JM Barrie's original 1911 novel is one of my all-time favorite books. It's sweet, surreal, dark, strange, and ultimately haunting. It's been adapted hundreds of times for film and stage, and the 1953 Disney classic is one of the best-known versions. Does it hold up? Yes... but also no.
I'll start with the things I loved. First is the art and animation. Simply gorgeous. Like all Disney films, the animation is top-tier, but Peter Pan manages to stand out even among the other Disney classics. The scene of Peter and the Darling children flying through London, the lush jungles of Neverland, the pirate-caused mayhem... It's simply amazing. Major props to the Disney animators who brought this beauty to life.
The music (with the exception of one painfully dated song, see below) is also fun, which is typical for Disney films.
Some of the characters are also splendidly portrayed. Wendy (perfectly voiced by Kathryn Beaumont) is spot-on, as is Nana the nurse-dog. This version of Tinkerbell is in many ways the definitive version, and I like that she captures all of the malice and sassiness that's present in the original book.
The Tick Tock crocodile loses the menace of the original, but the Disney-fied version of the croc is still very enjoyable in its own right.
But the best characters are undoubtedly Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. Although I love Barrie's enigmatic Hook from the original play and book (and Jason Isaac's ingenious portrayal in the 2003 live-action version), the Disney Hook is a brilliant comedy creation and a winner in his own right. Smee is equally fun and effortlessly wins big laughs.
Truly the most hilarious scenes feature Hook and Smee. One of the highlights is the battle at Skull Rock. Although it lacks the delicious sinister mood of the original book and the 2003 version, I still find Disney's take on the scene to be extremely enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Hook frantically attempting to escape the croc's jaws, all the while screaming for Smee to come to his aid, is some of the best slapstick ever put to animation. The scene reaches its peak when Smee swings his oar, meaning to brain the croc, only to have Hook emerge from the croc's jaws and take the clobbering instead. Perfectly timed!
Another scene that showcases the slapstick brilliance of Hook and Smee is the bit where Smee attempts to sooth the frazzled pirate with a shave. Smee wraps Hook's scruffy face in a hot towel, but fails to notice when a female seagull flies down and uses the towel as her nest, settling in like a brooding hen. Smee lathers what appears to be the captain's face ...but is really the gull's rear end. The scene only escalates from there, with Smee shaving off feathers and exposing the seagull's bare bottom. There's a classic double-take reaction as the seagull, upon having her bottom patted with aftershave, finally turns around and gasps in horror. She quickly leaves the towel "nest," flying away while crying and attempting to cover her clean-shaven fanny. Smee, meanwhile, finds the empty towel and mistakingly believes that Hook's head has been shaved off! Cue the search for the missing pirate head. The scene is simply a must-watch for fans of slapstick mayhem.
So the positives: beautiful art and animation (thanks to the talented animators), mostly great music, several awesome characters, and side-splitting comedy.
The negatives:
In some ways, the Disney version dumbs down aspects of the original. Mr. Darling is reduced to a raving jerk instead of the hypocritically immature but lovable father Barrie presents in the book.
Even worse is Peter Pan himself. Barrie writes him as a true child: eager, selfish, and ignorant, but ultimately tragic in that he will never grow up and loses and forgets everything and everyone he loves. In contrast, the Disney version of Peter acts like a rude '50s American greaser. He's unlikable, and it's no surprise the filmmakers themselves criticized the character after the film's release.
And finally, worst of all, is the portrayal of the "Natives." The original book does include some poor stereotypes and terms, but nothing compared to the racism of "What Makes the Redman Red." All of the Natives (except the mute Tiger Lily) are drawn as the exact same caricature: big noses, bright red skin, ugly faces. It's embarrassing. I don't agree with censorship and don't think the film should be re-edited. But parents should use those scenes as a chance to talk with their children about harmful stereotypes. When I watched this with my 8-year-old, I made sure to discuss how such racism was wrong then and is wrong now.
These weak points are clear blemishes on what could have been a great adaptation, but despite these flaws, I still find the film enjoyable overall thanks to the amazing animation, music, comedy, and several great characters.
I'll start with the things I loved. First is the art and animation. Simply gorgeous. Like all Disney films, the animation is top-tier, but Peter Pan manages to stand out even among the other Disney classics. The scene of Peter and the Darling children flying through London, the lush jungles of Neverland, the pirate-caused mayhem... It's simply amazing. Major props to the Disney animators who brought this beauty to life.
The music (with the exception of one painfully dated song, see below) is also fun, which is typical for Disney films.
Some of the characters are also splendidly portrayed. Wendy (perfectly voiced by Kathryn Beaumont) is spot-on, as is Nana the nurse-dog. This version of Tinkerbell is in many ways the definitive version, and I like that she captures all of the malice and sassiness that's present in the original book.
The Tick Tock crocodile loses the menace of the original, but the Disney-fied version of the croc is still very enjoyable in its own right.
But the best characters are undoubtedly Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. Although I love Barrie's enigmatic Hook from the original play and book (and Jason Isaac's ingenious portrayal in the 2003 live-action version), the Disney Hook is a brilliant comedy creation and a winner in his own right. Smee is equally fun and effortlessly wins big laughs.
Truly the most hilarious scenes feature Hook and Smee. One of the highlights is the battle at Skull Rock. Although it lacks the delicious sinister mood of the original book and the 2003 version, I still find Disney's take on the scene to be extremely enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Hook frantically attempting to escape the croc's jaws, all the while screaming for Smee to come to his aid, is some of the best slapstick ever put to animation. The scene reaches its peak when Smee swings his oar, meaning to brain the croc, only to have Hook emerge from the croc's jaws and take the clobbering instead. Perfectly timed!
Another scene that showcases the slapstick brilliance of Hook and Smee is the bit where Smee attempts to sooth the frazzled pirate with a shave. Smee wraps Hook's scruffy face in a hot towel, but fails to notice when a female seagull flies down and uses the towel as her nest, settling in like a brooding hen. Smee lathers what appears to be the captain's face ...but is really the gull's rear end. The scene only escalates from there, with Smee shaving off feathers and exposing the seagull's bare bottom. There's a classic double-take reaction as the seagull, upon having her bottom patted with aftershave, finally turns around and gasps in horror. She quickly leaves the towel "nest," flying away while crying and attempting to cover her clean-shaven fanny. Smee, meanwhile, finds the empty towel and mistakingly believes that Hook's head has been shaved off! Cue the search for the missing pirate head. The scene is simply a must-watch for fans of slapstick mayhem.
So the positives: beautiful art and animation (thanks to the talented animators), mostly great music, several awesome characters, and side-splitting comedy.
The negatives:
In some ways, the Disney version dumbs down aspects of the original. Mr. Darling is reduced to a raving jerk instead of the hypocritically immature but lovable father Barrie presents in the book.
Even worse is Peter Pan himself. Barrie writes him as a true child: eager, selfish, and ignorant, but ultimately tragic in that he will never grow up and loses and forgets everything and everyone he loves. In contrast, the Disney version of Peter acts like a rude '50s American greaser. He's unlikable, and it's no surprise the filmmakers themselves criticized the character after the film's release.
And finally, worst of all, is the portrayal of the "Natives." The original book does include some poor stereotypes and terms, but nothing compared to the racism of "What Makes the Redman Red." All of the Natives (except the mute Tiger Lily) are drawn as the exact same caricature: big noses, bright red skin, ugly faces. It's embarrassing. I don't agree with censorship and don't think the film should be re-edited. But parents should use those scenes as a chance to talk with their children about harmful stereotypes. When I watched this with my 8-year-old, I made sure to discuss how such racism was wrong then and is wrong now.
These weak points are clear blemishes on what could have been a great adaptation, but despite these flaws, I still find the film enjoyable overall thanks to the amazing animation, music, comedy, and several great characters.