Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)

Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)

 

7/10

Starring

Jude Law

Alexander Molony

Ever Anderson

Yara Shahidi

 

Directed by David Lowery

 

This movie adaptation is some nice work by Disney. While it doesn’t quite capture the magical essence of the 1953 animated version it was adapted from, it carves its own path and brings out its own enchanting tributes to the tales of Peter Pan. The ending is particularly well-crafted, doing its best to answer questions like: Where did Hook come from? Why do Peter and Hook hate each other? and more.

I wouldn’t have thought Disney would go ahead with this much tweaking of the story, especially in a way that doesn’t make Peter Pan the all-around good guy. That alone made this movie captivating. The moral dilemmas shown, and the way the characters handle their situations, portray both Peter Pan and Hook as victims of each other’s decisions and as perpetrators of their conflicts.

The movie starts like the animation, introducing the Darling family: Wendy (the eldest), John, and Michael. The children are play-fighting in their room, causing havoc, when their father sternly reminds Wendy to grow up and act her age. This makes Wendy wish she could never grow up, which leads to Peter Pan arriving at her window.

I’ll skip many of the familiar events here since they mirror the animation, but the flight to Neverland takes a different turn. Of course, fairy dust and happy thoughts are still required to take flight, but when they arrive, Hook attacks them and even captures John and Michael.

Wendy crash-lands on the beach and is surrounded by the Lost Boys, who are led by Princess Tiger Lily. From here, the movie ventures down its own unique path. Peter Pan eventually comes to the rescue and reunites Wendy with the Lost Boys and her brothers, but their home is soon attacked by Hook and his crew. Everyone except Pan is captured.

On the ship, Wendy steps up to take responsibility for the Lost Boys and her brothers, even sacrificing herself for their safety. Then, we reach that funny part from the animation where Hook and his crew await a splash.

How Peter saves the day and how it all ends is something you’ll have to see for yourself when you watch this Disney movie on Disney+.

Is it worth it? Yes, this movie is worth the time I spent watching it, and I’ll definitely make time to watch it again in the future. It stars Ever Anderson, the daughter of Milla Jovovich, as Wendy, and Jude Law as Captain Hook.