3
Credit: Inside the MagicDavid Lowery just does Disney differently. The off-kilter director’s filmography includes A Ghost Story (2017), The Green Knight (2021), and now Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), the latest in Disney’s fascination with turning classics from its stable into live-action fare. Lowery has history here, too: his take on Pete’s Dragon was easily the best. Can lightning strike twice? Or would he have been better staying in Neverland? Read on to find out…
Related: Live-Action Peter Pan Receives Surprising Response From Fans
The premise: teen Wendy (Ever Anderson) is on the eve of going away to boarding school, but resolutely doesn’t want to grow up. She’s raging against the concept, throwing herself into play fights with her younger brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe) in an effort to cling onto her childhood.
A solution to her problems comes in the form of Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and diminutive fairy Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi), who steal into their room in pursuit of Peter’s lost shadow, and in the process change their lives forever.
Peter, playing with sprightly enthusiasm and the right dosage of arrogance by newcomer Molony, whisks the siblings away to Neverland — and into the sights of nefarious pirate lord Captain Hook (Jude Law), who has his own personal reasons for despising Peter and his band of Lost Boys, fellow children who live like rebels on the island.
Lowery’s film plays with the original animation’s elements, but brings them to the modern age: problematic racial stereotypes are tackled by having the charismatic character of Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) speak in her language for much of the runtime. It’s a gorgeously diverse cast, from Shahidi’s tempestuous Tinkerbell to the characters of the Lost Boys. If Neverland is imagination incarnate, then it makes sense for as many people as possible to be able to see themselves there.
And that’s the heart of Lowery’s movie, a core truth about what it means to grow up, about sacrificing some of the carefree joy of childhood to embrace the new adventures adulthood can bring. Lowery’s approach embraces the fantastical, with mermaids skipping through the water, flying pirate ships, and magical tunnels that lead anywhere, but all are played in a rich, textured style of cinematography. Grounding the magic makes it all the more fantastical to see these stunning tableaus, scenes taken straight from the pages of fairytale illustrations, rendered on film.
It helps that Law, the biggest star in this cast, has his Hook walk the delicate tightrope between the grand theatrics of the Disney villain you expect and the emotions which speak to the film’s themes. He’s a brilliant foil for Peter’s infectious, exuberant energy, his glower strong enough to fight this battle between the young and old by itself. To say more is to spoil, but suffice to say there is more to this villain than meets the eye, and Law sells every bit of it.
What makes Peter Pan & Wendy all the more impressive is how easily it could have gone wrong. Of course a story about a flying boy and his friends makes substantial use of VFX, but they’re handled so smoothly, presented with such deliciously rendered visuals, that they’re a treat. The children’s first flight is a soar through London smog, and the entrance to Neverland is something literally out of time.
Related: Peter Pan & Wendy Offers Some Catchy New Sea Shanties
Peter Pan & Wendy has obviously been handled with a level of love and care that you can’t help but think it does deserve a theatrical presentation. But hopefully this deliciously rendered fairytale finds an audience on Disney+.