Accepting to Grow Up is Still an Awfully Good Adventure. (Peter Pan and Wendy review)

It is a little odd how Disney has been separating their live-action remake releases. The more accurate adaptations get the big-budget big-screen treatment while the rest are left to fend for themselves to find an audience on Disney Plus like Pinocchio. But here we are again as Peter Pan and Wendy, which was originally set to release in theaters, was bumped to an exclusive streaming release for an apparent reason that I thought would bring no harm to the film. I was wrong. 

Pulling cues from the original novel and the 1953 animated film, Peter Pan and Wendy bring the classic tale to live action once again, this time by Disney, that charms well enough to have audiences intrigued but not in its entirety. The first 40 minutes might have viewers wanting to turn it off but if dedicated enough, the film does end up fairing better than expected once we have met all the characters. The premise stays the same as Wendy, George, and Michael are visited by Peter Pan who takes them to wondrous Neverland, getting caught up in the never-ending duel between Peter and the villainous Captain Hook and utilizing the theme of growing up still being an adventure worth taking. However, this adaptation does allow a little to be explored. 

As someone who has probably seen every Peter Pan adaptation thus far, this iteration is probably inspired by 2015's Pan from Warner Bro's that bombed at the box office, utilizing a particular plot point and ultimately, making it better. It does not live up to the Columbia's adaptation that starred Jason Isaacs and Jeremy Sumpter for that was a classic in my book as it dug deeper into Peter's fixation on Wendy. This time around, the focus is on the relationship between Hook's fixation on Pan. That might sound a tad familiar when you have films like Hook that starred the late Robin Williams, but this iteration works well for the current generation of young audiences to be captivated and engrossed in the wonder that is the world of Peter Pan. 

The great thing about this iteration is that might also appeal to adults as well. The narrative includes a commentary on what growing up really entails, how growing apart from people you once trusted can change a person or how growing up means you have to abandon your past. This deep dive into certain iconic characters really helped create more depth within this classic tale that made this adaptation memorable despite certain aforementioned elements being utilized before. There have been complaints about how Disney made the tale 'too woke'. Other than the fact that there are girls in the Lost Boys, I did not see anything worth nitpicking to say that it completely changed J.M. Barrie's original purpose of the tale but rather brought more agency and understanding to the characters and the messages behind the narrative. 

Unlike most of the recent Disney Plus-pushed live-action remakes, the visuals for this adaptation worked. It also helped that most of the effects were practical, especially when it came to settings. Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell was believable as Tinkerbell with how she looked, glowed, and flew around. Unfortunately, she lacked the physical comedy that Tink is most known for. A tiny plot detail was added to why we cannot hear Tinkerbell speak which was interesting. 

In my opinion, I thought this adaptation was better than most recent ones. It kept the spirit and magic that made Peter Pan special while also making it viable to life lessons that are applicable today no matter how old you are. Viewers might even shed a tear or two with this feature for I believe it is that good. Look past the unnecessary criticisms of this film for they do not make sense. (unless they are for the first 40 minutes of the film) Overall, this is a job well done in remaking a Disney classic.