Peter Pan

 

 

Create your own review

RECEVE THE dvd in the time in the original parking and the case is not broke. The DVD is not " grafiner"

This wonderful Disney production offers flights of fancy that appeal directly to children's fertile imaginations. The ability to fly, to be a devil-may-care youngster and never grow up, to engage in derring-do with pirates, never having to bother with school, and exploring fantasy worlds of islands, mermaids, Indians and mysterious caves is a powerful magnetic pull for young dreamers. The lush color lensing of this animated adventure is superb, and the characters and catchy tunes add to the pleasure of watching this film, for young and old alike.

Peter Pan, the title character, is a spry, charming lad who loves his carefree existence. He is, however, upstaged by his companion, the delightfully naughty Tinker Bell, a temperamental pixie who literally sees red when Wendy accompanies Peter Pan to Never Land. Captain Hook and his shadow, the crocodile, the sniveling Smee, the beautiful mermaids, and the stoic Tiger Lily are the characters who stand out in this movie. Wendy and her brothers, John and Michael are okay and basically come along for the ride. The sprightly song "You Can Fly!-You Can Fly!-You Can Fly!" is just one of the memorable tunes for which Peter Pan is fondly remembered.

I never considered Disney's "Peter Pan" to be one of their best animated classics up there with "Bambi" and "Pinocchio," and it was while watching all of the extras that come with this Platinum Edition that I figured out why this is the case. Much is made of Walt Disney's affection for the J.M. Barrie's story of the boy who would not grow up, and it dawned on me that I always identified more with Tom Swift, the boy inventor, than with Peter Pan. Consequently I have developed a hypothesis that there is a choice to be made between Peter Pan and Tom Swift, similar to those we make between Superman and Batman, Elvis and the Beatles, Ginger and Mary Ann, etc., as part of our pop culture consciousness. However, that being said, even those of us who were in a hurry to grow up can still enjoy Disney's unique take on Peter Pan in this 1953 version.

As most of us know from "Finding Neverland" or our own familiarity with the story of the story, "Peter Pan" was originally a stage production with actors being hoisted on wires to fly, Tinker Bell being created by a flashlight, an actor playing Nana and a young woman as Peter. Disney's animated version has great fun making the characters fly, turns Tinker Bell into a pantomime pixie who would become the icon of the Disney studio, and for the first time had the boy who never grew up being modeled and voiced by an actual boy (Bobby Driscoll). Wendy is voiced by Kathryn Beaumont, who had just done the title character Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," by vocally the show is stolen by the great Hans Conreid as both Captain Hook and Mr. Darling, and Bill Thompson as the memorable Mr. Smee.

One of the things that proves the immortality of "Peter Pan" is how many different versions of it work, each providing its own twist on the tale (my favorite is director P.J. Hogan's 2003 film version, which I think is far and away the best version for adults). Here the emphasis is on Neverland as the greatest playground ever, where Captain Hook and Tinker Bell take turns stealing the film. Peter Pan is a bit more of an imp here than elsewhere, but that is balanced by the gravitas that Wendy brings to the proceedings. The only serious flaw here is the depiction of the Indians, although a consideration of the song "What Makes the Red Man Red?" from the perspective of contemporary political correctness may still find the racism more silly than anything else. It goes without saying that these attitudes are true to the times, and my preference has always been for pointing out these flaws rather than editing or ignoring them.

I might not consider this a top tier Disney film, but the DVD extras more than make up the difference, because once again we the studio treating its classic film the way all classic films should be treated on a 2-disc DVD set (which includes a new digital restoration). On Disc 1 there is a sneak peak for the upcoming "Tinker Bell" computer animated movie, an opportunity to sing along with the movie's song, and a storybook of "Peter's Playful Prank." Then there is the audio commentary track is a compilation of interview clips "hosted" by Roy Disney. The commentary bears no relation to what is happening on screen so it really is just to be listened to and you will find that several of the bits appear in the featurettes on Disc 2. It is fascinating to listen to the likes of film critic/historian Leonard Malting, animators Marc Davis (Tinker Bell), Frank Thomas (Captain Hook), and Ollie Johnston, along with actresses Beaumont and Margaret Kerry (model for Tinker Bell), and others.

On Disc 2 you get to the Backstage Disney section, which includes Walt Disney's own explanation for "Why I Made 'Peter Pan,'" a mini-documentary on "The Making of 'Peter Pan,'" and one of the highlights of the extra features, "The 'Peter Pan' That Almost Was," that looks at the evolution of the Disney version over the course of more than a decade. There is also a 1952 featurette on the film and Art Galleries considering hundreds of gorgeous pieces of original artwork done for the production. The Music & More section includes the deleted song "The Pirate Song" and the lost song "Never Land" performed by Paige O'Hara, along with a music video of "The Second Star to the Right" performed by T-Square. For Games & Activities there is an Read-Along version of the entire film, "Camp Never Land: Train To Be A Lost Boy," "Smee's Sudoku Challenge," "Tarrrget Practice," and "Tink's Fantasy Flight," all of which will appeal to the wee folk who are not familiar with playing computer games on an actual computer. Finally there is "Peter Pan's Virtual Flight," which I assume takes us over a computer generated London prepared for the upcoming "Tinker Bell" movie.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 85 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Classic
Great video for kids. A great Disney classic. I ordered and it was here in no time!

Published 22 months ago by Daniel Bradford

5.0 out of 5 stars Disney's Immortal Classic
Here is another story that I love after I read it in a book - Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Read more

Published on Nov 29 2008 by Frances L. Arsenault

3.0 out of 5 stars Poor adaptation of Barrie's play misses the point.
"The Disney version" of "Peter Pan" clearly demonstrates what is so wrong with "The Disney version" of too many classic stories. Read more

Published on July 4 2004 by William Sommerwerck

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, enjoyable Disney viewing.
This movie animates one of the most imaginative plays ever written, albeit with a little 'Disneyfication. Read more

Published on May 25 2004

2.0 out of 5 stars Lousy Movie, but Great Symbolism!
I won't lie. It's been over six years since I have actually seen this movie. Back then I didn't like it. I still don't. Read more

Published on May 13 2004

2.0 out of 5 stars not a good version of my favorite story!!
i've always loved Peter Pan, and I grew up watching this cartoon along with the Mary Martin version. Read more

Published on May 6 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars a classic but not one of my favorites
This is a great movie for kids, I loved it when I was little. I still think it's great. What I don't understand is this whole racist thing. Read more

Published on April 27 2004 by luc1lou

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Disney movies: EVER
Peter Pan is one of the most entertaining and charming Disney movies ever made. It follows the adventures of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling, and of course the boy who never... Read more

Published on April 16 2004 by ALexandra

5.0 out of 5 stars Disney's 14th Animated Masterpiece!
Following the success of both Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, came Peter Pan, continuing a great era, the 1950's. Read more

Published on Mar 6 2004 by FredeRicko

2.0 out of 5 stars Horrible adaptation of a wonderful story!
I would have given this a single star (or none if possible) except for a few redeeming qualities. Before I rant, I'll admit that it wasn't -all- bad. Read more

Published on Feb 11 2004 by Lizzy

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 85 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!