A Rather Inferior 2-Discs Release from Disney, But Nonetheless...
Disney's "Peter Pan" is an entertaining watch. Barrie's play meant a lot to Walt Disney and the passion put into the project is evident. Unfortunately, though unfairly perhaps, the original has far too much in it to not leave something lacking in this film. I cannot believe that the creators would really call their Peter a boy any more, and Bobby Driscoll sounds the age of their Peter, which basically is too old. Considering that Peter is more of a prankster than mischievous anyway, for Peter to be as old as they envisioned is unsavoury. Tinkerbell is simply unfortitudinous - that the character is so popular must say something about the correctness of today's feminist ideals.

Musically it is not outstanding, falling way short of its predecessor "Alice in Wonderland", itself a low-key player in Disney's musical history, and certainly a great foil for "Cinderella". The characterization of Hook is just so Disney-esquely goofy that he would only be a good villain for the very young (which I suppose is not outrightly a setback given the premise of the Peter Pan story, but it would not transport the grown-up audience back to their experience of childhood again like Barrie's version does). The animation is certainly pleasing, though without any elegant movements to show off as in "Cinderella" it is not a high point of animation artistry. And while its Americaization only lowers its potential, it does not detracts its pleasurability.

The film's real saving grace is Wendy. Voiced by an English actress, her diction is undetectably authentically flawless. Michael and John adds to the colour of the film, but they are quite collateral. Poised on becoming grown-up, it is yet her whose well of imagination is the deepest, and it is her who is in touch with both the real world and the world of childhood fantasy. As such she is the bridge, the sole bridge in Disney's adaptation in fact, that connects the practal-minded grown-ups among the audience to their exuberant childhood and once fertile minds. John and Michael are adorable children in their own way, but only Wendy rivals (Lewis Carroll's, not Disney's) Alice and (again, although the disparity is less severe, A.A. Milne's, not Disney's) Christopher Robin. As a child I never found the film's as enchanting as Neverland is meant to be for the young, but as an older person I have now noticed that the Neverland of this film is but a composite of the pieces of the imagination of the three Darling children, traces of which exist even in their home in London; Nana's status is sentimentally questioned by Mr. Darling who sorrily asserts that she is a dog not a nursemaid and the children are not puppies.

Though it can feel a little disjointed, being without the proper underlying rationale as the dream setting of "Alice" or the episodic, incrementally advancing nature of "Winnie-the-Pooh", the excellent ending sums it all up satisfyingly.

Compared to the studio's other stellar double-discs release, "Pan" got a comparatively inferior treatment. The most distracting of all is, whereever there is a large pool of water, the lame replacement of the original animation with CG animation. (Mind you they did not insist on such an imposition when the patch of water is small or flowing.) The Production featurette is from the VHS release some decade ago and is very short; the original '50s featurette, a featurette made from Walt Disney's own article about why he made "Peter Pan", an interersting documentary made from some new research into the storyboard development and a mind-dumbingly feminist featurette on Tinkerbell probably intended to offset this. I was surprised that the two unused songs on the accompanying OST release do not make an appearance when they must have been plenty of space for it (all such tracks, and more, are on the "Cinderella" DVD), although the lost song completed by Sherman and newly recorded is more glorious than any song in the actual film, although I think Paige O'Hara's pronunciation is a little murkier here than I expect from having listened to Belle in "Beauty and the Beast".

The games in this one are actually organized into some trial challenging you to a test to become a lost boy and have some very minor replayability value, which ought to at least hold the little ones' interests for some time longer than the games on other Disney's DVDs. Quite worthy is the virtual flight simulation over London and to Neverland - if only the graphic could be more lavish, or that it was made in animation! The rest is made up with plenty of previews, which made you wonder if there really was that little extras they could put together for as big a title as "Peter Pan". The then up-and-coming "Tinkerbell" even gets a longer one for herself - the new CG heroine is so ugly you wish they had used one of the lost boys.

A big hit with kids
My personal view of this is that Pan is an arrogant self obsessed oik ... but I'm pushing 30 so what would i know ?!!!
My son got it for his 3rd birthday and loves it and despite watching several times isn't bored of it.

Peter Pan
Timeless - joyous - hilarious - moving. First time for me (41), my wife (34) daughters (7 and 4) and 9 month old son - family entertainment - 5 stars!

charmless
perhaps one of the less attractive of the disney animations.

walt disney himself disliked the final product, feeling it cold and unlikable and to this end i have found it to be that too. despite the apparent lightness of the plot, the jollity seems forced, the characters jaded and the dialogue too upbeat and so far-removed from the original play that the real essence of that play is lost completely. disney was able to completely reinvent other works (e.g. "the jungle book" animation bears so little resemblance to the book that it's almost a completely new but brilliantly inventive work that appeals to young and not-so-young alike). the play "peter pan" has been reinvented, but the new creation is an inferior piece. having said that, there will be much to entertain the younger viewers, but older ones may lose interest quickly.

to me the real star of the film is the music, which, as in most disney animations, remains second to none.

cherished childhood memories
I remember my fifth birthday more vividly than any other from my youth. It was on that birthday my godmother bought me peter pan and snow white on VHS. To watch this movie again is like revisiting so many happy memories of wishing peter would come and take me away. It is true Disney magic. It has all of disney's trademarks from the time, beautiful hand drawn animation (that has been colour graded to make it look even better) and catchy songs that have become part of everyday cultural knowledge. I would advise anyone to get this for their child or teen or better yet buy it for yourself and relive days gone by like i did.

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