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RETURN TO NEVER LAND

The 1953 Disney classic Peter Pan resonated throughout a generation, inspiring, among other things, a psychobabble category for men who never grow up, an award-winning short story in which Tinkerbell grows large and seduces Peter, and an edgy vampire flick. But lately, whenever Disney returns to well-trodden ground, the result is straight-to-video; why can’t anyone after Walt understand that these stories can and should appeal to adults, too? Even the lame live-action Hook was watchable compared to directors Robin Budd and Donovan Cook’s Return to Never Land. Set during World War II, the story begins with Wendy as a happy young wife and mother. Dad has to go fight the Nazis, and daughter Jane becomes the logical "man" of the house, dismissing Wendy’s Never Land as "poppycock." But when Jane is kidnapped by Hook and his bumbling pirates, she has to admit she believes. There’s little to like here: Peter is an irritating sap, the Lost Boys have one joke between them, and Tinkerbell is a bottle-blond Wilma Flintstone look-alike. I did enjoy Hook and Mr. Smee (homoeroticized this time, at least), but not Jonatha Brooke’s lame pop songs. In its quest for nostalgia, Disney should re-use rather than recycle.

BY PEG ALOI

Issue Date: February 14 - 21, 2002
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