‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ attempts to create enchantment but falls short of the necessary fairy dust, resulting in a lacklustre live-action adaptation of the 1953 film, turning Neverland into something resembling a budget-friendly Pandora. Some narrative improvements lift the Disney+ film above the platform’s recent “Pinocchio,” but surpassing that low standard offers little consolation.
Multiple live-action adaptations of J.M. Barrie’s classic have emerged, from “Hook” to “Peter Pan” to just “Pan,” as well as “Finding Neverland,” which starred Johnny Depp as Barrie in an emotional exploration of the play’s origins.
Aside from a few essential and welcomed modifications to remove problematic elements from the Disney animated film and some added backstory to explain Captain Hook’s (Jude Law) melancholic demeanour, this version largely sticks to the fundamental blueprint, exploring the enduring question of children’s resistance to growing up.
Wendy (Ever Anderson) expresses this when her mother (Molly Parker) scolds her for holding onto childhood, defiantly replying, “What if I don’t want your life?” This philosophical dilemma is soon overshadowed by the arrival of Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi, capitalizing on a nearly silent role), who transport Wendy and her brothers to Neverland.
Pan’s Lost Boys (and some girls) are somewhat overlooked in this rendition, while Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) is more prominent. By providing Wendy with a more active role in the heroics, as reflected in the title change, the movie promotes female empowerment and moves away from outdated depictions of jealousy and infatuation with Peter.
However, “The Green Knight” director David Lowery (co-writer with Toby Halbrooks) can only achieve so much within the limits of Disney’s expectations, and even faith in fairies cannot consistently energize the film.
Although snippets of the original music are present, the movie opts out of songs except for a few pirate shanties. The action remains fairly tame, except for the enormous crocodile, which briefly showcases why Hook is justifiably terrified of it.
Disney has made live-action remakes of its animated classics a cornerstone of its creative strategy, alternating between more ambitious theatrical releases (e.g., “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and the upcoming “The Little Mermaid”) and those exclusively available on streaming (such as “Pinocchio” and “Lady and the Tramp”).
However, the appeal of introducing or reintroducing these tales to young viewers and their parents is more effective when there’s a creative spark to energize the experience and capture adult attention instead of allowing them to divert their focus to secondary screens (or daydreams).
“Peter Pan & Wendy” isn’t an outright failure, but this journey to Neverland doesn’t entirely pass the test; instead, it’s another example of a Disney production that, unlike the cherished and enduring story that inspired it, fails to soar.
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ premiered on Disney+ on April 28, and it’s rated PG.
