For fans of this Walt Disney Animated Classic, “Peter Pan†will continue to entertain children and people today and tomorrow, as the film has done for the last 65-years. Recommended!
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DIGITAL HD TITLE:Â Peter Pan: Walt Disney – The Signature Collection
RUN TIME: 77 Minutes
COMPANY: Disney
RATED: G
Release Date: May 29, 2018
Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney
Play by J.M. Barrie
Story by Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Bill Peet, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, Ralph Wright, William Cottrell
Produced by Walt Disney
Music by Oliver Wallace
Edited by Donald Halliday
Featuring the following voice talent:
Bobby Driscoll as Peter Pan
Kathryn Beaumont as Wendy Darling
Hans Conried as Captain Hook/Mr. Darling
Bill Thompson as Mr. Smee/Other Pirates
Heather Angel as Mrs. Darling
Paul Collins as John Darling
Tommy Luske as Michael Darling
Candy Candido as Indian Chief
Tom Conway as Narrator
The Walt Disney Signature Collection edition of “Peter Pan†invites adventures of all ages to believe in magic once again and experience a timeless treasure from Disney’s golden age of animation that has stirred the hearts and imaginations of moviegoers worldwide since its original 1953 release. The Signature Collection edition offers over two hours of classic bonus features plus never-before-seen extras, including the latest installment of “Stories from Walt’s Office,†which explores Walt’s love of flying and the company planes; a nostalgic reunion between Kathryn Beaumont (the voice of Wendy) and Paul Collins (the voice of John); and new “Oke†renditions of the classic song “You Can Fly†and deleted song “Never Smile at a Crocodile†accompanied by on-screen lyrics and the film’s unforgettable animated characters.
In “Peter Pan,†fantastic adventures await the Darling children—Wendy, John and Michael—when Peter Pan, the hero of their stories, whisks them away to the magical world of Never Land. After flying with Peter and the delightfully impish Tinker Bell past the “second star to the right and straight on till morning,†they explore the enchanted island and Peter’s secret hideout with the Lost Boys, and leap into high-flying battles with swashbuckling pirates and the infamous villain Captain Hook.
The following review is the Digital HD version that I have watched on Movies Anywhere and through Vudu
In the early 1900’s, Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie would go on to create the character Peter Pan.
First appearing in the 1902 novel “The Little White Birdâ€, “Peter Pan†(a.k.a. “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Upâ€) would be featured in a stage play in 1904, to be followed by a novel titled “Peter and Wendy†in 1911.
For a young Walt Disney, “Peter Pan†was one of Disney’s favorite stories growing up and back in 1935, he originally intended for “Peter Pan†to be the second Disney animated film after “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsâ€. Problem was that it took a number of years for hi to get the rights from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, which J.M. Barrie gave the rights to.
And from the 1930’s and 1940’s, the film was being developed and many ideas for the storyline came into play, World War II would then delay “Peter Pan†into becoming an animated film as the U.S. military took control of the studio and had Disney working on propaganda films.
But eventually after 30-years of planning and delays, in 1953, “Peter Pan†would become the 14th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series line and the $4 million dollar film would go to earn $87 million in the box office. With several video releases, a 2002 sequel titled “Return to Never Land†and CG animated films featuring Tinker Bell having been released on Blu-ray in 2011, “Peter Pan: The Signature Collection†will be released in HD on Blu-ray, DVD and also via Digital HD.
“Peter Pan†is set in Edwardian London where George and Mary Darling have three children, the eldest is Wendy, followed by John and Michael.
As the couple are preparing to attend a party, the two boys get in trouble by trying to act out a story of “Peter Pan†as told to them by Wendy.
George Darling is not so thrilled about the stories as he feels the children are getting out of hand and tells Wendy that she is getting too old to stay in the nursery with them and it’s time for her to grow up and have her own bedroom.
One night, as everyone has fallen asleep, Peter Pan and his little pixie, Tinker Bell, are trying to catch Pan’s shadow. The shadow leads them to the home of the Darling’s and is hiding inside Wendy’s dresser. When Peter Pan goes to get back his shadow, he awakens Wendy and the children.
Excited to find out that Peter Pan is actually real, Peter Pan explains that he enjoys listening to her tell stories about him. But not so happy is Tinker Bell, who is getting a bit jealous that Peter is talking to Wendy.
Meanwhile, a pirate ship that is near Never Land, with pirates commanded by Captain Hook are in discussion of plans for revenge against Peter Pan. Often directing his anger towards his sidekick, Mr. Smee, Hook wants revenge on Peter Pan for cutting of his hand (which was eaten by a crocodile).
And now Captain Hook wants to know the location of Peter’s hideout and the best person that may lead him there is Tiger Lily, the princess of the Indian tribe on the island of Neverland.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Peter Pan: Walt Disney – The Signature Collection†come with the following special features on digital HD (note: This may be different from the Blu-ray release):
- Sing Along – Sing along with the movie, “Never Smile at Crocodile-Oke” and “You Can Fly-Oke”.
- Music Video -Â Featuring music videos for “The Second Star to the Right”, “Never Land” performed by Paige O’Hara
- In Walt’s Words – “Why I Made Peter Pan†– (7:46) Introduced by Ron Clements and John Musker, an audio of Walt Disney’s article of why he created “Peter Panâ€.
- The Peter Pan Story – (12:04) A classic black and white documentary or newsreel of “Peter Panâ€.
- The Peter Pan That Almost Was – (21:01) Ron Clements and John Musker introduce viewers to the various ideas that went into creating Peter Pan over its many years of being developed.
- Tinker Bell: A Fairy’s Tale – (8:27) The history of Tinker Bell.
- You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan – (15:59) The behind-the-scenes story of how the story of Peter Pan would become an animated film.
- Growing Up with Nine Old Men – (41:08) Walt’s original nine artists for Disney is well-known. But what about their personal lives? Ted Thomas, a son of one of the original artists, visits other children of the “Nine Old Men†to discuss how was life growing up with their father.
- A Darling Conversation with Wendy & John – (8:16)Â A featurette with Kathryn Beaumont and Paul Collins.
- Stories from Walt’s Office: Walt & Flight – (4:12) A featurette about Walt Disney’s making of “Peter Pan” and him wanting to fly.
- Play with Disney View – While watching the film, you can add Disney View on the sides of the film featuring the artwork of painter Cristy Maltese.
- Deleted Scenes and Songs – Featuring two deleted scenes: The Journey Home and Alternate Arrival and two deleted songs: “Never Smile at a Crocodile†and “The Boatswain Songâ€
The story of “Peter Pan†is classic. A boy who never wanted to grow up, Neverland and the battle between Peter and Captain Hook is known to Disney fans. But during the time that “Peter Pan†was being developed by Walt Disney, suffice to say that “Peter Pan†was a story that captivated many readers and those who watched the play during the first half of the 20th century.
The film captures the innocence of children and the wanting of staying young, so you don’t have to grow up and worry about the things that teenagers or adults do. But “Peter Pan†is also a film that showcases the classic Disney era that showcases amazing use of color, art background with tremendous detail. Audiences were entertained by this animated film as it continued the visual artistry of the crew who worked on Disney films at that time.
While the animated film differs from its counterpart featured in the novels and the storyline was not as deep, it was an animated film that people needed to see. Especially several years after World War II, people wanted to be entertained and not necessarily needing something deep or emotional. The story was kept simple but yet, you are captivated by the film because whether you are a child or a child at heart, it’s that adventure of being a child and experiencing a magical world is quite fun. A lot of us have felt that moment where you know your child years are ending and not wanting to grow up. So, one can easily understand the characters of this film, but also enjoy the adventures of Peter Pan, Wendy, her brothers and the Lost Boys.
For those of us who grew up with the film, the film is nostalgic. Sure, not everyone will be pleased. As there are some who are very critical of how the Native Americans were portrayed in the film and then there are those who see characters to be sexist. Tinker Bell as the vindictive, jealous female who will go as far to have Wendy killed because she doesn’t like women around Peter Pan.
But this where good parenting comes in, to help children understand how times have changed and explain to them about it. Some can cry foul and how these classic film can be pushed off as entertainment for children, but once again, these classic animated films were a product of its time. Because there will be many films, from silent films, classic animated film to top films from the ’50s and ’60s and even films made today that people will find a problem with certain content. It’s about knowing what is right or wrong and teaching your children and having them learn from it.
As for the Digital HD version, the film looks absolutely pristine in HD. There is nothing about the film that makes you think it was created before 1953. The colors are vibrant, there are no blemishes that can be seen.
Growing up, “Peter Pan†and “Captain Hook†were classic characters that showcased good vs. evil. While I enjoyed the film as a child, I must admit that it is not the most memorable Disney film nor is it a film that I watch often. I know that my wife enjoyed the film and can remember lyrics to the songs to this day, but for me it was more about nostalgia and watching it again with our child, who enjoyed the film.
For fans of this Walt Disney Animated Classic, “Peter Pan†will continue to entertain children and people today and tomorrow, as the film has done for the last 65-years.
Recommended!