Peter Pan (1953)
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Peter Pan Movie Review
Peter Pan is a 1953 animated fantasy adventure film which is Disney’s 14th animated feature. It is a pretty good, but far from great film.
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“There it is, Wendy;
second star to the right and straight on till morning.“
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The plot is often attacked for being too light in comparison to its allegedly dark source material, but despite the joke that is at times the main villain and some detours, it is respectable and always involving. The second act can get too childish and overly action oriented, but the first act as well as the last one are the highlights. The introduction to the Darling family and all its members is beautifully done, the dreamy children, the harsh father, the sweet dog, it is all great from here.
Then Peter and Tinker Bell appear and they fly accompanied by a memorable song in the background in possibly the most memorable scene in the film. But what makes this film rise to the next level is the ending. The realization of the father that he has seen the ship before is one of the most profound sequences in any Disney film.
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It wonderfully presented what childhood is – full of wonder, magic and excitement, and how easily adults can forget about that later in their lives. It is a fascinating moment that wonderfully fits with the studio and what Walt was always trying to accomplish – make children entertained and make them dream. That whole ending is what makes this very flawed film truly special.
The characters are solid. Some are great, others not so much. The titular character is honestly annoying to me, maybe because of his voice actor, but something about him never feels right and that is probably the so-so character development. I actually liked that he was more unlikable then likable and although many found that problematic, I find that interesting. But still, the character himself is not the best one here.
Wendy is better and you can definitely see the resemblance between her and Alice from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ mainly because they used the same actress for both performances. She is quite likable, though somewhat stereotyped, but more on that later. John and Michael are forgettable although the latter is immensely cute. Pan’s boys are okay and serve their purpose, the crocodile is highly memorable for sure and both parents are excellent with George being so well developed. And Nana the St. Bernard is such an endearing dog.
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Mr. Smee is actually quite memorable as the villain’s henchman and I really enjoyed the interactions between the two. Now Captain Hook is a mixed bag. He is constantly ridiculed from both Peter Pan and Crocodile and essentially serves as a joke. Although I found that problematic as he’s too goofy and comedic, he still is an unforgettable character and one of Disney’s most memorable creations, especially when it comes to comedic villains. And I did think that he was quite menacing and clever in a couple of scenes regardless of his usual buffoonery.
Tinker Bell, however, is easily the best character in the whole movie. She is one of the reasons why this movie works. She is the heart and comic relief of the film. Her character is wonderfully written, beautifully animated and amusing to watch. Her constant bitter jealousy toward Wendy is hilarious while her endless devotion to Peter is heartwarming. She may come off as unlikable to many viewers, but I liked that a lot as it led to a more realistic and different fairy and still we do see that she really cares for Peter. That’s why she’s so jealous after all.
The animation is pretty good and colorful, but lacks the majesty and artistic quality of earlier Disney films. But other than that, I found it very strong, especially in backgrounds which reminded me of ‘Cinderella’ as London, the house and especially the mermaid lagoon and the ship all look splendid and quite detailed. The character design’s also quite good.
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Peter Pan definitely has one of the weaker soundtracks when it comes to Disney’s Golden Age, but still it’s a solid, mostly effective soundtrack with a couple of gems here and there. Never Smile at a Crocodile is a terrific number with no lyrics, but serves us fun music. The score’s overall pretty strong here.
Your Mother and Mine is entirely forgettable and just a solid plot device being nothing more than that. What Made the Red Man Red? is actually rather catchy in tune, but awfully racist in lyrics and overall an unnecessary sequence in the film. Following the Leader is actually the best number in the film. It is childlike but not childish, short but definitely effective. Such a fun, incredibly catchy and joyous tune that is quite underrated in my opinion.
As for the movie’s two most famous songs, You Can Fly! and The Second Star to the Right, both are pretty good albeit not amazing. The former is the most memorable one in the film and accompanying the most enchanting scene for sure. It’s rather catchy and fun, but not the greatest in lyrics. The latter one is one of those typical traditional Disney songs which open a film in an operatic fashion and it’s overall satisfactory and grand.
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Peter Pan is by far the most dated of all Disney films thanks to frequent racism and sexism at display. Native Americans are so badly portrayed here and they are called and addressed in terrible ways, but I actually found the movie’s sexism even more offensive as some lines are just downright horrible and presenting women as fragile, jealous and boring, endless chatters. That was quite uncomfortable to witness, but again it’s a 1953 film so it should be forgiven at least a bit for it.
The film features pretty stellar action scenes as the sword fights between Pan and Hook are consistently phenomenally executed. I loved their rivalry for sure. And Hook’s plan near the end worked so well and thus proved that he is quite smart which I appreciated. The dialogue is troublesome, but the film is quite adventurous and even enchanting with terrific world building and a lot of memorable scenery and locations.
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The humor is one of the strongest aspects as it’s quite amusing to watch at times, especially in some action and character interactions. The voice acting is pretty strong across the board, but I found the editing problematic as the film is way too short for this particular story and it has a lot of characters so it needed at least fifteen more minutes. But overall I like this film quite a bit despite its many obvious flaws.
Peter Pan is an extremely uneven film and one of the weaker outings from Disney’s Golden Age. It is too sexist and racist leading to a highly dated film and it’s rushed in pace and runtime, but most of the characters are very memorable with the highlights being Tinker Bell and Captain Hook, the film’s both enchanting and adventurous and accompanied by a couple of fun songs and strong animation and humor. It is very flawed, but most definitely endearing, magical and having a beautiful, incredibly moving ending.
