Return to Neverland

Early 2002 saw one of Disney’s few theatrical sequels. Return to Neverland continued the Peter Pan story with voice acting by Harriet Owen, Blayne Weaver, Corey Burton and Jeff Bennett. The film cost $20 million and garnered almost $90 million worldwide. And while it was a theatrical release, it’s still not part of the main Disney canon. There’s also two songs sung by They Might Be Giants.

Wendy (Kath Soucie) is all grown up with two children and a husband, who is off fighting in WWII. However, her daughter, Jane (Owen), has become cynical. She ignores her mother’s stories and ridicules her brother’s (Andrew McDonough) faith in them.

But one night, Captain Hook (Burton) kidnaps her, thinking she’s Wendy, for revenge against Peter Pan. Now, she must find a way home and the Lost Boys (Spencer Breslin, Bradley Pierce, Quinn Beswick, Arron Spann) and Peter (Weaver)have to find a way for her to believe in fairies to keep Tinker Bell from dying.

This one surprised me.

Where the original Peter Pan spoke of how growing up is a fact of life that everyone must face, Return to Neverland speaks to the inverse. Growing up may be a fact of life, you may have to face it, but don’t be too quick to do so. Under the pressures of war, Jane forgets what it means to be young and full of childlike wonder and faith and chastises her younger brother for having it. It’s not until she spends time in Neverland with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys does she understand the necessity of being a kid. That’s also where the song, “I’ll Try” comes in, which in her perspective, goes from her believing herself to have no need for stories and trust to seeing how faith, trust and pixie dust pretty much make up the world.

And I know the criticisms, wartime is harsh and needs to be taken seriously, even by children. But there needs to be a balance. Going completely cynical doesn’t do any good and is in no way beneficial. The need for hope, trust and faith is still prevalent during war. In fact, it’s completely necessary.

The animation is wildly different from the original, but that can be attributed to how the animation department went through massive changes in the 50 years between films.

There’s one really odd thing though. Hook apparently bested the crocodile. And now there’s an octopus that pops. It doesn’t make sense and should have been left out. That or the crocodile should have stayed.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to this, considering how many of the sequels have just not been that great. But Return to Neverland wasn’t. It actually makes me slightly hopeful for the Pixie Hollow line of films.

#30.