Review: "Peter Pan & Wendy"

On February 5th, 1953, Walt Disney released the animated adaptation of Peter Pan, a blockbuster hit for the studio. 70 years later, a newly reimagined version of “Peter Pan” was released to Disney+ this week: Peter Pan & Wendy (2023). Here are my thoughts:

Wendy Darling is about to be shipped off to boarding school where she will be separated from her brothers, John and Michael, not to mention from her parents. Distraught, Wendy yearns to stay a child and have fun adventures with her brothers. They get that opportunity one night, when they meet Peter Pan. With a little help from Tinker Bell, Pan and the Darling children travel to Neverland and they begin an epic battle against Pan’s archenemy, Captain Hook and his crew of pirates.

“Peter Pan & Wendy,” pays homage to Disney’s original animated “Peter Pan,” but it can also be compared to Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991) because it tells the same story of the boy who doesn’t want to grow up. Some clever twists in this film provide an in-depth backstory explaining why Captain Hook is cruel and how he and Peter Pan became enemies. In addition to that, the character of Wendy Darling is portrayed as an equal to Peter Pan, a warrior who is just as—if not more—clever and feisty.

Disney’s original animated “Peter Pan,” told us that, while we can’t stop growing up, but we can always hold on to our inner child through the stories we grow up on. They simply play an important role in helping to define our identities. While “Peter Pan & Wendy,” continues that theme, it also gives more inspiration in the sense that kids often fear growing up because they think that once they’re grown up, having fun is over and there’s no more adventure. This rendition brings home the truth that life never stops being an adventure—there’s always fun to be had!

This film’s cast features Alexander Molony making his live-action debut as Peter Pan and Ever Anderson, who previously played the young Natasha Romanoff in MCU’s Black Widow (2017), as Wendy Darling. Jude Law stars as Captain Hook, with Jim Gaffigan as Mr. Smee, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell and veteran Disney voice-over artist Alan Tudyk as Mr. Darling. Unlike Disney’s original “Peter Pan,” this film does not continue the tradition of having the characters of Captain Hook and Mr. Darling portrayed by the same actor, whereas in the original film, both characters were voiced by Hans Conried. (That was also the case for the original “Peter Pan,” Broadway adaptation with Mary Martin, which premiered the following year in 1954). The film was co-written by Toby Halbrooks and David Lowery and directed by Lowery. Both Halbrooks and Lowery previously collaborated in Disney’s remake of Pete’s Dragon (2016).

All in all, “Peter Pan & Wendy,” is an entertaining movie. It helps us all better appreciate the opportunity to actually be able to grow up because to have that opportunity is better than to not! It also brings hime the importance of being surrounded by people who love you.