No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: G
Release Date: 27-NOV-2007
Media Type: DVDUnlike Disney’s other sequels to their classic films, this follow-up to the 1953 version of Peter Pan debuted in theaters. World War II has turned Wendy’s preteen daughter, Jane, into a realist, a girl who insists there’s no need for stories and fun while London is crumbling. Hook kidnaps Jane (thinking she’s Wendy) and returns to “the second star to the right” to foil Pan. Alas, the film doesn’t build on this new story line (the London scenes have the most emotional impact), and what follows is a thin reworking of the original. On the plus side, a clever octopus takes over from that old crocodile, and Jane turns out to be a solid–and modern–role model. Those from ages 4 to 9 who have been brought up on the original should enjoy these adventures, even if the story, like Peter himself, “hasn’t grown up.” The 72-minute film is shown with the delightful 1948 short “Pluto’s Fledgling.” –Doug Thomas
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April 5, 2010
#1
I have a sweet 5 year old girl and a 2 1/2 year old boy. Their father is deployed and DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE to any military families!!!! As a mother I should have viewed it first but I thought….I love Disney movies and that’s all we watch and it’s rated G! The main character Jane was a little too much for me. I kept thinking…please don’t let my little girl immitate Jane. Not to mention the opening is a family saying goodbye to their father going off to war. Hit too close to home and my daughter doesn’t understand ‘war’. Did I already mention that I did not like the Jane character or the movie?
April 5, 2010
#2
At a younger age, I thought this was junk. Now that I’m older, I find that I was being foolish. This is beyond junk, its on the verge of being untouchable waste. As far as Disney sequels go, this one ranks with Cinderella 2 and Air Buddies. I wouldn’t even recommend showing this to a baby that has no ability to understand bad movies from good movies, because this will teach them to enjoy nothing of value.
April 5, 2010
#3
My 4-1/2 year old daughter begged for this movie, but we never made it past the first 10 minutes of the film. First I had to explain what war was, then bombs (thanks, Disney, for the uplifting family values). I kept hoping we’d get to something enjoyable soon and wondering why so many Disney movies have such negative story lines. But when my daugher realized that the children were being sent away WITHOUT THEIR FAMILIES, much to her horror, she screamed for me to stop the tape. I did.
April 5, 2010
#4
This was a very poor sequel to the original PP. My 3 year old granddaughter watched the original over and over again. We thought she’d like this one so we took her — she hated it! and so did we. When the ship came up over the roof like something in a Schwarzanager movie, it looked ridiculous. There were no Indians (not politically correct?), the crocodile was a stupid looking octopus, and the thrust of the movie had to do with proving Jane is equal to or better than Peter Pan. Come on – it’s a kid’s movie. Lighten up! Is this the best Disney can do?
April 5, 2010
#5
Neverland? More like “Never again.”
A lackluster effort churned out by Disney’s television animation team (and seemingly written by a computer), _Return to Neverland_ still managed to dredge up decent box office from movie-starved families back in February 2002.
Of course, _Return_ plays shamelessly on boomers’ fond memories of Disney’s _Peter Pan_ (itself a thoroughly gutted adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s stage play). But for some reason that I cannot fathom let alone explain, _Return_ consistently sabotages the light-hearted tone that made the first film at least palatable, if not especially distinguished.
Parents be warned: _Return to Neverland_ is a very SERIOUS children’s film. If one were to judge by this sequel, one would suspect that the original playwright was not J.M. Barrie, but Ibsen or Chekhov. So what the deuce was Der Maushaus thinking? With an unlikable sourpuss for a heroine, terrifying scenes of the London blitz, and the lingering near-death of a major character, no one has any fun in Neverland this time around.
Even a generous dollop of pixie dust in the third act can’t keep this film from crashing and burning. Still, a typically solid DVD package from Disney mitigates the grinding disappointment.