Peter Pan

This is one of the most charming, magical movies ever! It is an adaptation of James Barrie's Peter Pan, the story of the boy who wouldn't grow up. It starts in London, where a very proper Wendy has one night left in the nursery before she most grow up. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Darling are out for an office party, and the nursemaid, a dog named Nana is tied up outside for the night. Peter Pan comes and takes Wendy and her brothers John and Micheal away to Neverland, "the second star to the right and staight on til morning", with the help of the pixie dust from the jealous little pixie Tinkerbell. A sprinkling of the dust makes them fly, just like Peter does. Once in Neverland they encounter mermaids, Indians, and the foppish, but evil villian Captain Hook. This beloved story will bring you back to your childhood and this delightful score will be hard to forget! It is sure to have you singing along! This is a wonderful movie that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike!

"Peter Pan" is without a doubt one of Disney's classics, alongside animated features such as "Snow White" and "Pinocchio." It captures the imagination just as J.M. Barrie's novel and play have. In the movie, the eternally young Peter Pan takes Wendy Darling and her brothers to Neverland, a place of the imagination, populated by Indians, mermaids and pirates. Captain Hook, voiced by Hans Conreid, will always be a classic villain, and his henchman, Smee, is a perfect comic relief. There are many funny scenes and good animated sequences. Beneath it all, the story speaks to the kid in all of us. We remember how important it can be to remain young at heart.

Watching this movie 15 years after probably the last time I saw it, I still found myself laughing every time Peter Pan took on Hook, it was all arranged for laughs by Disney to make a mockery of the dear Captain Hook.

My favorite character in the movie was not Peter, Hook, Wendy, Wendy's brothers or The Lost boys; my favorite character was the Crocodile. I can't just get it out of my head how he seems to be so creative in trying to catch Captain Hook, my favorite was when he pushed aside the boat that Hook was trying to jump into and he caught Hook in his mouth.

Disney's Peter Pan animation was done in 1953 and it is based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up in 1904 and a novel in 1911 by J. M. Barrie. It is the 14th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series.

It features the adventures of Peter Pan a boy who could fly and wouldn't grow up and lives in Neverland with the lost boys. His partner or side kick is Tinker Bell a fairy. The story also features his adventures with Wendy and her brothers, as they learn to fly to Neverland, meet the mermaids, Tiger Lily and the red Indians. They also battle Captain Hook and his crew.

Disney out did themselves in this money spinning classic, that raked in more than 20 times its production cost (making over 80 million in the box office), Peter Pan became a source of controversy in its stereotyping of its Characters, especially the Native Indians. If not for the time it was made such a movie will never leave the production board, due to its referring of the Indians as red and comparing them to hunting animals.

Peter Pan was the last and final Disney film in which all nine members of Disney's Nine Old Men worked together as directing animators and it was the last movie that was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures before Walt Disney's founding of his own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution.

Peter Pan has remained a classic over the years for children and adults alike and it is one of my best Disney animations. I will like to say it is a nice watch and something to own and keep for later as you will love to see it years after, just to see the two (Peter and Hook) go at it again and if you are like me to see the Croc try to get Hook again.

www.lagsreviews.com

Having seen this movie again several times recently, I have learned to appreciate this film a little more. While not nearly as good as some of the more famous Disney films (such as Beauty and the Beast, Bambi or Little Mermaid), it still deserves a 9 because it is head and shoulders better than other kids movies. The animation is very good, pace is fast and the movie is just fun. The negatives are simply a product of the times, in that this is about the most politically incorrect Disney film ever made (perhaps more so than Song of the South). I'm sure that MANY American Indians watch the film and deservedly cringe at the depiction of Indians, who seem rather dumb and sing the song "what makes the red man red?"--an ode to every terrible stereotype about Indians. BUT, I am a strong believer in discussing these things and NOT condemning the entire film. In fact, I am a history teacher and have used the film to talk about these aspects of the film.

Barrie's "PeterPan" is a highly complex story.There are strong elements of social satire,moral ambiguities,deep psychological issues,and emotional traumas investigated in this play.Almost all these aspects have been eliminated in the animated version.Topics such as: dealing with our parents,abandonment,mixed feelings toward our loved ones,and developing a mature adult libidinal attitude have all been erased.Hook's escape at the end,and the return of Peter AND the Lost Boys to Neverland violate some of the core elements of the story.Those criticisms aside,this is really well done.The animation is excellent;the characterizations are first-rate;and by actually having Peter done by a boy,an element of a (benign )sexual rivalry between Wendy and Tiger Lily is introduced.The boys,pirates,and Indians are marvelous,and the crocodile is a masterpiece.(He does act more like a dog than a reptile;Nana come back in disguise,maybe?He reminds me of a miniature dachshund I owned for 13 years.)This is probably the best way to introduce anyone to Peter Pan.