SYNOPSIS:
Walt
Disney's original classic continues in this Pixie-Powered Special
Edition of PETER PAN IN RETURN TO NEVER LAND that's filled with
wonder, imagination -- and even more pixie dust. Join Tinker
Bell, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, and meet Jane, Wendy's ever-so-practical
daughter, who's outgrown her mothers' tales of pirates and pixies
-- until Captain Hook whisks her away to Never Land. The crafty
pirate sets in motion a plot to capture Peter and Tink, whose
light is fading fast because Jane doesn't believe in fairies.
Now, only Jane, the first-ever "Lost Girl," can save
them -- but first she must call upon faith, trust and pixie
dust.
MOVIE REVIEW:
We know what the 1953 Disney classic Peter Pan means
to some adults. The story about a boy who never grows up is
a wonderful tale of faith and trust. Countless kids have grown
up embracing the magic and pixie dust sprinkled by the iconic
Tinker Bell. So now we have a 2002 sequel to J. M. Barrie’s
beloved novel – will it leave behind a legacy that will
be remembered decades down the road?
The
year is 1940, and people are plagued by sufferings and tragedies,
no thanks to World War II. The female protagonist from the
original Peter Pan, Wendy has now grown up and married with
two children. Her daughter Jane travels to the legendary Never
Land by chance one night and meets Peter Pan, Tinker Bell
and the Lost Boys. The story is incomplete without the infamous
Captain Hook and his gang of motley crew of pirates.
Almost
50 years after the first movie, technology allows the 73-minute
movie to be visually more enticing and pleasurable to the
eyes. After all, these are the basic things which today’s
young viewers will want to see on the screen before they pay
attention to anything else. The animation is appealing by
today’s standards and the production value is respectably
enticing. The music underscore by Joel McNeely is a swashbuckling
treat to the ears and the songs, while nowhere near memorable
as those from the first movie, are catchy and cute.
Directors
Robin Budd and Donovan Cook cast some unfamiliar names like
Harriet Owen (voice of Jane), Blayne Weaver (voice of Peter
Pan) and Corey Burton (voice of Captain Hook) to some decent
results. Well, you can’t possibly use the same voice
actors because most of them are probably not around now.
However,
the story loses some of its charm with less than effective
gags and less than delightful moments – it’s like
the pixie dust lost some of its magic. The entire movie feels
somewhat like an obligation to milk more money out of the
nostalgic and entertain today’s generation on a surface
level. You can almost feel the movie move forward at a mandatory
pace to reach a happy ending (Disney style of course).
There
is one nice touch at the end of the movie though – Peter
Pan sees the grown up Wendy at the window and there is a sweet
moment which requires no dialogue to exude the fascination
of magic.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains a five-minute “Magical
Fairies Moments”, where you get a sneak peek
at three short scenes (featuring three different fairies)
from the upcoming direct to video release of Tinker Bell.
There are two deleted scenes in “Lost Treasures”,
a four-minute clip where you see the segments at their initial
storyboard stage. The interesting “Tinker Bell’s
Challenge Game: Quest for the Light” is a game
where one or two players can save the fairy by answering questions
based on the movie correctly. There are also “Sneak
Peeks” of DVDs like Cinderella and Enchanted.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer is pristine and clear while
the movie’s audio soundtrack is available in 5.1 Dolby
English, Mandarin, Thai, Korean and 2.0 Surround Cantonese.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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