Disney Movie Challenge: Peter Pan (1953)

DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE

Peter Pan

WHAT IS THE DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE: With Disney+ making available almost all of their films from the vault I thought it was a good time to watch all the theatrically released feature length Disney Studio Animated films. That’s a lot of qualifications so what does it all mean? It must be a film developed and released under the Walt Disney Animation Studios (so no PIXAR or Tim Burton stop motion films). Must have been released in theaters (no direct to video releases). And feature length (no shorts that played prior to the features). Currently there are 58 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Frozen II in 2020. 

A selfish creepy stalker, attempted child murder, racism, and a hint of the Oedipus Complex .  Yup, we’re talking about Peter Pan.  Based on the play and later book by J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan tells the story of a boy who didn’t want to grow up and his adventures in Neverland. The film was a moderate success at the box office and had mostly positive reviews at the time.  As with other Disney Animated Films from the 1950’s Peter Pan would go on to be considered a classic.  

The movie sounds like it’s a fair adaptation of the original play.  It starts with Peter Pan visiting Wendy and her brothers in London. Wendy is sleeping but knew Peter would visit because she had his shadow (how Peter lost his shadow there is never explained in the movie). While fighting with his shadow Peter wakes Wendy up.  After Wendy attaches Peter’s shadow, Peter explains that he loves listening to Wendy’s stories and wants her to fly to Neverland with him and be a mother to him and the Lost Boys.  Peter’s fairy friend Tinkerbell is instantly jealous of Wendy and doesn’t want her to come to neverland.   Wendy agrees to go as long as her brothers (Michael and John) could go also.  They fly to Neverland where they have an adventure of a lifetime.   As soon as they arrive Captain Hook tries to kill Peter Pan and Tinkerbell attempts to have Wendy killed. After Peter banishes Tinkerbell for attempted murder he introduces Wendy to the Lost Boys.   Saying they could do anything they want Michael decides he wants to lead  the lost boys and go hunting for Indians, Peter takes Wendy and introduces her to the mermaids who also don’t like Wendy.  Peter and Wendy rescue Tiger Lily from Captain Hook. When they return her to the Indians there is a big celebration.  Hook finds out about Tinkerbell's jealousy and attempts to use it to his advantage.  He kidnaps Wendy, her brothers, and the Lost Boys, then sets a trap to kill Peter Pan. Of course Peter Pan escapes the murder plot and saves everyone before Hook can make them walk the plank.  

There is a lot going on in this film.  Let’s start with the most cringeworthy, the portrayal of Native Americans.  Going in I knew it courted some controversy with its portrayal of the Indians in the film but then you hear the song “What made the Redman Red'' and it becomes clear what the fuss is about.  While Dumbo had its fair share of controversy I think Peter Pan is worse.   Maybe because we are in this trying time when America is wrestling with its racist past that this scene just comes across as icky, but I think it’s always been that way.  The term Redman is now considered derogatory, and I get that maybe it wasn’t, but the problem with the song and the scene go deeper than that.  They are portrayed as ignorant and women obsessed neanderthals.  A kind of less than modern men.  According to the song they say “how” because they know nothing,  and they first said  “Ug” when they met their mother in law.  To answer the question of why a redman is red, it’s because the first time they got kissed by a woman they blushed so hard they never stopped blushing.  The whole song just leaves you feeling gross.  There is an interesting history to the controversy.  There have been people calling out the whole portrayal of Indians since Barrie wrote the play.  But for the most part it’s been brushed away and excused because the story is told from a childlike point of view.  According to the theory children only see people as caricatures and stereotypes and not fully realized people. And from that point of view you can argue that is how children would understand Indians.   Barrie was also British so his understanding of Native Americans were cursory at best also.   I have never seen the play but I am curious how the scene plays out in the play.  Obviously the addition of the song “What Made the Redman Red”' adds a layer of racism that probably isn't found in the play.  

Moving on to another plot point of the film that gets gross if you think too hard about it is Peter Pan and Wendy’s relationship.  Why is Peter being creepy and watching Wendy outside her window? Why is he coming into her room when she is sleeping?  And yet all the girls seem to love him.   Tinker Bell gets instantly jealous of Wendy (the mermaids also get jealous of Wendy), then Wendy gets jealous of Tiger Lily, but Peter just loves the attention and remains clueless. I know he never wants to grow up but why is he so selfish?  He only thinks about himself and is oblivious to anyone’s feelings around him.  And I’m supposed to believe that all the girls love him for that?  But the extra layer of ickiness is that  he wants Wendy to be his mother but then Wendy ends up kind of falling for him which adds this weird Oedipus Complex layer to the story. 

The answer to both the Indian and romantic aspects is that Peter is portrayed with such a childlike innocence (he even asks “what is a kiss?”) that he doesn’t know any better.  Which I get but he never seems to learn anything.  Tinkerbell learns that her jealousy has hurt other people but Peter doesn’t seem to get his actions hurt other people, which even a child learns at an early age.   

Last but not least lets not forget that Captain Hook is trying to kill all the children.  It’s a fun fantastical film so no one ever feels like they are in grave danger,  which makes child murder the least disturbing thing in this film.   

Overall: Peter Pan is a child's imagination come to life but it just didn’t sit right with me.  Maybe I’m overthinking it and that’s a possibility.  Maybe if I saw it as a kid I would have found the more fantastical features more entertaining and not think too hard about the subtext.  Anyway I know it’s an unpopular opinion but this movie didn’t work for me.  It’s also weird to me that Tinker Bell is now a beloved character.  First she tried to kill Wendy and then betrayed Peter Pan.  Granted she redeemed herself in the end but in my book she is up there with Jiminy Cricket as an overrated character.

Random Facts

Peter Pan was the last Disney Animated FIlm to be released by RKO Radio Pictures.  Starting with Lady and the Tramp Disney would release their films through their own distribution company Buena Vista Distribution.  

Was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival 

In the book “Peter and Wendy” J.M. Barrie ends the film with the Lost Boys being adopted by the Darling’s and eventually Wendy ends up marrying one of the Lost Boy’s.