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Parents' Guide to

Peter Pan (2003)

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Charming live-action tale has intense peril, some violence.

Movie PG 2003 100 minutes
Peter Pan (2003) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 14 parent reviews

DonnaHill
DonnaHill Adult
August 4, 2020
age 13+

Violent and disturbing

My 8 year-old boy was so disturbed by the first hour of this film, we had to turn it off. Even I was disturbed. There is a scene where Hook shoots a man point blank in the chest. You see a bloody hole i the man's chest afterward. He had nightmares for days. Really, what are they thinking when they make a film like this for kids?? Not at all appropriate.
Tasha P.
Tasha P. Parent of 2 and 5-year-old
June 17, 2023
age 5+

True to the book, watch with your kids instead of them watching it alone.

Cute movie! I watched with my 2.5 and 5 year old, and it was a bit too intense in places for Ms. 2, and she left to do other things shortly after they arrived in neverland, but Mr. 5 did well with it. Got scared and sat with me a few times, but nothing that stuck with him or gave nightmares. Would suggest it as a movie you watch with your kids instead of something they watch alone. It opened up a good dialogue about how some people are missing limbs, and we talked a lot about how movies are made with actors, and nobody actually got hurt, and whether it was ok to act like Tinkerbell if we're feeling jealous. We watched it because we went to watch Hook and I realised they had no context for Peter Pan, and it was a good, imaginative movie to introduce them to it. Very true to the boom.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

This story begins with Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up, leaving Neverland on occasion so he can listen to the stories that Wendy tells her brothers, Michael and John. One night, Peter's shadow is caught in the window. When he comes back to get it, Wendy sews it on, and Peter invites them back to Neverland. There they meet up with the Lost Boys, and battle Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs). This film version focuses on the relationship between Peter and Wendy. In Neverland, Peter tells Wendy she will never have to grow up but then makes her into the mother of the Lost Boys. She assures him (and herself) that they are only playing, but she feels the pull of the adult world. She even tells Peter that Captain Hook is "a man of feeling" while he is just a boy. Feelings are taken very seriously in this film. Fairies like Tinkerbell can have only one feeling at a time. Peter cannot answer when Wendy asks him what his feelings are. And Hook has a deadly poison made up of "a mixture of malice, jealous, and disappointment."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (34 ):

Director/screenwriter P.J. Hogan's sumptuously beautiful retelling of the classic story maintains its timeless charm. The production design is simply gorgeous, with exquisite period detail. Even state-of-the-art special effects like flying and computer graphics are consistently conceived and gratifyingly believable. The jarring notes are Peter's (unforgivably) American accent and some anachronistic-sounding music. Ludivine Sagnier does her best as Tinkerbell, but the fairy is probably best portrayed as a spot of light.

Some Pan lovers will object to some gentle tweaking of the story. But it's not so much to be politically correct or bring it up to date as it is to remove any distractions from what in today's view would be seen as sexism.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why someone might not want to grow up. What do grown-ups do to keep the best part of childhood inside themselves? Is that what Barrie was doing in writing this story?

  • How is this version of Peter Pan similar to and different from other versions?

  • How does this version mine comedy out of violence? Why is the absurdity of, for instance, Captain Hook shooting and killing pirates who talk out of turn funny to some?

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