and low-stakes kidnappings (what an odd sentence to write). While I appreciate Disney’s effort to erase the jealous girl tropes seen between Wendy, the Mermaids, Tinkerbell, and Tiger Lily, without the sense of conflict they previously brought to the table, many of these characters could’ve simply been cut with no change to the story. For one, Wendy is no longer a storyteller, and as she longs to escape from an inevitable future in boarding school, she is hardly the nurturing dreamer we came to know and love as children. Instead, she is navigating Neverland immediately with the intention of going home because its realism is not living up to her fantasies – and rightfully so, considering that much of the film resembles more of a washed-out English cliffside than a child’s dreamland. Peter himself is more of a side character whose rivalry with Captain Hook presents the only intriguing line of the story. Still, the new backstory Disney introduces for the duo is riddled with plot holes that don’t quite connect the dots between a child’s unkindness and an adult’s murderous desires. Even the once triumphant storybook ending becomes tainted by notes of dreariness when the film concludes with a strange new moral suggesting Neverland can never compare to the real world – a concept with promise, but executed with a bleak and unsatisfying resolution.
Characters
I’ll give you a sentence for each. Peter Pan is portrayed as a monotone child whose unwillingness to change is only redeemed by a brief moment of forgiveness; however, he lacks all the mischief and obnoxious charm of the classic character. Wendy breaks free from her stereotypical female role as the damsel in distress but doesn’t break far enough out of the box to have us cheering for her beyond, Yeah, you should probably get home soon. Captain Hook receives my highest praise as watching the color bleed from his hair brought back all the artifice and malice of the iconic villain, but his character still ranks lowest on my list for film portrayals of the dreaded James Hook. Tiger Lily was effortlessly cool but had no real place in the story except for the proximity of her residence. John and Michael were cute.
Quality of Adaptation
I could look at this question from several angles as a book-to-film adaptation of the original fairytale or an animated feature-to-live-action film adaptation within the realm of Walt Disney Studios. If you are looking to see more of the book come to life onscreen – look somewhere else. (I think the 2003 version is the best you’re going to get.) If you are looking for a refresh of the Disney Classic, you may be slightly more pleased, but as a whole, the story has changed. To clarify, perhaps it is not the story that has changed so much as the characters. In doing so, Disney has actually watered down a simplistic story with its lack of grandeur. In an attempt to update the original 1953 version to be more relevant in the context of 2023, they cut down on jealousy. In turn, they slashed several layers of conflict without creating new obstacles – be they physical or emotional – to overcome. In the end, it didn’t leave me pondering the dichotomy of childhood and adulthood so much as why this land we all dreamt of growing up was so lame in real life. And perhaps that was the point, but doesn’t it seem strange to create a film about unmatched expectations by making the film itself a letdown?
Is it Worth the Watch?
In the spirit of fairness, allow me to recount a few of my own happy thoughts on viewing Peter Pan and Wendy. Updating the portrayal of characters like Tiger Lily and Wendy was crucial, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not these changes were positive. Seeing a more diverse cast of lost boys was really quite fun. My heart leaped the second the boy with Down syndrome began to speak. When Wendy questioned why they weren’t all boys and the children responded “So?” To which she conceded, “I suppose that’s that then.” I couldn’t help but smirk at Wendy’s clever reflection of a skeptical audience. It was a moment of casual acceptance that made it clear that this was not going to impact the rest of the story – because diversifying your cast doesn’t change a good story. I will also give a nod to Jude Law’s performance as Captain Hook. I love a villain origin story, regardless of those plot holes I mentioned earlier – although a flashback sequence would’ve enhanced the moment tenfold. The question is, was it worth watching despite the sizable pitfalls? The answer: maybe. If you are a big fan of the Disney animated classic then I leave you to form your own opinions on the live-action. If you are somebody who loves movies or is simply looking for something to watch, I’d say it’s definitely not worth your time. Personally, I can never resist Disney’s live-action films despite the recent letdowns like Aladdin (2019) or Mulan (2020) due to the triumphs like Cinderella (2015)and The Jungle Book (2016). So if you’re looking for a film that will make your heart soar on the nostalgic wings of childhood, I’d suggest pulling out that VHS or looking to Robin Williams, because Peter and Wendy won’t exactly leave you with that same sense of warm technicolor wonder.
