Return to Never Land (2002)

Didn't Like It

Where do I begin? Disney has again put out another lousy sequel to a great classic. I never had high expectations for this movie when I decided to rent it, so I guess it was just a little bit better than I expected, but I still think it is a pretty dumb movie.
I won't waste my time summarizing the movie, so I'll just try to tell you what I liked and what I didn't like about it.
What I liked was most of the animation of this movie. The style of the background art seemed to stay true to the original movie from the 1950s, although there was quite a bit of CGI used throughout the film. Really, the animation was the only thing that I liked.
What I didn't like about the movie:
1. The Script
The dialogue of this movie is so boring to me. A child in grade school could have written a better script than this one. It seems like someone just made a rough draft and they just said, "Yeah, we'll just use that," instead of taking any time to make it better. Most Disney films are made for KIDS, but this one seems like it was just made for babies (who would probably also find it pretty boring). In the first movie, while Peter was a kid, he was also very brave and clever. In this movie, he just seems stupid.
2. The Music
There are absolutley no good songs in this movie. The song about the lost boys is horrible.
3. Voices
Obviously, when you do a sequel to a movie that is over 50 years old, many of the original actors are either dead or too old to reprise their roles, so new people must be found. With several characters, I feel that they made the wrong choice of actor. For example, the chubby lost boy who they call Cubby in this movie has a voice that is nowhere near the original voice. I feel that they should find people who can come close to doing the old voice and go with the person who does it best. Otherwise the voice doesn't fit the character. The person who did the voice of Smee sounded very much like the original, though.
So basically, this movie was a waste of time to me. It could have been a very good sequal, but Disney just decided not to put any real effort into it, which is why it falls very short. But like I said, I never had high expectations for it to begin with. July 10, 2008

We love Pan!

Even as an adult, I'm still facinated by the Peter Pan story and this sequel gives fans a fun visual continuation of the story. It's not an award wining movie, but one that my two young daughters (ages 4 and 2) and I have watched over and over since receiving it. You get to know the Lost Boys a little more in this story and there's just enough action to hold the girls attention. Who doesn't dream of shouting "I can fly!"?! Let this movie take you for another ride to Never Land. June 20, 2008

Faith, Trust and...Ah, You Know How It Goes

Walt Disney's production of J.M. Barrie's wonderful "Peter Pan" gets a whole new chapter with "Return To Neverland." In this tale, a grown-up Wendy and her husband (who's been shipped off to war) are raising two young children in WWII London. As she promised him in the original film, Wendy has never forgotten Peter Pan and she tells her children of his many adventures. Young Daniel finds comfort in these tales as London is being bombed through the night. Jane thinks such stories are rubbish and only for little kids. She does not believe.

In an attempt to catch Peter once and for all, Captain Hook shows up in London the night before Jane and Daniel are to be sent to the country for protection and steals Jane mistaking her for Wendy. When Jane arrives in Neverland, she must come to terms with this fantasy-turned-reality in order to save herself, the Lost Boys and little Tinkerbell.

Diehard fans of the first film (adults in particular) will likely pick this film apart for any and every imperfection or diversion from the original tale. Fear not, faithful fans, this film doesn't try to remake the original. It's a good story in its own right. The animation is excellent, although the CG animation stands out a bit too much at moments. There's little in the way of songs and there are no Indians or crocs to be seen. Still, this is a fun tale that I'm sure the whole family will enjoy.

The DVD is very good. As always, Disney has loaded this disc up with plenty of previews,as well as a Tinker Bell game, deleted scenes and a preview of the Disney "Fairies" collection.

This is a nice sequel. It doesn't quite measure up to "Cinderella Three: A Twist In Time," but it is one of the better sequels that Disney has produced. It's always tough to top the original of any film series, and especially a Disney original. With that said, I give "Return To Neverland" a solid recommendation. May 27, 2008

Worth seeing..

I don't believe Disney has ever made a sequel that lived up to the magic of the original film. That said, some sequels are better than others and this is one of the better ones. I think this movie was very good mainly because it didn't "re-do" the original story in reverse (like Lady & the Tranp 2 or Little Mermaid 2) or try to lamely continue the old one (Cinderella 2, Jungle Book 2). This is a new story with a new heroine, and stands on its own merits.

Wendy's daughter doesn't believe. She has had to grow up fast in a world where her father is off to war and London is under seige. So when Captain Hook kidnaps her thinking she is Wendy, she needs to learn how to believe again. And that belief will give her family hope. An uplifting story, filled with adventure and familiar characters. It's not as good as the original, but is definitely worth watching. January 17, 2008

Great for the grandkids

I have quite a Disney collection, including animated and live movies. I grew up with Disney. "Return to Never Land" is a cute little follow-up to Peter Pan although it doesn't stand up to the original. It involves the spunky daughter of Wendy, Peter's heartthrob from umpteen years ago. I missed the crocodile, but the kids got a big kick out of the octopus. My wife and I saw it in the theater when it was first released. At first, I thought we'd be surrounded by screaming brats. There was a surprising number of kidless adults there, and the kids present gave no problems once the movie started. I figured that any movie that can appeal to that wide an age range must be worth getting for the home collection. Four stars, one less for almost too much cute factor and no croc. January 13, 2008

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