I Just Came Back from Neverland, and Boy Was It Exciting!

As we stumble closer to the anniversary of 100 Years of Walt Disney Animation, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Every week I find myself marveling at the animation from a time long gone and I keep wondering how we can bring back that sense of timelessness into new animated stories without the hints of racism and misogyny. As someone who aspires to create stories for the next generation, I must continue to learn from yet another American classic dusted in childlike wonder. My memories of Peter Pan are very far and few in between, but I don’t have anything bad to say other than a poorly done English accent of Wendy saying “Pee-ta”. Peter Pan was one of those movies that I never really paid much attention to growing up and didn’t have a problem with. But after our previous adventures together so far, I have my doubts. So, let’s dust off our memories together and jump out the window to Neverland with a little faith, trust, and a whole lotta pixie dust.

Here we go again with the racial disclosures and white choir intro. Am I the only one who sees Evangeline and Ray when they show the North Star? No? Just me? I was surprised to learn that this movie was based on the play Peter Pan rather than a book like the others.

“All has happened before, and it will happen again.”

What a line to start a movie. I can tell that this was based on a play because the dialogue flows seamlessly. The introduction of the family is enticing, and the pace has you laughing and along for the ride in minutes. The upstanding father who is very practical and doesn’t have time for Peter Pan has all the time in the world to scold his children about how it’s complete poppycock. There’s a certain twang in my heart that comes from understanding both the parents and the children at the same time. While the dad gets no affection from his family, it is still his duty to make sure that his children grow up correctly, but most importantly, grow up. Meanwhile, the children wine and complain to their more sympathetic mother as she tucks them into bed.

“But mother, I don’t want to grow up.”

Same, kids. Same. I love Mother’s reaction to her daughter suggesting that she leaves the window open because Peter Pan might come back. The look in her eye screamed “Girl who do you have coming in here at night? I oughta slap some sense into you!” Of course, her concerns are dashed away by her husband as they leave for the night and we are welcomed with our first glimpse at the neighborhood window peeper, Peter Pan.

Nothing says a kid’s movie like a main character scaling rooftops and looking like a burglar. Fitting since Peter Pan was originally supposed to be a bad guy, but that’s not this kind of movie. Peter must’ve overheard Wendy talking about how she found his shadow because he doesn’t hesitate to let himself in and try to find it. With a sassy and vain Tinkerbell by his side, he creeps through the room in search of his shadow and does his best to stay quiet. But it isn’t long before he’s wrestling with his shadow and wakes Wendy Darling, the biggest Peter Pan fan alive.

Wendy is almost as bad as Alice. She doesn’t question her safety or well-being and just prattles on about Peter and saving his shadow for him. Tinkerbell is thrown for a loop after she gets trapped in a drawer and is jealous of Wendy. I will say that Tinkerbell is a great representation of when girls turn into teens. Things fill out in ways we never thought before and no amount of wishing on stars is going to stop puberty. Because Wendy is earlier threatened to move out of the nursery, I think this is a great echo of the inevitable traits of growing up. It’s subtle but potent. Especially since we all know that Tinkerbell is seen in pop culture as anything but innocent. I mean, have you seen that girl’s hips? Tinkerbell walked so Nani could fly, that’s all I’m saying.

I also love how Peter originally is silent and constantly moving away from Wendy. This can play into the cute thing that happens when boys start to get all weird around girls as they get older. They start to lose their words and often run away. Meanwhile, Wendy is oblivious to it all and is giving him her full name as she sews his shadow back onto his feet. Ah, youth. Being only 13 minutes in at this point, I’m having a lot more fun watching this movie than I anticipated. It screams adolescence and the fears of growing up. Many of those who know this movie must be slapping their foreheads at my take on this, but I feel like a child and an adult all at once watching this movie, which is rare given the journey we’ve been on so far.

Whoever wrote this play is gold! The fact that Peter is only interested in helping Wendy is because he wanted to keep listening to the stories. He’s like an orphan boy who happens to live on a magical island. When learning about a mother, he sees Wendy fit for being a mother simply because Wendy mentioned that they tell stories. Never mind everything else she said before that. But it doesn’t matter because Wendy is more concerned about having to pack before she leaves. She is in her nightgown after all. And though she cares for a brief moment about what her mother would say about this, she doesn’t seem to care about her two younger brothers still asleep in the same room all of this is happening in. Wendy plans to leave a note, but not before she tries to plant a kiss on Peter.

Tinkerbell tried to snatch Wendy’s weave off and yanked her away from Peter. Peter wakes up the boys trying to catch Tinkerbell. And no one sees the problem with a magical stranger being in this little kid’s bedroom. Someone, go get Nana, quick. I love how as soon as the boys wake up Wendy suddenly talks about “all three of them” going instead of just her and Peter. As if she wasn’t just trying to kiss him and fly out the window.

It just takes a bit of faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust. 2nd star to the right and straight till morning.

The genius of this movie is too much to put into words. I could be here frame by frame explaining everything I see that makes me exclaim, laugh, or cry. For the sake of time, I’ll summarize the rest. I love how you can see the varying ages and mentalities of the children by the way they leave the house, and their maturity only grows as the movie progresses. I never realized that the entire pirate crew is basically beached until Hook gets over his obsession of revenge on Peter Pan. They do a nice job of making it sound all garbled and pirate-like, but those underlying meanings are pretty obvious when the subtitles are on. Captain Hook literally shoots someone in the middle of a “castanza”, according to Smee, and shows me how unhinged an original Disney Villain can be when they’re stalked by a crocodile ready to eat them.

Tinkerbell is a spiteful little thing throughout the entire movie and is always getting into mischief. The Lost Boys remind me of orphans as well and I can’t help that this whole thing takes place in an orphanage. John, Michael, and The Lost Boys are walking around the island causing mischief while Pan and Wendy are on a date at Mermaid Lagoon.

The childlike wonder immediately dies when you hear John spouting things like “dangerous and deadly Indians” and the Lost Boy’s cheer in agreeance. It’s hard to play pretend when the racism is so real. The Indian is cunning but not intelligent…..BRUH! My ancestorial trauma is flaring up.

“We were only trying to drown her.”

The vain mermaids at the lagoon are almost as bad as Tinkerbell. Shoutout to Ariel’s mother making her debut to the big Disney screen WITHOUT a seashell bra. Yes, homegirl was over here just using her hair to hide her boobs. This movie also highlights how easily boys are swayed over girls and leans into the notion that guys are dumb without girls, but also leans into the troupe of “Peter Pan will save us”.

I like how the Chief thinks that The Lost Boys took Tiger Lilly instead of the creepy adult stalking the island. Peter Pan sees everything that happens in this movie as a game. He doesn’t see Tiger Lilly as being in any danger and easily saves her. He doesn’t see Captain Hook as a threat or how he is being eaten alive by a crocodile. He takes the relationship he has with the “Indians” lightly and his “men” also see it this way. He doesn’t even miss Tinkerbell after he banishes her from the hideaway “like an old glove.” Things only get serious for him when Tinkerbell nearly dies after saving him from a bomb. It's only then that he admits that she is the most important thing in the world to him.

All in all, this is the cutest movie so far and now holds a special place in my heart. Racism aside, this was a wonderful story about how growing up doesn’t mean that you have to get rid of the child that lives in your heart. It speaks to the child in all of us and brings a sense of make-believe back into our lives. Bravo, Disney. Bravo.

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in both New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.