As soon as they kids get to Neverland, Captain Hook murders one of his crew (a pistol shot to the crow's nest and the pirate falls to the water) and it never lets up. Sword and knife fights, throwing people overboard, an attempt to blow up Peter Pan with a bomb, the lost boys bash each other with clubs and rock hammers, talk of "slitting throats" and "prepare to DIE", the Indians tie up the kids and set them on piles of wood to later burn them alive... it goes on and on. That's not even mentioning all the terrible Indian racial stereotypes and sexual attitudes and drinking. It's really quite unbelievable this is aimed at young children.
Peter Pan
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Stereotypes mar otherwise jaunty Disney adventure.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Peter Pan was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this story does have moments that are whimsical but also very odd; some children find this engaging, but a few find it troublesome, or worry about what happened to Peter's parents and whether he will be all right without them. The "What Makes the Red Man Red" song is embarrassingly racist and sexist. There is also a sexist overlay to the entire story, with Peter rapturously adored by all the females and at best indifferent in return. Tinkerbell, who is, of course, a fairy, is the only female in the story who is capable of much action other than nurturing, and she is petty and spiteful (though ultimately loyal). When he first meets Wendy, Peter says "Girls talk too much," which one boy who watched with me thought was rapturously funny.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the idea of never growing up. Have you ever thought that you didn't want to grow up? Have you ever thought that you'd like to be a grown up right now? What would you do? Would you like to visit Neverland?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Peter Pan
What’s the Story?
This is the Disney version of the Victorian classic about the boy who would never grow up. Wendy, Michael, and John Darling, three London children, meet Peter Pan, a boy who can fly. He has been drawn to their warm, comfortable home, and to Wendy's stories. He sprinkles them with fairy dust and they fly off past the "second star to the right," where he lives in a magical place called Neverland. There they rescue an Indian princess, and fight pirates led by Captain Hook, before returning home to wave goodbye as Peter returns to Neverland without them.
Is It Any Good?
The animation in this movie is as lively as its energetic hero. The scenes set in Victorian London are beautiful, and the shift in perspective as the children round Big Ben and fly off to Neverland is sublimely vertiginous. Most children see Peter as that wonderful ideal, a child with the power to do whatever he pleases for as long as he pleases.
The story does have moments that are whimsical but also very odd: the nanny is a dog; the crocodile that ate Captain Hook's hand keeps following him for another taste; Peter loses his shadow; the Lost Boys have no parents, and unlike Peter, no special powers, fairy guardian, or unquenchable brio. Some children find this engaging, but a few find it troublesome, or worry about what happened to Peter's parents and whether he will be all right without them. They may also be sad that the story ends with Peter bringing the Darling children home and then going back to Neverland without them.
Movie Details
Studio: Disney, Directors: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi
Run time: 76 minutes
Theatrical release: 02/05/1953, DVD release: 03/06/2007
MPAA Rating: G for some mild violence and characters in peril
Run time: 76 minutes
Theatrical release: 02/05/1953, DVD release: 03/06/2007
MPAA Rating: G for some mild violence and characters in peril
Our Members Say
See all 21 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title off for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
Way too violent the whole way through
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I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
Far too sexual. The female characters, with the exception of Wendy, are terrible role models for girls. They are mean, spiteful, rude, angry, jealous and sexual. The mermaids fawn over Peter Pan like he were Huge Hefner. There is also a scene that shows Peter Pan and Micheal taking part in smoking from a pipe with the "Engines". Its very racists towards native Americans. All in all, its too violent and sexual for an animated child's film.
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I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
Not for this day and age - without serious 21st century consideration
Except for the underlying theme- that parents should be more understanding of their children as they were once children themselves. This movie may have worked well into society back when it was first released in 1953- where gender role views were clearly defined and boys were one way and girls were another. However this movie- even with being regarded as a Disney Classic- cannot be considered, now, something that the whole family can enjoy without some controversial questions and raised eye-brows. Before I go into the racism and sexism of the movie, let's first take a look at how Mr. Darling treats his daughter Wendy's sense of creativity. He calls them "idiotic ideas"- now any child self aware enough may internalize this and may whether consciously or subconciously bring it out in conversation with a parent making for quite an interesting and uncomfortable talk. Now speaking of uncomfortable- there is the subject of the the Indians in the movie. They are described as "quite savage", "cunning but not intelligent" and "Red" men. Not only that but the lost boys actually go to HUNT them. If that is not blatant racism then I'm not sure what is. Now as far as the sexism goes, other than the one line 'girls talk too much' the sexism is not necessarily spoken in the movie but rather spread out throughout the movie in how they treat Wendy and the other females of the movie. First- Wendy is given the role of mother and care taker- a role "traditionally" given only to females where we now know that is not all women can do and something that men can partake in as well- while the lost boys and Wendy's two brothers go off to hunt (the indians). Now- in the movie it seems that girls can only be of two things- one as already mentioned caretakers and swooning over Peter and the other is vindictive and jealous. The mermaids for one actually try and drown Wendy (they admit to it too) and Captain Hook uses TinkerBell's jealousy over Wendy and Peter to his advantage. If that is not enough then the violence should concern all parents. Peter Pan ( a boy) cuts off captain Hook's hand and feeds it to a croc. There are sword fights. Children being violent toward adults and vice versa- especially that above all. There is violence- not just peter against captain hook but violence toward other people, the indians. There is "domestic" violence per say; Tinkerbell against Wendy. Overall this movie is outdated and as my suggestion and opinion should only be shown to our children if one plans to explain why it's ok to name call people of others ethnicities, why it's ok to be violent toward adults and vice versa, and why it's ok to be sexist.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
Nearly everyone is offensively stereotyped, Peter Pan is a very bad role model, and sometimes the animation and story are pretty crude. Kids will not miss much if they miss out on it.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Great Movie!
I can't believe some of these reviews! I've seen this movie at least 10 times by my self. I used to watch it when i was 4 and had no problem!
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I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
With 5 year old we'll try reading the book. Don't care for the movie
My 3 year old was turned off pretty quickly. My five year old boy was interested but getting a little vibe he didn't like (like moving trees and more he couldn't verbalize) to the point that he didn't care to watch it much more than 15 minutes and was eager to try a different show.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
Good fantasy for dreamers
Yes, there's "What Makes the Red Man Red" which is totally uncomfortable. However, our 4 year old boy loves this film and there is much to love in it, including using imagination to fly, and the challenges of growing older and being responsible. Plus there's escapism when kids can outsmart their adult counterparts. What little boy wouldn't want to be a Lost Boy for a day? But it's still grounded when they long for their mothers at home. Couple notes: There's Tick-Tock the crocodile that might be a bit scary, but ultimately is used for laughs. Also, Captain Hook/Mr. Darling are voiced by the same actor and share many characteristics. For a more mature viewer, there's definitely some deconstructing to be done on that point. At least the film doesn't draw on the potential death of Tinkerbell which is a major factor of the original stage production, which was broadcast for TV back in the day. I was prepping myself for the "Clap if you believe in fairies" part, which could've caused some concerns in our youngster, and it never occurs. Woo-hoo!
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I rate this title pause for age 5 and give it
My kid loves this one, but I hate it.
I know I'll sound like a fanatic saying this, but I cannot handle the sexual dynamics of this old favorite. All the girls love Peter (Wendy, Tinkerbell, Tiger Lilly, and the mermaids); and they are so jealous of Peter's attention to Wendy that the mermaids are very mean to her and Tinkerbell tries to KILL her. Peter is oblivious to all this and wants Wendy to be his mother. The Darling family also has a roaring father who is oblivious to his children's issues. Lastly, one doesn't need to mention the un-PC treatment of American Indians in the film, e.g., What makes the Red Man red? When did he first say "Ugh"? That said, we have a copy of the film; my 4 year old son loves it; and he went as Peter last Halloween.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
So boring!
Bad movie it is a waist of money!!!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
disney gal
this is still one of my favorite movies. i can watch it over and over!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
I haven't seen this movie in years, but I just feel that I have to defend the movie. First off Hook wants to kill Peter because Peter cut off his hand and feed it to the crocodile. Second, I'm sure that the parents didn't leave that kids alone as there probably were at least a couple of servants in the house(at that time even middle class families had servants). Finally, I find the fact that all the girls swoon over Peter harmless, and the fact that he's oblivious to it all shows his boyish innocence.
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I rate this title off for age 0 and give it
inappropriate on so many levels
Yes, I watched it as a child. No, I will not let my kids watch it. I do not care for the way the father treats the children, the way TinkerBell treats Wendy, the way the girls all swoon for Peter but he ignores them. My 3 year old daughter saw this movie at a friend's house, without my knowledge, and had so many questions: how could Captain Hook want to KILL a child? are there other adults who want to hurt chlidren? why aren't there adults to protect the children? why is Tinkerbell so mean? why doesn't the father love his children? why did the parents leave the children alone when they went out? could someone come into our house through the windows while we are sleeping? While some children may not be affected by these scenes, highly intelligent or sensitive children may be. And while these topics are worth discussing and exploring, preschoolers do not need to be exposed to them before they are mature enough to have a meaningful discussion. Too many parents let their children watch a movie simply because it comes from Disney.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
BEST SHOW EVER
This is like the classic of classics I love this show. No kid's life is complete without this show.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
We didn't even finish it.
We have a four year old whose grandparents' take great pride in purchasing Disney movies for. Our son was so excited to get Peter Pan, but as usual, we told him we would need to screen the film prior to him watching it. We watched the first 1/2 hour, and decided that it's definitely too old for a young child. There's a part where the Dad just blows up at the children-- which isn't really all that offensive, but we were sure our four year old wouldn't understand. The clencher was the part where one of the pirates pulls a gun and puts it up to another's face, threatens to slit his throat, etc. That's just not something I want my kid emulating at this age!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Good movie for all ages. please read.
I don't know why parents are so contreversial about this film. They keep saying that it has language and sexual themes and bla bla bla. but I don't think anything is wrong other than two things; Captian Hook is traumatized by the crocodile, and I feel sorry for him because I'm the same way with dogs. and the other thing: John smokes in one part of it. (underaged drug usage) thats it. it is one of my favorite animated movies, but it's too short. Peace Out. this is for 5 year olds and up.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
I loved this!
A must-see film for all ages.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 67% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 67% | of parents don't feel there are good role models |
| 50% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
| 33% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 33% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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