Peter Pan DVD Review

There are some films from my childhood when watched again in later years seem more than a little disappointing. My newfound notions on the art of film intrude upon my senses whereas my childhood was filled with a less judgmental way of being entertained. Simply put, some films don’t live up to my memory of them. Rarely is a film good enough to inspire us as children and again do the same when we are adults. Peter Pan is a special film, and one which has an additional layer of enjoyment when watched as an adult, because the film is essentially about remembering to take a break from life and return to our inner child. I cherish my second viewing of Peter Pan, perhaps even more than I did as a child.

Wendy loves telling her brothers stories of Peter Pan and the magical world of Never Land, but it isn’t until Wendy’s last night in the nursery that peter Pan shows up in flesh. Wendy is about to grow up upon the demands of her father, and only Pan can cure this by taking them off to Never Land. With the help of Tinker Bell’s fairy dust the children fly off into the magical world and are greeted by all sorts of adventures as Captain Hook plots against them. I could pass on the trendy new pirate films and watch this classic a dozen times over. Peter and the kids fight swashbuckling pirates, encounter Indians, mermaids and more, all before they realize that they miss their mother and decide to return.

This being the 2-Disc Platinum Edition there are high expectations put upon what is included. There is an all-new digital restoration with enhanced picture and sound, giving an extra shine on tinker Bell, but it is never noticeable enough to distract from the much loved film. Also include is a new 5.1 enhanced home theater mix on the audio track. As far as the special features are concerned there are some throw away features such as the new music videos pushing new artists that Disney has an interest in, but there are just as many fantastic new features as well.

As always Disney splits the special features into categories. The first category is music which includes a lost song from the film, with some sketches from the original concept art, reconstructing what the scene might have looked like. There is also a featurette about the song, “Never Land”, a song lost from the 1940s and finished by Disney legend Richard M. Sherman. The song is also shown in a music video. The games section of the special features may be more frustrating for kids than anything else, but I suppose you can’t blame them fro trying to add in more interactive qualities to the DVD. The virtual flight through London is equally overtaken by digital effects.

The most impressive of the special features are the backstage featurettes, including a great one all about Tinker Bell and the journey towards creating the character. There is also an alternate opening to the film which is looked at in a featurette and a vintage one as well. There are enough facts to be picked up by these featurettes to make anyone feel like an expert on the classic story.