 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Peter Pan (2000)
- Review Date: October 7, 2005
- NR
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2000
Common Sense Media says
Leap-out-of-your-seat fun; great intro to theater.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that kids will see some obviously staged fights, some dated stereotypes, and questionable behavior of the sort forgiveable in a fantasy. Kids will see battles between the pirates, Native Americans, and the children. The kids are captured, Peter is wounded, and Hook throws himself over to be eaten by a crocodile. A dated stereotype of Native Americans has them saying "ugh" a lot, but they are also portrayed as Peter's courageous allies, which was controversial when the story was written. Wendy is objectified as a "mother," and it is assumed, by her as well as the boys and the pirates, that her role is to care for males and kids. Though forgiveable in a fantasy like this, the kids do run away from home with a strange boy. There is no profanity, but Tinkerbell does call Peter a "silly ass" several times, which parents might explain was more commonly used to mean "donkey" when the story was written.
What's the story?
Former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby stars as Peter Pan in this Broadway production of the musical, filmed on stage. Led by Tinkerbell the fairy, Peter comes to the Darling nursery one night in search of his shadow. He meets Wendy, Michael, and John, and teaches them to fly. He then persuades them to return with him to Neverland to live with the Lost Boys, so that Wendy can be their mother, and make them pockets and tell stories. Peter rescues Tiger Lilly from the odious Captain Hook, and she rescues him from the rising tide, so they join forces against the pirates. Captain Hook plans to poison Peter, capture the children, make them walk the plank, and keep Wendy to be the pirates' mother. But Peter defeats the pirates and the Lost Boys return home with the Darlings to be adopted.
Is it any good?
Rigby is the best Pan seen on Broadway, far better than Mary Martin or the cutesy Sandy Duncan. Her dynamic and athletic performance is probably as close as a woman can come to portraying a boy, and her singing voice is powerful and clear. The flying is thrilling. Rigby swoops, tumbles, and spins through the air with reckless abandon, the theater scarcely seeming large enough to hold her. Most of the best musical numbers take place in the nursery -- the excitement often flags once the characters reach Neverland. But this production brings it flying back, with a breathtaking staging of the song "Ugg-A-Wugg," in which the Lost Boys and Indians unite, that has the cast drumming all over the stage.
There are problems. The British accents are distractingly bad. Close-ups of Rigby don't help bolster the illusion that she is a 10-year-old boy. Oddly, the Lost Boys are played by teens and adults as well; the only real children on the stage are John and Michael. Paul Schoeffler's plays Hook entirely for laughs, but has none of that villain's oily menace and swagger. But these are quibbles; updated for today's children, this PETER PAN will have them leaping out of their seats with excitement, singing the songs for days, and dreaming of flying.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the stereotypes and discuss what the play means. Why do the "Indians" in this play say "ugh" so much? What does the way the Native Americans are portrayed tell you about how they were regarded? What about Wendy? Why do you think everyone assumes she will take the role of "mother" to them if they can only capture or keep her? Do you think a modern girl would either expect or want to take care of all those boys? Or would she rather engage more in their adventures? What does the way Wendy is portrayed tell you about how girls and women were regarded when this story was written? What is the message of the play? Do you think that message is still relevant today, even if some of the other elements of the play are dated?
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AGE
A matue TWO is fiiiiiiiiiine.
My daughter LOVES this movie. The music ~ the stomp like dance sequence ~ the drama ~ the flying. She takes all the pieces and reinacts them through her week.
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AGE
"Once You have found your way there you can never, never grow old"
This is amazing, I saw this live and I've been watching the DVD for years I love it. It's an amazing show with great songs, actors, sets and effects Everyone will love it.
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AGE
Our favorite version of this classic story
We picked up the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan from a thrift store one day, and the next week my boys (ages 4 and 3) found this version at the library. For the past couple of weeks, they've alternated between the two versions every time they've gotten to watch a video, but this one is definitely their favorite. My older son is usually easily frightened by suspense and tension in movies and TV (he even hides his eyes while watching Charlie and Lola), but I think seeing the audience in this movie made the story seem less real to him and therefore less scary. Both boys love the music and dancing, which gets them up and moving instead of watching the movie like couch potatoes. One downside I have noticed is that my boys play-fight more since I let them watch this.
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| Studio: | A&E Home Video |
| Director: | Gary Halvorson |
| Cast: | Barry Cavanagh, Cathy Rigby, Theresa McCoy |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 96 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 10, 2000 |
| DVD release date: | October 10, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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