Peter Pan & Wendy shows the usefulness of the concept of the Disney live-action remake; it updates the racial and gender politics of the original 1953 animated film while also drawing further from the story upon which that story was based. However, despite having definitive touches of Lowery’s style, it’s lacking in the visual pizzazz that an audience wants from a fantastical tale, nor does it take the story completely down a dark path that would justify this visual drabness.

*This review contains some spoilers.*

The Disney live-action remakes do best when they’re full re-imaginations of the story upon which they are based. Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella and David Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon are two of the best examples, as opposed to the more closely “copy and paste” style of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. These remakes provide an opportunity to introduce a new generation to the story, to update anything that doesn’t sit well with a twenty-first-century audience, and to return to the source material that the original animated film was based on. Lowery’s Peter Pan & Wendy does all of these things and manages to make something fresh out of a story that has been told many times.

Lowery and Toby Halbrooks’s screenplay is an adaptation of both the 1953 Disney animated classic Peter Pan and the 1911 novel Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie. As such, it includes many of the story beats that audiences will remember but also draws upon the original source material while managing to be something entirely its own. This uniqueness is perhaps the film’s best quality as it focuses on Wendy Darling rather than Peter himself.

The film introduces us to the Darling family as their house is in a state of chaos. John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe, the younger brother of Noah Jupe) are playing Captain Hook and Peter Pan while their older sister Wendy (Ever Anderson) prepares to leave for boarding school the next morning. Her mother (Molly Parker) insists that there are many great parts of growing up, but Wendy would rather remain a child forever. She demands, “I want things to stay the way they are,” when her mother tells her she must set a good example for her little brothers and go off to school willingly.

However, someone else has heard Wendy’s plea, and the green-clad “boy who won’t grow up,” Peter (Alexander Molony, in his film debut), shows up — along with the fairy Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi) — to whisk her away from Neverland so that she won’t have to grow older. But Neverland isn’t exactly as we might remember; it’s full of pirates who almost immediately kidnap John and Michael while separating Wendy from Peter, leading her to step up as the leader of the Lost Boys.

The transformation of the character of Wendy is the most noticeable change in this adaptation. No longer is she a sweet pseudo-mother figure for the Lost Boys (who are also no longer only boys), with an innocent crush on Peter Pan. Instead, she’s a brave leader, taking on Captain Hook (Jude Law) and calling out Peter on his inability to let others help him. She’s smart, a competent sword-fighter, and certainly no one’s fool. Her relationship with Tinker Bell is also no longer one of jealous rivalry for Peter’s affection but a sweet bond between two women who recognize each other’s lack of a voice. Anderson, previously seen as young Natasha in Black Widow, does a commendable job with the role.

Another big update is the treatment of the character of Tiger Lily, played by a Canadian Cree actress, Alyssa Wapanatâhk. She speaks in both English and Cree (with translations) in the film, and it’s a much more thoughtful inclusion of indigenous culture. Thankfully gone is the egregious song “What Makes the Red Man Red.” Wapanatâhk imbues Tiger Lily with an authority and kindness that make her seem like the one true grown-up in Neverland.

Meanwhile, Jude Law is clearly having a lot of fun as Captain Hook. It’s the only true standout performance in the film, mostly because it’s a bit different than what we’ve seen Law do before. (I would have expected someone like Hugh Grant in this role.) He plays it almost as a mix between the usual Captain Hook and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. He’s given a tragic backstory, and Law makes the most of playing around with his character’s morality, as it’s used to show that Peter himself is not entirely blameless.

Unfortunately, Molony is not up to the task of truly exploring Peter’s dark side, leaving his character in a somehow boring state of morally grey. He’s lacking the usual charisma that we’ve come to expect from those playing the role, whether it’s Mary Martin in the 1960 film or Jeremy Sumpter in the 2003 version.

In fact, the film suffers from drabness in general. Despite the natural beauty of the places that Lowery filmed (Newfoundland and Labrador and the Faroe Islands), Peter Pan & Wendy is remarkably uninteresting visually. The realistic take on everything from Skull Rock to the crocodile to the drab-looking pirates lacks a visual flair. The production design is mostly interesting, and there are a few neat touches — a quick moment of filming from Tinker Bell’s perspective and the unique take on the flight to Neverland. However, it’s not what you would expect from a film that’s been in development since 2016, even if it was delayed by Covid.

Peter Pan & Wendy shows the usefulness of the concept of the Disney live-action remake; it updates the racial and gender politics of the original 1953 animated film while also drawing further from the story upon which that story was based. However, despite having definitive touches of Lowery’s style, it’s lacking in the visual pizzazz that an audience wants from a fantastical tale, nor does it take the story completely down a dark path that would justify this visual drabness.

Grade: C+

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Where to Watch: Disney+

Nicole Ackman
she/her @nicoleackman16
Living out her childhood dreams of being a writer, just like Jo March
Favorite Directors: Kenneth Branagh and Greta Gerwig
Sign: Virgo