[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Peter Pan & Wendy.]
Off to Neverland! Viewers are taken through the second star on the right and straight on ’til morning in the new Peter Pan live-action remake Peter Pan & Wendy, which premiered Friday, April 28 on exclusively on Disney+.
J.M. Barrie’s classic tale has been combined with elements of Disney’s 1953 animated film with direction and a screenplay from The Green Knight creator David Lowery (co-written by Toby Halbrooks). Starring in the remake is Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy Darling, Jude Law as Captain Hook, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Jim Gaffigan as Smee, Alyssa Wapanatâhk as Tiger Lily, Joshua Pickering as John Darling, Jacobi Jupe as Michael Darling, and Alan Tudyk and Molly Parker as their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Darling.
They’re joined by the merry band of Lost Boys, an effective (massive) CGI crocodile, and of course, plenty of pixie dust. The movie is the story you know, but with key tweaks to the characters’ backstories, motivations, and in a key element for this film’s history, how they’re portrayed. What does remain is the dark nature of the original story.
Disney used to show much darker themes in their animated films. In recent years, the stories have become more kid-friendly for all ages. But Peter Pan & Wendy maintains the dark side of Barrie’s fairy tale. Yes, that means Captain Hook spends the entire movie trying to kill the children.
Here, we break down the best changes made for Peter Pan & Wendy (in no particular order), which is sure to make kids feel like heroes.
Peter Pan & Wendy, Original Film, Streaming Now, Disney+