Peter Pan: Return to Neverland (February 15, 2002)

Released in theaters nearly 50 years after the original, Return to Neverland focuses on Wendy Darling’s daughter, Jane. Wendy never stopped believing in Peter Pan and she instilled this belief into her daughter. As Jane grew older and World War II dragged on (this movie is set during the Blitz in London), Jane lost her belief in her mother’s story. The realities of war destroyed her childhood innocence and any faith in the magical world beyond. I think this is a fantastic and believable set up to the story. It is also adorable how, contrary to her daughter, Wendy transforms the daily bombardments into cannon fire from pirate ships to entertain her younger son, Daniel “Danny”. She equates Peter pan’s eternal triumph over Captain Hook to England’s inevitable defeat over Nazi Germany which is a smart analogy for a child. Both Wendy and Jane have understandable reactions which is refreshing for these sequels (I suppose this film, being that it was released theatrically, had a bigger budget and it definitely shows). Jane and Danny have to Jane then gets mistakenly brought to Neverland by the pirates (Hook mistook her for Wendy) and in order for her to return home she meets Peter, Tinker Bell, and the Lost Boys who encourage her to fly and help her to believe in magic again. I actually think this story is stronger than the original’s (though it was necessary to establish the world of Neverland). Peter Pan is much nicer in this sequel than in the original, which I find refreshing! (though Tinker Bell is her old obstinate and jealous self. The animation is very good- the characters are expressive and fluid making them enjoyable to watch. It does include some more attempts at CGI/ 2D integration that can look like video game sequences, but the 2D animation on its own is great). The backgrounds are not as charming as the original’s, however. The song, “I’ll Try” was a favorite of mine as a kid and I still enjoy it; it is one of the few newly added songs for these sequels that is memorable. Overall, Return to Neverland is of the only good sequels to come out of Disney during the late 1990s- early 2000s and well worth a watch.

Final Rating: 7/10