PETER PAN

This is a beautifully made version of a familiar story, with fantasy emphasized in both the dialogue and the design. The direction highlights the moral elements while minimizing problematic behavior, and the result supports families, love, innocence, fathers, and the difficult question of growing up.

The story also carries emotional weight. Beneath the adventure is a coming-of-age tale and a girl’s first love, kept innocent and pure. Parents should still know that some moments may frighten little children, and the film includes a brief pagan element, violence, kissing, and limited nudity.

If your family can handle those concerns, PETER PAN is worth the trip.

The Darling family lives in London, where Wendy tells pirate stories to her younger brothers, Michael and John. One night, Peter Pan visits them, perhaps in their dreams, and convinces Wendy to come with him to Neverland.

There, the Darling children meet the lost boys, Indians, and pirates led by the infamous Captain Hook. Adventure follows as Wendy faces the wonder of Neverland, the pull of first love, and Peter’s refusal to grow up.

Four stars means this PETER PAN is exceptionally well made. The fantasy elements are handled with deft direction, and the fanciful design helps the film respect the original story rather than treating it as realistic adventure.

The movie is as well made as the Disney animated film and as heartrending as the play. Its underlying coming-of-age story is innocent and pure, while the emotional conflicts beneath the fantasy give the story added depth. Everything works together to create an entertaining movie that passes too quickly.

The film presents fantasy and make-believe as central parts of its world, while also repeatedly emphasizing that these characters of the imagination are not real. It celebrates families, loving one another, innocence, fathers, and the importance of growing up. The story’s moral direction minimizes problematic behavior and keeps its first-love storyline innocent and pure.

The film also includes a brief pagan element: an Indian medicine woman appeals to a spirit to “heal” Teddy Bear. Captain Hook’s violence is another moral blemish, especially when he maliciously and casually shoots several of his pirates. Beneath the adventure are psychological battles involving first love and a father’s jealousy.

The casting is terrific. Jason Isaacs brings Captain Hook depth of character while also playing Mr. Darling. Rachel Hurd-Wood is a terrific Wendy, and Jeremy Sumpter is Peter Pan. The children look British, whether they are or not.

J. M. Barrie gave the rights to his stage play and book to a children’s home that was strongly evangelical, though the reason for that gift is unknown. The film’s emphasis on family, love, innocence, and fathers aligns with biblical values, even though its fantasy world includes a spiritual element that does not reflect a biblical understanding of reality.

Children are a gift, and the film’s family-centered longing finds a biblical echo: “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

PETER PAN is a wonderfully crafted, morally uplifting adventure with strong family themes, innocence, and a heartrending coming-of-age story. Its frightening moments and brief spiritual element call for parental awareness, but families who can handle those concerns should take the trip.