G, 1 hr. 17 min. Directed by: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson. Release Date: February 5, 1953. DVD Release Date: March 6, 2007.
When I was a kid, my grandmother bought me a collection of the Peter Pan stories written by J.M. Barrie, and she’d read them to me often, even after I could read them on my own. My cousins don’t like to admit it, but I’m Grandma’s favorite… and this is proof. Dear beloved cousins, EAT IT!
As for the rest of you who don’t care whether or not I’m Grandma’s favorite (and I am), this movie is one of those pieces of my childhood. For a long time, and I mean a ridiculously long time, I’d put this in at the end of a rough day. It always assuages hurt feelings, stress, cures headaches, and usually manages to put a smile on my face before I fall asleep.
Today, this is probably my favorite classic Disney film… by which I mean any Disney movie made before 1980. Even animation geeks waffle on when the classic Disney films died, but when the animation changed in the wake of Don Bluth’s departure, I kind of feel like Disney’s focus changed a bit from their earlier works. The change was subtle between the release of The Aristocats in 1970 and the game-changing release of The Little Mermaid in, I think, 1990, but it was obvious they were heading somewhere else.
Why do I love this movie? There are those who would say that leaving my 20s prompted a wicked case of Peter Pan syndrome, which is funny, because most of my life, people have called me an old soul and now people are underestimating my age by a decade. I empathize with Peter. Growing up has kind of sucked, and every year I wish I could regress my life to around the age of 16. Puberty seems to be the only part of life I’ve been good at. Not only do I empathize with Peter, I can understand how other people might find his attitude attractive, at least for a while. At some point, everyone has to grow up and knuckle under, and even I get that.
Like a number of Disney movies, I’m surprised no one has complained about the prejudicial messages that exist in this movie. I can only imagine the response I’d get if I ran around singing a song that asks “What Makes The Red Man Red?” I’m also moderately amused that no one complains about Wendy’s role in the happy family… she cooks, cleans, organizes the Lost Boys, and not only serves as the object of Peter’s budding affections, but is DESPERATE to be the object of his affections. But, if you’re an animation junkie, like me, you’ll find little to complain about. There’s nothing naughty lurking in the clouds, bushes, or in the costumes of the characters. There’s none of the heavy lines that seems to be a signature of a number of Disney films in the classic era. There also seem to be a wider use of color than we’d seen in the older Disney flicks, but I’m not sure if that’s perceived or real… or if technology was a factor in the extra colors.
Take this one off the shelf, dust it off, and plan a family evening. I even took a date to see this once when it appeared at some rinky dink theater near the campus in Berkeley. It wasn’t terrible, and the girl, whose name I’m now blocking in the name of mental stability, and I dated for about a year afterwards. Call your sweetie and watch cartoons! No, seriously.
