Day 43: Return to Neverland

Faith, Trust, and Pixie-Dust: Our 43rd Movie!

1. What movie did you watch?
Return to Neverland. The film was released in 2002, and is loosely based on J. M. Barrie's novel Peter and Wendy. It did well at the box office, but critics had mixed reviews of the movie, with several saying that it was unoriginal and simple, and that it lacked the adult-friendly elements that other Disney movies were known for. Fun fact: Kathryn Beaumont, who voiced Wendy in the original Peter Pan, recorded all of Wendy's dialogue for the sequel, but Kath Soucie replaced her in the end.

2. Have you seen it before/ how long has it been since you last saw it?
Maddie: I LOVED this movie as a kid, but I haven't' seen it in years.
Alexis: I haven't seen this one in many years, but I do remember renting it from Blockbuster a few times when I was a kid.

3. What memories did it recall?
Maddie: I remember watching this all the time as a kid. When I was little as I've mentioned before I had a Peter Pan obsession and this fell right into it- I associated with Jane so strongly, I wanted to be a lost boy! Not their mother! I loved that Jane wasn't a withering girl who needed to be saved, she would save herself (with the help of her friends). I would run around the living room singing "So to be one of us..."!
Alexis: It's a silly memory, but the movie reminded me of the happy meal toys that came along with the release of this movie. My sister and I collected several different figurines during the promotion, including a Jane, Peter, and Cubby.

4. What did you think of it?
Maddie: I really liked it. I felt for a sequel they took some broad strokes, especially with the metaphor for lost innocence in WWII, I may not have totally understood it as a kid, but I must have gotten it on some level. I also liked that Jane wasn't necessarily the most like-able but she was fairly realistic.
Alexis: I agree, I think it's very good in terms of Disney sequels. The story is strong, all the best characters are back, and they didn't over do it in terms of length (it's only an hour). I liked the contrast between Wendy and Jane, and the fact that Wendy met Peter because she didn't want to grow up while Jane met him because she was growing up too fast. It's a nice parallel and it works well with the backdrop of WWII.

5. Favorite moment: 

Maddie:I know this is dark, but I really loved (and still do love) the song I'll Try- it has a "When She Loved Me" vibe in that it's sad but has something pretty profound to say about growing up and figuring out a path to take while still retaining some joy.

Alexis: I think my favorite moment is when Jane saves Tinkerbell, because it's the turning point of the movie and it's very sweet.

6. Any other comments:
Maddie: This moment was so sweet:

Alexis: What happened to the Crocodile?