Disney’s Peter Pan (1953) (Movie Review)

   When it comes to stories of magical excursions into fantasy worlds, the tale of “Peter Pan”, or “The Boy who Wouldn’t Grow-Up”, has always been a very special one to me. It began with the stage play by J. M. Barrie in 1904, revolving around the titular Peter Pan, who invites a trio of siblings to the magical island of Neverland, where if they choose to stay, they’ll never grow-up. 

When I was I kid, I was fortunate to see a live stage production of the play, which I remember being a great experience. However, it’s Disney’s 1953 animated picture “Peter Pan” that I look back on with the most fondness. This marked Disney’s 14^th animated picture, and was actually one of his earliest planed film adaptions, but like so many of his projects, was postponed due to World War 2. Never the less, when the film saw the light of day, it was a success, and has been preserved as a classic. There was a time, during my childhood of the 90’s, that I viewed “Peter Pan” as my favorite Disney movie, up until the release of 1997’s “Hercules”, which became my other childhood favorite. Looking back as an adult, I wouldn’t place “Peter Pan” quiet as high on the Disney totem pole as when I was a kid, but I do still have a great deal of fondness for it, and I think it’s all-around one of the best to come out during Walt Disney’s life-time. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that “Peter Pan” is my favorite Disney production from their animated silver age of the 1950’s and 60’s. 

  Our story is about the Darling Family, specifically three children who are obsessed with the adventures of Peter Pan. The eldest sister named Wendy, is the instigator of these tales, which her parents dismiss as fantasy’s she created. Wendy however, is insistent that her tales are real, much to the irritation of her father, who being a practical man, believes it’s time for her to grow-up, and leave these fantasies behind. The thought of changes and growing up alarms Wendy, as she questions if she’s really ready to put these fantasies to bed. 

One magical night, she and her two younger brothers are visited by none-other then Peter Pan himself, and true to the source material, invites the kids to his magical island paradise of Neverland, where they’ll never have to worry about growing-up. At first, it’s an enchanted dream come true … up until they become the target of a ruthless band of pirates, led by the nefarious Captain Hook, who’s out for revenge against Peter Pan, as his mischievous antics continue to fuel the pirate’s wrath. The more adventures they go on, the more Wendy finds herself displeased with Pans cocky attitude, and becomes a titular mother figure, acting as the voice of reason amongst all the boys.

  It’s kind of ironic, Wendy initially went to Neverland to never grow-up, yet through the experience, finds herself maturing in both mind and attitude … while still maintaining her youthful heart at the center. The over-arching theme of growing in mind, yet still staying young at heart is what makes this story so special and personal to me. Over the years, I do my best to maintain my own youthful spirit, while still properly maturing into adulthood. 

While certainly a tight rope to walk on, this tale has always been a healthy little reminder that you can have both, as long as you have proper focus on where you mature, and where you still maintain that youthful spark. Going back to the Disney movie, this marked the very first time that Peter Pan would be played by a male actor, as opposed to all previous stage and movie productions, in which Pan was traditionally played by a female actor. 

The young Bobby Driscoll was already a long-standing presence in Disney productions, staring in Disney’s first live-action 1946 production of “Song of the South”, as well the live-action segments of Disney’s 1948 animated feature “Melody Time”, along with his award-winning performance in Disney’s 1948 movie “So Dear to My Heart”, and eventually the leading role of Jim Hawkins in Disney’s 1950 picture “Treasure Island”. As for the character of Pan himself … his name may be the title, and he's front and center of the cover … but I never really viewed Pet Pan as the main lead of the story. He’s more like the catalyst to put events in place, whether it be taking the kids to Neverland, or instigating conflicts with the pirates … but it’s not really his story.

  For me, the real lead character of this story is Wendy, as her arc is at the heart of the films theme, and she’s the one who goes through the biggest change by the end of the film. 

Honestly, I always felt Wendy deserved to be on the same pedestal as any of the classic Disney Princess that came out during Walt Disney’s time … her signature blue nightgown already gives her a dress look. However, while I’d describe someone like Snow White, as akin to a child in young adults body, Wendy by contrast always felt like a young adult in a child's body. Despite her reasonably mature nature, Wendy is still a kid, and the film does a great job balancing her two personas. She does get curious, excited, and when she act’s cute, she’s genuinely cute. Huge props to voice actress Kathryn Beaumont, who took the role of an innocent child, and made her sound both mature and intelligent, yet still maintaining a sense of whimsical enchantment. Of course, Kathryn Beaumont was just coming off voicing Alice in “Alice in Wonderland”, and showcased once again how to make for an above average, entertaining child-character. 

  Of course, the other big character who steals the show is Captain Hook, who was one of my childhood favorite Disney villains. With his signature sharp hand piece and red suit, he always stood out to me as one of the most iconic movie pirates. 

While he’s a little threatening, he’s mainly played for laughs, and it makes him a lot of fun to watch. Hans Conried delivers an equally theatrical vocal performance as Captain Hook, and just like in the stage play, he also provides the voice of Wendy’s father. As a side note, I always loved how this version spotlighted a connection of sorts between Captain Hook and the father, as at the end, the dad comments that the silhouette of Hook’s pirate ship in the sky looks familiar … like something from a long-forgotten past. The animation on Captain Hook is especially great, with a lot of theatrics on display, both in how the character moves and reacts. 

Animators Frank Thomas and Wolfgang Reitherman brought him to life through the animation, and Hook’s slapstick encounters with Tic Toc Crocodile make for some of the best scenes in the whole film, in which the animation on Hook really pops. When it comes to evil henchmen, I feel most Disney villains can stand on their own, but in the case of Captain Hook … he is not complete without Mr. Smee. I think they have the best relationship of any Disney villain and henchman, as Hook is usually dominate of Mr. Smee, but he’s also dependent on him, and would go to peace’s without his support. It makes for a fun dynamic, and leads to a number of funny arguments.  

  As for Wendy’s two younger siblings, John Darling and Michael Darling, they play their parts just fine, and even the dog Nana, despite being a silent animal, still manages to convey a lot of personality. Although … the big one in this regard is Tinkerbell, who’s an icon in the realms of silent characters in cinema. 

She’s a stuck-up, yet passionate little fairy, who speaks through a variety of body movements, facial expressions, and a surprisingly heated temper. It’s actually her stuck-up pride contrasting with her bubbly persona that make her so likable. Tinkerbelle’s attitude and personality actually helped pave the way for many of Disney’s later princesses in the vein of Jasmine. Margaret Kerry was the live-action reference model for Tinkerbell, and really helped give this silent character a voice of her own. Actually, Tinkerbell is one of those rare cases, in which a supporting character took on a life of their own outside of the movie, and is arguably Disney’s second biggest mascot behind Mickey Mouse. 

It always amused me that most of the marketing with Tinkerbell features her with a magic wand … which she never had in the movie, yet it’s become a staple of the character. Another thing I didn’t really notice as a kid is that she’s absent through a good chunk of the film, either banished or captured by hook, and when she comes back, I feel like there should have been a little more with her. While I’m glad the Disney film omitted the irritating “I believe in fairies” moment from the play, I still feel the aftermath of Hooks bombing, and Pan trying to keep her light on could have been a little longer. Lastly, I feel Tinkerbell should have had a heart-to-heart moment with Wendy during the epilogue … after trying to kill her and all, there should have been some kind of meaningful resolution to her jealousy. It didn’t have to be long, just something to show that Wendy and Tinkerbell are on good terms. 

 

  One common criticism aimed at the film is that it glances over the darker elements of the source material, and is mainly appealing for little kids, with less for older viewers. 

I’ll admit that Disney is at it’s best when it offers something for both kids and adults, but with that said, I feel the lighter tone was warranted for “Peter Pan”. Following after the darker elements of “Alice in Wonderland”, this was a nice return to form, and the film isn’t without its qualities that make it an above average children’s film of its time. The pacing of the film is great, as it moves from one memorable set-piece to another, and there’s a decent amount of energy and action on display. The big climactic showdown at the end of the film on Captain Hooks ship always got me excited, and the final sword fight between Peter Pan and Hook was a great warm-up to the duels I’d see in live action-adventure films down the road. The staging is great, and there’s some really cool shots that I feel were quite cinematic for its time. Unlike in the play, Captain Hook doesn’t die at the end, as Walt Disney insisted he was just too fun a character to kill off. While I usually prefer the villains killed off, this is one case in which I'm glad the bad guy lived. 

  The animation is wonderful, with a variety of colorful backdrops, and all kinds of iconography on display. The kids silhouetted against Big Ben, flying through the clouds, Hook’s ship lifting up into the sky, and even Skull rock is a memorable, original location. The details of Tinkerbells Pixie dust was another impressive feat for the time, as well as costly, as there was no CGI back then, and all those little flakes had to be drawn-in, but the effect still looks great. 

Another one of my favorite little animated details is near the end, when we transition from Neverland to Big Ben, and then cross-dissolve into a grandfather clock in the Darling house … it’s hard to explain, but there’s something magical and atmospheric about that moment. Neverland itself feels like a character, a while not quite as fantastical as Wonderland, it still has a lot of personality, and feels like a place I’d want to explore. It’s an island in the sky, and runs the gambit of colorful inhabitance, including fairies, lost boys, pirates, Indians and mermaids. I will say, I always wanted more from the mermaids, like maybe they could have been nicer to Wendy, or at the very least had a song number. I absolutely would have preferred a musical number with the mermaids over the boys singing “Following the Leader”.

  The catchiest song of all is “What Made the Red Man Red?”, which has a lot of energy, and an engaging beat.  

Of course, this song, as well as the Indians in general have become the subject of much controversy … which is a fair criticism, although, even when I was a kid, I never took them seriously as a proper portrayal of Native American Indians. As a side note, I wish there could have been more of Tiger Lily in the film. Despite not being on screen for very long, she once again conveyed a lot of personality through her animation, and I always loved her little dance during the song. The remaining songs are okay, but I like them more for there sequences as opposed to the songs on their own. The big “You Can Fly!” song is definitely more of a memorable sequence, then it is a great musical number. The opening song “The Second Star to the Right” is fine, but I like it more for the still images that highlight what we’re about to see in the film. Wendy’s song “Your Mother and Mine” is kind of boring on its own, but in the film, it makes for a decent calm before the storm. I remember as a kid, I loved “The Elegant Captain Hook” song, and viewed it as one of the great, catchy Disney villain musical numbers, but looking back, it’s nothing too special, at least when compared to other great villain songs.       

  In the end, I have nothing but nostalgic fondness for Disney’s “Peter Pan”, and still consider it a bright spot from Walt Disney’s time. I wouldn’t call it the definitive version of J. M. Barrie’s play, but it is the version that has stuck with me the most. The storytelling is simple, but charming, with a brisk pace, memorable characters, funny slapstick, and magical atmosphere. More than anything, it’s the themes of growing up, while still retaining your youthful spirit that makes it special. For whatever it’s worth, Michael Jackson even cited Disney’s “Peter Pan” as his favorite movie, even naming his estate, Neverland Ranch after the setting of the film. While I can’t argue that the film has any demanding for adults, it is still a novelty for those of us who grew-up with it to look back on. Sometimes, just a delightful little animated offering is all I need, and I feel this film deserves to be called a classic just like any other early animated Disney offering. 

Thanks for reading my review of Disney’s 1953 classic “Peter Pan” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!

 

My Top 10 Favorite Dinosaur Movies

  Dinosaurs were a big fascination of my childhood and I think most kids can agree. There’s something about them that captures our imagination very quickly at a young age. Sure, they look really cool, they make for great action figures for kids, but I think the big reason they leave such a huge impression on us is because, unlike other movie monsters, Dinosaurs actually lived on our planet, they were real life monsters that existed no differently than the animals of today. 

Just the subject of Dinosaurs can open up a world of so much thought, imagination, and when I was a kid, I had to collect as many Dinosaur themed movies that I could get my hands on. As such, I felt I was long overdue to put together a list of my own personal favorite Dinosaur themed movies. As a SIDE NOTE … when it comes to long running Dinosaur franchises, in the vein of “Jurassic Park”, “The Land Before Time”, and even “King Kong” … I’m only including one film as a representative, because I don’t want this to be a list filled with sequels. Lastly, most of Dinosaurs in the media have been preserved through TV documentary specials, so I want to include at least one of them as a representative as well. With that said … here are my personal top 10 favorite Dinosaur themed movies.

 

#10 “One Million Years B.C.” (1966) 

It’s the classic caveman versus dinosaur’s adventure that launched its own subgenera. 

While humans didn’t really live among the Dinosaurs, the concept of early man’s battle for survival against prehistoric dangers took-off like wild-fire after this film, and had numerous imitators, including 1970’s “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth”, and 1981’s “Caveman”. It was also the poster child for attractive barbarian woman, which also became a sub-genera. The real star of this film were the Dinosaur effects by the great Ray Harryhausen, a legend in the realms of stop-motion wonders, and creature effects. It wasn’t his first-time bringing Dinosaurs to life, nor his last, with 1969’s “The Valley of Gwangi” being another memorable one after this … but these were arguably some of his best looking, and memorable. The film is certainly an acquired taste, but it still has its place in the history books of tongue-in-check, B-Movie creature features. 

 

#9 “We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story” (1993) 

 

Unmistakably a childhood, guilty pleasure of mine … but I just couldn’t keep this one off my list. When a small group of Dinosaurs travel through time, they find themselves lost in New York, but developing human intellects, and aim to do something special for the new generation of kids that admire them. With the help of two runaway children, they embark on an adventure in modern times, while avoiding the clutches of a mad circus leader. It’s as crazy as it sounds … not exactly a good movie … yet still very unique, even kind of original with both it’s premise and imagination on display. The animation is quiet charming to look back on, and there is just this nostalgic appeal to the whole thing that I can’t dismiss. It may not be a classic, but it was a special part of my up-bringing on loving dinosaurs as a kid.       

 

#8 “The Lost World” (1925) 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel of “The Lost World”, set the template for exciting encounters of man versus prehistoric creatures, and the 1920’s silent movie adaption of his written work was the first big-breakthrough achievement in seeing Dinosaurs come to life on film.  

While remade, and replicated several times in the media, nothing has quiet toped the iconography of the original classic. Special effects artist Willis O'Brien broke ground with the creature effects on display, and while primitive today, there’s still so much to admire from what he accomplished for his time. From thrilling Dinosaur brawls, to creepy ape-men, to stampedes outrunning a volcano, to the show stealing Brontosaurus going on a rampage through London … this is the original classic Dinosaur adventure, one of my absolute favorite silent pictures, and one I encourage viewers to check out … if only to admire the craft of it’s time.

 

#7 Disney’s “Fantasia” (1940) 

Despite being an anthology, with a number of different segments, I just couldn’t dismiss the twenty-three-minuet long Dinosaur segment titled “The Right of Spring”, from one of my childhood favorite movies. This depicts a chain of events beginning in outer space, we then see our planet when it was just a molten waist, but then we see cells reproduce, which is followed by the life of Dinosaurs, and everything inevitably wraps-up with their extinction. 

As a kid, I loved dinosaurs more than anything, so it was cool to see all these recognizable creatures. I also loved the volcanos, and the big highlight by far was the big T-Rex attack. The way it came out in the rain with that loud musical score boasting its size was just stellar. Unlike “The Land Before Time”, which had a collection of fluffy and colorful characters, these Dinosaurs were all so dark and creepy looking. The settings likewise had this dark and foreboding mood to them. Even the basic music in this segment is more imposing and less fun. As such, I always treated it like the big kids animated Dinosaur offering, and one that still impresses me all these years later.  

 

#6 “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) 

Amidst some atomic testing, a giant, prehistoric monster is released, and goes on a rampage. Pre-dating “Godzilla” by a year, this was one of the original classic giant monsters on the loose pictures, and still holds up as one of my favorite monster movies from the 50’s. It has some good acting by its genera standards, a simple yet nicely paced story, and our leading monster … a Rhedosaurus … is one of the greatest stop-motion monster effects of all time. This marked the early work of special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, prior to the dinosaurs he’d create in “One Million Years B.C.”. While his career would sky rocket with other hits in the vein of “Jason and the Argonauts” and “Clash of the Titans”, this was still the classic monster movie that really launched it, and made him a house-hold name for us genera fans.

 

#5 Disney’s “Dinosaur” (2000) 

Yet another childhood favorite of mine, but unlike the previously mentioned “We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story” … I actually think this film holds up a little better than its reputation would suggest. While the Dinosaurs march on through a predictable plot to find a new home, in the after math of a meteor shower, there was still an ambitious effort on display for a family film to combine dramatic beats with epic grandeur. The creature designs are memorable, still look decent today, and the ferocious Carnotaurus made for a refreshing change-up to the more famous T-Rex. Along with some stunning scenery, and triumphant music score, it’s all familiar ground that’s worth re-treading … especially if you’re a general dinosaur fan.

 

#4 “King Kong” (1933) 

While the titular giant ape, King Kong, will always be remembered as one of the all-time great movie monsters … let’s not forget the equally exciting Dinosaurs featured in the film. 

After Willis O'Brien broke ground with his creature effects in the previously mentioned silent picture “The Lost World”, he leveled-up the effects with the iconic monsters in “King Kong”, which almost feels like a soft remake of his previous film, just with a giant ape in the place of the Brontosaurus. While the 2005 remake featured three times as many Dinosaurs, the original has so many classic moments, which still rank among the best Dinosaur encounters of any picture. The big event being the thrilling showdown between King Kong and the T-Rex, which may seem primitive by todays standards, but for it’s time set the bar for giant monster battles. 

 

#3 “The Land Before Time” (1988) 

When a group of young dinosaurs are separated from their herd, they have to work together to trek across dangerous grounds and battle monstrous predators to find the land that time forgot. I've always looked at this film as "Bambi", but with Dinosaurs, so this ties into my childhood more than the former, as I've always had a nostalgic connection to Dinosaurs. Despite the cutesy designs of the characters, this remains a reasonably mature film, with intense moments, and some legitimate drama. The musical score always gets me in the feels, there’s a lot of exciting battles with the T-Rex, the animation is splendid, and the ending is one of the strongest, feel-good moments from any kid’s film. Overall, "The Land Before Time" walks a perfect balance between its appeal to little kids, while also treating the audience at large with a mature, and beautiful story.

 

#2 “Jurassic Park” (1993) 

The concept of man encountering prehistoric creatures dabbles into pure Science Fiction, as a team of professors use modern methods of cloning to bring back Dinosaurs for a giant theme park attraction. 

Of course, everything goes wrong, and it’s a thrilling adventure to escape, along with just enough awe-inspiring moments. Dinosaurs will always be awesome, and this film features some of the most life-like looking Dinosaurs you’ll ever see on screen, along with some thrilling action scenes, and moments of sheer terror. Whenever I think of Velociraptors, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops and especially the T-Rex, it’s always these depictions in this film that come to mind first. Yet, the true brilliance of this film is how it puts better things before all these awesome elements … things like a good story, a memorable cast of characters, and a rich warning of those in power, who are blind to the fact that they’re not in control. Along with John Williams triumphant score, and the films breathless pace, it makes “Jurassic Park” better than just another, fun monster movie … it’s in many respects a great movie in its own right. Truthfully, it’s one of my all-time favorite movies … which would make it way too easy to place at my number one spot. As such, I have a very special pick that’s the most special to me when I think of Dinosaurs.

 

Before I reveal my number one favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions …

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” (2008)

“Planet of the Dinosaurs” (1977)

“Super Mario Bros.” (1993)

“The Land that Time Forgot” (1974)

“The Good Dinosaur” (2015)

 

#1 “Dinosaur” (1985) 

Christopher Reeve host what I consider the greatest Dinosaur special I’ve ever seen, as we look through their several appearances in the media, comic books, movies, attractions, museums, toys, and even highway decorations. 

There are interviews with paleontologists like Jack Horner, scientific discoveries, theories on what happened back then, what could happen in our future, and even how some animals that lived back then still live amongst us today. Lastly, special effects animator Phil Tippet expands on his early short film titled “Prehistoric Beast’s”, with new scenes, and we see the journey of a family of Duckbill’s, as well as several exciting encounters with a T-Rex. I’m sure it seems like a cheat to put a CBS produced, documentary special in my number one spot, but this one really does run an impressive gambit of different Dinosaur related topics in just 60 minutes. The musical score gets me so hyped every time I hear it, and the creature effects on display, I feel, are the best of the pre- “Jurassic Park” creatures. 

Like an old dinosaur fossil yet to be discovered, this little documentary special makes for quite the find. If you’re someone who still finds Dinosaurs interesting, definitely try and find this film, because it does an amazing job of being informative and educational, while still feeling as engaging and exciting as an actual movie. Even though I’m a grown adult, I still hold this little documentary special as a small treasure on my movie shelf, and it still has the power to take me back to that wonderful time from my child hood … when Dinosaurs were awesome! 

Thanks for reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the Movies you Love!