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"Do
you believe in fairies?"
Peter Pan
is the story of the boy from Neverland who refuses to grow
up. One night he appears in the communal bedroom of the Darling
children to retrieve his shadow, stolen from him by Nana,
the Darling's dog, on a previous surreptitious visit. He convinces
Wendy, John and Michael Darling to accompany him back to Neverland,
where along with Tinkerbell and the lost boys, they battle
the evil Captain Hook and his band of pirates.
Peter Pan
is not one of my favorites among the Disney animated films,
not because it's not an okay film in its own right (it is),
but because it's such a watered-down version of J.M. Barrie's
marvelous play (and the later stage musical version of the
play, which is available on DVD from Goodtimes). Next to the
original, Disney's version is almost completely emotionally
bankrupt, going so far as to lose the original meaning of
the story (that children must grow up, and that parents must
allow their children to be children while they're young).
Disney's
version does have some charms of it's own: The choice of Hans
Conried as the voice of Captain Hook (and Mr. Darling) was
inspired, and this was the film that gave Tinkerbell a definite
personality (in the original she appeared as a mere speck
of light). Tinkerbell is not only surprisingly sexy (note
the scene in which she struts her stuff!), she is probably
the crankiest fairy on record. I should say on film, because
I've known some crankier ones in my time. Additionally, the
animation itself is very fluid and a pleasure to watch.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
As with
the rest of the Disney discs, the picture is excellent. Colors
are stunning and solid, with absolutely no chroma noise as
there was in previous incarnations of the material: amazing
given the amount of red in the film, especially the various
shades in Hook's remarkably fey costumes. Since this is not
a widescreen film, anamorphic is not an issue. Detail is very
good.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
This is
the first of the Disney discs I've reviewed where the sound
was less than desirable. The music, particularly in the first
half hour, is noticeably tinny. There also seems to have been
a bit of a problem producing the surround mix. Both voices
and music on several occasions suddenly swing out to the rear
speakers producing an odd echoing effect (I'm not talking
about the rare moments when this would have been appropriate,
like the scene in the cave, but times when it happens in mid-sentence
when characters are in places where their voices wouldn't
echo. This also happens with the music).
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? As has been
the case with the majority of Disney's animiated offerings
thus far, no supplements are provided.
Parting Thoughts
As
with Lady
And The Tramp, the pricing on Peter Pan is even more inexcusable
than on the other discs, most of which at least include a
trailer or something. The utter bare-bones of this disc, along
with the shaky sound, once again mean that I cannot recommend
the disc. One note: at the beginning of the movie, right after
the title appears on screen, there is a note from Disney thanking
the Hospital for Sick Children in London, to which Barrie
benevolently donated the copyright (and thereby the proceeds)
for Peter Pan. Ironic, isn't it?
(For
more Disney animation on DVD, visit our reviews of A
Bug's Life Collector's Edition, Mulan,
Hercules,
Pinocchio,
The
Jungle Book, Lady
& The Tramp, 101
Dalmatians,
and Beauty
& The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.)
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