“Peter Pan & Wendy” Review

Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael blast off to Neverland in “Peter Pan & Wendy,” a live-action remake now available to stream on Disney+.

Disney’s live-action remakes have continuously felt like soulless cash grabs. However, not all of them have wasted the potential of putting a modern spin on one of Disney’s classic stories. Films like “Cruella” and “Pete’s Dragon” have proven to be entertaining takes and I was intrigued when I saw that the director of the latter film, David Lowrey, would be taking a swing at the 1953 film “Peter Pan.” “Peter Pan & Wendy,” a Disney+ original film, is a fine remake that manages to stand out from the rest of the Disney remakes with some interesting changes and a good sense of fun. 

Like the classic animated film and the J.M. Barrie story, the three Darling children, Wendy, John and Michael (Ever Anderson, Joshua Pickering and Jacobi Jupe), are whisked away to the magical Neverland by Peter Pan (Alexander Molony), the boy who would never grow up. Along with an assortment of Lost Boys, the Native American princess Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) and the fairy Tinker Bell (Yara Sahidi), the Darlings and Peter Pan go on an incredible adventure where they must defeat the villainous pirate Captain Hook (Jude Law).

What makes “Peter Pan & Wendy” such a fun film is how director David Lowrey is unwilling to make a shot-for-shot remake of the original. With so many adaptations of the Peter Pan story, there’s no limit to what you can do with, essentially, every kid’s fantasy. However, that large number of interpretations can also make it difficult to stand out. While I don’t think people are going to point to this film and say that it’s the definitive version of the story, it certainly understands the strengths of the source material and utilizes them. 

In this film, Neverland looks amazing through the use of numerous real-world locations in Canada, including the islands in Newfoundland. Through strong colors and atmospheric designs, “Peter Pan & Wendy’s” take on Neverland manages to compete with the beauty of the original or Steven Spielberg’s “Hook.”

As Peter Pan, Alexander Molony has the playful nature that you would expect but he also understands one key element of the character. Peter Pan’s kind of a dick. He’s cocky, full of himself and a bit of an egotist and Molony celebrates that. Molony also handles the dramatic moments quite well and makes for a good interpretation of one of the most iconic characters of Disney’s library. 

Upon rewatching the original “Peter Pan,” I was reminded of how good the film’s imagination and characters were. Despite not taking part in the action, as was the custom of the 1950s, Wendy, who was voiced by Kathryn Beaumont, still was a memorable presence. She served as the voice of reason to Pan’s anarchy and was not willing to bow down to Hook’s tyranny. But it’s a new day and I want to see Wendy do some fighting. Ever Anderson's performance is full of charm as she takes in the world around her. I also love how she’s not willing to take Peter’s excuses for his poor behavior and takes part in the film’s action. 

Peter Pan, Wendy and the rest of the main characters are certainly handled well but the odds were against Lowrey and Jude Law when it came to the depiction of Captain Hook. Not only was Hans Conried’s vocal performance in the original film pitch perfect, but Dustin Hoffman also provided an equally iconic portrayal of the pirate that would be hard to match. While I’m not sure if his performance will be as iconic, Jude Law brings such a delightful cruel energy to the one-handed marauder. He relishes being wicked and will do the most childishly villainous things with a smile on his face. David Lowrey and Toby Halbrooks, who wrote the script, also added something unique to the character by delving into his backstory and it’s actually quite fascinating. 

With flying children who fight pirates, you’d expect good action and “Peter Pan & Wendy” certainly has all of that. The fight sequences of the film are quite creative and utilize the characters’ relationships quite well. In one scene, when the crocodile that swallowed Hook’s hand attacks, Captain Hook actually tosses his own men to the reptile for his own survival. The climax also utilizes wonderful imagery and is full of strong energy, especially when compared to other Disney remakes where there’s little surprise. 

While this is a good film that is worth watching, especially if you’re tired of Disney’s sludge of rehashing its classics, there are some things that hold it back from being the first great Disney remake. Most of its characters are well cast and acted, but Jim Gaffigan feels underutilized as Mr. Smee, the bumbling, well-meaning first mate to Captain Hook. This is a funny actor but I just don’t feel his natural comedic energy in the performance. 

I also wish that more of Neverland was explored. “Peter Pan & Wendy” is good at keeping focus on its characters but it could have used some more scenes that saw the characters making their way through the many parts of this magical place. This is an island that has mermaids, bears, lions and Native Americans but very few of these elements are utilized. True, Tiger Lily is a major character in the film, whereas in the original film she didn’t even get a line, but wouldn’t it have been amazing to see a whole tribe of Native Americans fighting the pirates alongside the Lost Boys? 

The film also feels a bit uncertain with its ending. It’s as if David Lowrey was torn between ending on a definitive or an open-ended note. In “Peter Pan & Wendy” you feel like you’ve been on a fun adventure but not a long journey. However, this is a film that I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel to because, as someone who loved Disney’s “Peter Pan” and “Hook” as a child, I had a good time seeing an excellent filmmaker like Lowrey bring his interpretation to the big screen. This is a film that takes risks by not trying to replicate the original. 

Lately, it seems like Disney has been theatrically releasing safe and bland material while films that take chances and are better off for it, like “Soul,” “Luca” and “Turning Red,” have been released on Disney+ instead. I certainly wish that Disney had given more money to this film and a theatrical release, because it then could have been one of Disney’s best films in recent years. As is, it’s a good interpretation of the story and definitely a step up from Disney’s other live-action remakes.