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The people at Disney offered, and I accepted. That's how my son, Evan, and I got the opportunity to review the new, two-disc DVD release of Walt Disney's animated feature film, "Peter Pan" more than a month before it was released on March 7. .I felt like a member of the Academy when the the discs, marked '#1 Flyboy' and '#2Flyboy' arrived in a plain brown envelope, complete with instructions for their return to Buena Vista. And I have to admit, I wasn't sure how my media-savvy seven-year-old, who's accustomed to watching special-effects-filled movies such as "SpyKids and hip, CGI-animated flicks such as "Cars" and "Shrek," would react to a cartoon feature made before his mom was even born. I needn't have been concerned. It seems Walt's version of the tale of the boy who never wants to grow up easily stands the test of time and technology. But it is more than the newly-remastered and digitally enhanced copy of the original feature film that makes this anniversary edition special. For those of you who are film buffs, there's plenty on the second disc that will satisfy your craving for facts. For the kids there's plenty too, including an on-screen read-along version of the story, games and a pop-rock-style music video featuring the Disney teen group T-Squad performing the classic "Peter Pan" tune, "Second Star to the Right." Rediscovering a classic It had been years since I'd seen Disney's "Peter Pan," and looking at it through grown-up eyes, it did have the look and feel of something from a simpler (and less politically correct) time. But the 1950s-style music, early-20th century caricatures of American Indians and other things I found questionable didn't faze Evan at all. He just sat back and enjoyed the film for what it was a fun story about children who get to do grown-up things without parents telling them what to do. After all, that's the appeal of J.M. Barrie's story, isn't it? We watched the film several times together. Each time he laughed at the antics of the lost boys, whooped like the indians and imitated the crocodile's tell-tale music. One night, a pajama-clad Evan even adopted a decidedly Peter-Pan stance fists on hip and chest thrust out when I reminded him it was time to brush his teeth. (I half-expected him to crow.) Watching him fall in love with the story helped me remember how much I had loved the tale of Peter Pan when I was a child. I guess there's a part of all of us that never grows up. Getting behind the story Did you know Walt Disney once played the character of Peter Pan in a school play, and had his malfunctioning flying apparatus dump him on a surprised audience? Or that the story of Peter Pan one of his childhood favorites was supposed to be his second animated feature after "Snow White," but that developing a visual version of the story that satisfied Disney took his artists more than 10 years? Those were just some of the facts I learned from an article penned by Disney himself that was released in 1953, just after the film was released. A dramatic reading of the article, complete with photos of Disney's early life and the development of "Peter Pan" are one of the items I found fascinating on disc two. I also got a peek into the development of the world's most famous fairy Tinker Bell including stills of the actress Margaret Kerry posing for sketches of Tink (that's how animation was done before CGI), and a look at some of the early versions of "Peter Pan" that didn't measure up to Disney's vision of the film. I certainly have a greater appreciation for the work behind early animation now, and a deeper understanding of Disney's dream for his films. I'm grateful to the Disney people for giving Evan and I the sneak peek. Happy 40th Anniversary, "Peter Pan." You truly will never grow old. The two-disc DVD set is available at The Disney Store and other retailers. |
