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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Plantinum Edition for Disney's "Peter Pan" lives up to its title, Oct 22 2007
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.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best Disney movies: EVER, April 16 2004
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 grew up, Peter Pan. Captain Hook is one of the funniest and evil villains ever created and his first mate, Smee, is absolutely hilarious.
I have to admit that this movie doesn't follow the book very much, but is better. The characters are so much more lovable in Disney's tale. Now why couldn't Barrie be this imaginative?
A new, live version of Peter Pan recenyly came out. and when I saw it I couldn't help but be disappointed. I missed all of those timeless songs, charming characters, and humor. Peter was dressed as if he came straight from the jungle, and unfortunately it followed the book. I know you may think that sounds odd of me to say that I didn't like it because it was an accurate adaption, but it's true.
So if you want to watch an exciting and classic movie buy this DVD.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Disney's Immortal Classic, Nov 29 2008
Here is another story that I love after I read it in a book - Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Peter Pan has appeared in numerous adaptations, sequels, and prequels since then, including various stage musicals, live-action feature films like Hook and the live-action version of Peter Pan that came out in 2003, and also the authorized sequel novel Peter Pan in Scarlet, that came out in 2006. Out of the adaptations that are the best, I would say...I love Disney's and the new live-action film (I not one to choose side you know).
Disney's version of the story, is the widely known film version of the story; so popular that Peter's fairy friend Tinker Bell because the mascot of The Walt Disney Company, and the centerpiece of it's Disney Fairies media franchise including the direct-to-DVD film Tinker Bell, the film also shows that Tink actually speaks (she dosen't in the original film). Yes, I love this film. The animation and backgrounds are excellent and the casting is very good too, which reprises Kathryn Beaumont (who was the voice of Alice in Disney's Alice in Wonderland) as Wendy Darling. And I love 5 of the out the 8 songs from the film, which are:
"The Second Star to the Right,"
"You Can Fly!"
"Following the Leader,"
"What Makes the Red Man Red?" And...
"Your Mother and Mine;" But especially "Second Star to the Right."
So overall, I would say this film is an excellent film for young and old alike.
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