Peter Pan is a story that I have been told throughout my childhood, and I am sure that many can say the same. Whether you have read J.M. Barrie’s original book or have watched Disney’s classic animated film, you have at least heard of the tale. However, not everyone seems to recall Disney’s sequel to its original animated adaptation, Peter Pan: Return to Neverland. This is reasonable. In the 1990s and the 2000s, Disney animated multiple low-budget sequels to popular films such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Aladdin, Tarzan, and more. Typically, only avid Disney fans are familiar with these sequels, as they typically did not break records in box offices (if they were released in theaters at all).
Being a Disney fan, I grew up watching many of these sequels, and Peter Pan: Return to Neverland, was one of my favorites. After going years without watching the film, I decided to revisit it on Disney+. While I don’t think that it is a cinematic masterpiece, I do believe that the film represents valuable lessons that are incredibly relevant in today’s world.
Disney’s original Peter Pan focuses on the female protagonist Wendy Darling, a girl who isn’t quite ready to leave childhood behind. However, after flying to Neverland with Peter Pan and spending time on the island, her motherly instincts project themselves when she is faced with lost boys, dangerous situations, and the need to care for her brothers. Neverland brings the adult in her to the surface. By the end of the film, she learns that she cannot stay in Neverland forever. In contrast, Peter Pan: Return to Neverland, tackles an entirely different female protagonist. Rather, it follows Wendy’s daughter, Jane, who is determined to leave childhood behind.
Peter Pan: Return to Neverland takes place in London during World War II. The film, set in 1940, portrays London during “The Blitz,” a time when bombs were falling from the sky, houses were catching ablaze, and children were separated from their families to live in the country. These are the conditions that Wendy’s daughter grows up in, leading her to mature into a fiercely independent young girl. At 12 years old, in the opening scene of the film, Jane can be seen sneaking through the streets of London, hiding from bomb attacks in order to buy her younger brother, Danny, a birthday present. Obviously, this is a very traumatic experience in itself. However, Jane handles it like an adult, taking charge and making it home safe to deliver her brother’s present. However, the present is a pair of socks.
Of course, during wartime, Jane may have had limited access to other gift options. However, both Wendy and Danny are disappointed by the gift. Wendy, after being terribly worried about her daughter’s disappearance, comments that the gift is “practical.” This is a term that describes Jane. She lacks imagination and a desire for anything she considers childish. While her mother tells Danny hopeful stories of Peter Pan, Jane listens to the radio for war updates. This behavior can be largely contributed to the fact that in a flashback set years prior, Jane’s father left the family to fight in the war. Before he left, he asked Jane to take care of her mother and Danny. It is obvious that Jane does not take this responsibility lightly. When Wendy tells Jane that she must be taken to the country for safety measures, Jane becomes furious and yells at her family, explaining that she was supposed to take care of them under her father’s instructions. When Wendy insists that Jane must have faith, Jane yells that faith is just one of those words from one of her mother’s stories that don’t mean anything. Danny begins to cry, and Wendy tells Jane, “You think that you are very grown-up, but you have a great deal to learn.”
During these stressful times of pandemics, wars, and overflowing negative news, I envision that many children will, or do, feel the emotions that Jane experiences at the beginning of Disney’s sequel. I can only imagine what children in Ukraine are physically and mentally enduring right now, especially if the current tragedy continues to last. No matter when it ends, children will not forget the experience and will feel some type of lasting impact. Hope may dwindle until it is completely lost. However, this is why I believe that this film is so important. While Jane feels these types of emotions at the beginning of the film, she learns how to balance them after escaping her world and spending time in Neverland.
Upon first arriving in Neverland by accident, Jane doesn’t get along with Peter Pan, The Lost Boys, or Tinkerbell, Peter’s fairy. Rather, she views them all as immature and gravitates towards the untrustworthy adults (or villains) on the island who lead her astray. This includes the character of Captain Hook. To everyone’s surprise, Jane cannot fly and therefore cannot leave the island, leading Hook to use her as a means of capturing Peter Pan in exchange for her freedom from Neverland. Jane trusts Hook, seemingly because of his older age, and agrees to do as he says, ultimately choosing the path of wrongdoing. This shows that Jane’s emotions blind her of what she really needs: the three things that allow someone to fly. Faith, trust, and Pixie Dust. This is essential to the main lesson of the film.
Although she is given Pixie Dust by Tinkerbell, Jane lacks the faith and the trust needed to fly. Furthermore, she expresses that she does not believe in fairies, leading to the flickering of Tinkerbell’s “light,” or life. However, throughout the later parts of the film, Jane experiences playing games, singing songs, and participating in overall silliness with Peter Pan and The Lost Boys. She witnesses the impact of her behavior when she has time to reflect on how she yelled at her family before leaving for Neverland. Her initial disbelief in fairies goes as far as killing Tinkerbell (who represents faith and believing), which Jane feels incredibly sorry for in a very moving scene that revives the fairy. These experiences combine in order to help Jane reconsider her perspective and allow faith and trust into her life. She learns the importance of believing when she can finally fly with the help of the revived Tinkerbell. She learns to lean on others for support, building trust with Peter Pan and The Lost Boys and finally seeing the ugly truth behind Captain Hook (who represents the effects of maturing into adult life without faith and trust). Jane finds that she can finally fly home at the end of the film when she begins to allow herself to have fun and to let go.
With all of this being said, I believe that this film is incredibly relevant during this time period. Even through times of hardship, it is critical to have faith in the future and to trust others. The film includes an original song by Jonatha Brooke (on top of its beautiful score by Joel McNeely). The song includes lyrics that perfectly describe Jane’s perspective and growth. With initial lyrics that describe, “I’ll try, but it’s so hard to believe. I’ll try, but I can’t see what you see,” and “My whole world is changing, I don’t know where to turn. I can’t leave you waiting, but I can’t stay and watch this city burn,” one can put themselves in Jane’s position and understand the hardship she’s endured. She felt that she had to leave her childhood self behind, needing to fit into the mold of her misunderstood definitions of maturity and adulthood. Trying to believe in times of stress is clearly easier said than done, but, otherwise, you will fall into despair and be blindsided by what is truly important. One must turn to stories, imagination, and seemingly childish beliefs for a chance to fly. Many associate “maturity” with strength, but I believe that with innocent hope comes great resilience in the hardest of times. By the end of the song, the lyrics describe a different perspective.
“I can finally see it.
Now I have to believe,
All those precious stories.
All the world is made of faith and trust and pixie dust.”