Return to Never Land (2002) Reviews

• Not a true sequel

  mad4u6892006-10-14

  Take this review with a grain of salt, because I am a massive fan of Peter Pan and all things properly based on the James Barrie classic. This sequel, however, made me cringe. I've enjoyed liberal interpretations before - Hook and Finding Neverland, for example - but this movie completely trashed whatever character Peter Pan is supposed to have. Peter Pan is not a hero - he is a mischievous and often forgetful boy. He is entirely selfish and entirely charming, and these are his two flaws. However, in "Return to Neverland," this character of "Peter Pan" is a mere ghost of the complex Barrie creation. Whatever beautiful messages Peter Pan has about nostalgia and childhood, "Return to Neverland" turns them upside down at worst, and simply ignores them at best. The animation wasn't bad, though.

• Magical

  pnc7772002-02-15

  All you need is faith, trust and pixie dust! This is a surprisingly pleasant sequel. The C.G. Tinkerbelle is not as ...delicate as I remember from the first, but she is still made well and is just as spunky! I think they did a very good job on this movie...so good of a job that I would not classify it with normal sequels. I think it will be on the shelf with the other classics. They still have the Tink that turns red when she's mad, and the lost boys haven't changed a bit. Peter is just as I remember him, and in all this they did a great job. And overall, I love this movie. The credits did surprise me. They reminded me of the last page in the Little Golden Books I read as a child. Very similar artistry...very similar lay out. Also, I'd like to add that the music was actually not torture for me to listen to...which counts for a lot for my opinion of cartoons. I would not miss taking my children to this movie. It's even a sweet date movie. I think you will like it.

• A good Disney sequel

  funky_little_angel2002-12-30

  One thing I've noticed about most Disney sequels is that the storyline tends to be the opposite of the original. It's not different here. In the original "Peter Pan", Wendy has no intention of growing up too soon and instead goes to Never Land for a while, where she'll never grow up. But in "Return to Never Land", Wendy has grown up, gotten married and had kids of her own. Her son, Danny, who's still very young, is always intrigued by his mother's stories of Peter, but her older daughter Jane, who feels as though now her father's gone to war, she must protect her family, it means no more silly stories. And then the movie develops from there, when Jane is thought to be Wendy and is kidnapped by Captain Hook. Then, of course, Peter Pan meets her and then the story continues from there. Jane thinks she's really mature, and it's up to Peter and the Lost Boys to bring out her childish side again. I think "Return to Never Land" is one of the better Disney sequels, as heaps of others have turned out to rip-offs of the original. If they thought this was going to be like the others, they would've released it straight to video. So, if you have to see a Disney sequel, then this is a pretty good one.

• He's back....

  chrisbrown64532002-06-12

  "Peter Pan In Return To Never Land" is Disney‘s animated sequel to their truly classic 1953 adaptation of J.M. Barrie‘s beloved children‘s story. Time‘s moved on since the first movie and although Peter Pan never grew up, Wendy did. It‘s now World War Two and an adult Wendy is living in London, still telling tales of Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell and all the other inhabitants of Never Land to her two children; Danny, an awe struck little boy and Jane, a more cynical, pragmatic older girl who has no time for fairytales. However when Hook flies his sailing ship to London, kidnaps Jane and takes her to Never Land, she soon wishes she has paid more attention to her mother‘s stories. With a budget of a ‘mere‘ $20M the film was produced by Disney‘s TV animation department (who have previously toiled over ‘straight to video/DVD‘ sequels for other Disney movies including "Cinderella," "The Lady And The Tramp," "The Lion King" and "The Little Mermaid"), but this was apparently always planned as a cinematic release. The film succeeds in combining the traditional feel of the original ‘50s animation with a more contemporary look, particularly for the intrepid young heroine Jane (whose modern looking bobbed haircut was actually highly fashionable during World War Two!). The use of computer generated animation does successfully enhance certain scenes, sometimes so subtly you don‘t even notice, and sometimes – in the case of Tinkerbell‘s magical pixie dust – to spectacular effect. However Hook‘s computer generated ship, while certainly impressive, unfortunately stands out uncomfortably from the traditionally animated environments that surround it. Overall though "Peter Pan In Return To Never Land" – only the second sequel to a Disney feature to be released on the big screen – more than deserves a cinematic outing, and will no doubt go down well with the latest generation of Disney fans, who have grown up with a VHS copy of the original at home.

• You don't know what you're missing

  Rozie832002-02-16

  My friend and I went and saw this movie and felt like we were little again. It made us laugh and it was great to see some of our favorite characters come alive again. I hate to read about critics when they dissect the movie, all you need to know is that it's a wonderful sequel, that personally, I plan to see again. No matter what age you are you'll leave after with a smile on your face. Jane is the perfect portrayal of kids these days and what they're missing. So do yourself a huge favor and just go see it.