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Life Is an Awfully Big Adventure: An Analysis of Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy
Fly with me to the second star on the right and straight on till morning.
Do you ever feel like nostalgia can be a double-edged sword? That’s how I felt upon first tuning into the Disney+ exclusive Peter Pan & Wendy. To be fair, I was spoiled to be one of those kids who grew up on the mythos of Peter Pan: everything from the 1953 Disney animated film to the 1954 musical starring a female Peter Pan to Hook starring Robin Williams to the gorgeous 2003 rendition that still makes my heart skip a beat when I think about it. The story has honestly always filled me up with a hefty dose of sadness, particularly when I sobbed upon seeing an adult Wendy greet Peter wistfully in Disney’s direct-to-video sequel Return to Neverland.
I’ve pored over Peter Pan so subconsciously over the years that it’s easy for me to pick apart what I do and don’t like about each new iteration the character finds himself in, much like he’s a shapeshifter who can’t settle on one skin. Such is the nature of a boy who’s tied to fairies and folklore so deeply.
Where Disney+’s Peter Pan & Wendy shines is that it takes what its predecessors have done and enhances it for a brand new audience. Seeing Wendy sulk in the beginning portion of the film brings a…
