Film Review: "Peter Pan & Wendy" (2023).

From the director of Pete's Dragon comes Peter Pan & Wendy. This fantasy adventure film directed by David Lowery, and adapted by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. It is a live-action adaptation of Walt Disney's 1953 animated classic Peter Pan, in turn based on the 1904 play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (also known as Peter and Wendy) by J. M. Barrie. Wendy Darling, a young girl afraid to leave her childhood home behind, meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Never Land. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever.

In April 2016, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures was developing a live-action adaptation of the 1953 animated classic. Lowery was hired to direct, as well as penning the adaptation with Halbrooks. In December 2019, Lowery stated that he and Halbrooks had written an additional "draft-and-a-half" at that point. By 2020, the film was officially titled Peter Pan & Wendy. By early March 2021, Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Yara Shahidi, Jim Gaffigan, Molly Parker, Alan Tudyk, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, and Alyssa Wapanatahk were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in early August. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Filming was originally set to begin in mid April 2020, and wrap in August but filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was originally set for a Disney+ release but was later scheduled to be released theatrically. However, in December 2020, the film was officially announced to be released as a Disney+ exclusive again due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film stars Law, Molony, Anderson, Shahidi, Gaffigan, Parker, Tudyk, Pickering, Jupe, and Wapanatahk. The cast, on the one hand, seemed confused. Specifically, they look like people who just woke up and was told they would be be playing the various roles in a remake of the 1953 animated classic.

The film may be genial and family friendly. But there's entirely too much setup, precious little action, not much magic, and even at one-hundred and nine-minutes it feels at least thirty too long. Nothing like the original. No music sadly. Manipulative and if you're emotional or taking kids, it's a two hanky movie. Kids might like it. Adults will be bored. Great kids' films will always have something there for the adults but there is no appeal here. Children may get lost in a sense of wonder at the new rendition of Neverland, but there are better films out there that would be worth picking up instead. While the film does a fine job of evoking the delight one might feel at flying over the clouds and fighting a horde of pirates, it is less successful in rendering real human emotion.

Simon says Peter Pan & Wendy receives:

Also, see my review for The Old Man & the Gun.