Peter Pan & Wendy

Story

Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson) does not want to go away to boarding school, she does not want to be trained to become a lady and she certainly does not want to grow up. When Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) hears these words, he and Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi) come to collect Wendy and bring her to the fabled world of Neverland, a place Wendy believed only existed in stories. Their plans are interrupted when Wendy’s younger brothers, Michael (Jacobi Jupe) and John (Joshua Pickering), capture Tinker Bell and Wendy wakes up. When Peter promises that she will never have to grow up and that things will never change, Wendy and her brothers (with the help of a little pixie dust) learn to fly and are soon on their way to an unbelievable adventure. But before they arrive at Neverland, the group are blasted out of the sky by Captain Hook (Jude Law). Peter is missing, Michael and John are taken prisoner and Wendy washes up on a beach, all alone. She soon meets Peter’s friend, Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatahk), and the ‘lost boys’, who agree to help her find Michael and John. They arrive at… to find that the brothers are about to be executed. Peter is already there, and they stop Captain Hook once again. Captain Hook, however, refuses to quit. He follows the children to their secret hideout, captures them all and, in his rage, seriously wounds Peter. Wendy’s lullaby stirs something deep inside Hook’s memory and helps her see the sad little boy hidden within the ruthless Captain. With her newfound knowledge and a little help from Tinker Bell, Wendy sets the others free, inspires Peter to learn from the past and discovers that growing up may just be the greatest adventure of all.

Themes

Fear of change; children separated from parents; the desire to never grow up; regret; loss of friendship

Violence

Peter Pan & Wendy has some violence. For example:

Michael and John play fight with wooden swords. Wendy joins them and soon a mirror is broken.
Captain Hook shoots a door off its hinges and walks over a man who is pinned beneath the door.
Hook’s pirate crew fire cannon balls at Peter and Wendy and her brothers. They miss the first few times but then blast them off a rocky cliff top.
One of the lost boys shoots arrows at Wendy. They land by her feet as a warning.
Captain Hook orders his men to execute Michael and John.
A pirate tries to cut off Peter’s head.
Peter kicks numerous pirates into the water.
There are numerous sword fights aboard Captain Hook’s ship.
Pirates try to stab Peter.
Captain Hook and Peter fight on a small rowboat and then on the rocky shore of a cave.
Peter slaps Captain Hook on the bottom.
Captain Hook grabs Peter’s shadow, yanking him down a steep incline and threatening to cut off his head.
Captain Hook discovers he is standing on an enormous crocodile as it opens its mouth to eat him.
A pirate tries to stab the crocodile in the tail but he is knocked off and thrown through the air while another man gets eaten.
The kids fly out of the cave while the pirates try to fight off the crocodile.
Wendy slaps Peter.
Captain Hook and his pirates hold all the children hostage at sword point.
Captain Hook blasts a door open with his sword and tries to stab Peter.
Captain Hook slashes Peter across the chest with his sword. Peter falls backwards in shock, off the top floor and lands with a crash on the ground level in front of the other children.
Tinker Bell is kidnapped and held captive by the pirates.
Captain Hook threatens Wendy and orders that all the children be executed.
Wendy is forced to walk the plank.
Peter and Captain Hook duel again on the ship, but this time Peter’s heart is not in it.
A pirate is hit on the head with a sling shot.
The lost boys fight against the pirates, attacking in any way they can.
One of the lost boys shoots an arrow through the hand of a pirate who is about to attack Peter.
Pirates are knocked out by falling rocks.
Wendy and Tiger Lily tilt the ship so that the pirates will fall out of it.
Captain Hook continues to fight against Peter even after Peter apologises.
Peter tries to save Captain Hook from falling in to the ocean but Hook falls anyway and Peter is left holding the Captain’s hook in his hand.

Sexual references

Peter Pan & Wendy has some sexual references. For example:

Peter does not know what a kiss is, but at Michael and John’s suggestion, he tells Wendy that he needs one after being accidentally hurt. Wendy looks very uncomfortable and gives him a thimble while telling him that it is a kiss.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no substance use in Peter Pan & Wendy.

Nudity and sexual activity

Peter Pan & Wendy has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, a couple of pirates have their pants cut down by Peter’s sword. Their boxer shorts and bare legs are shown.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in Peter Pan & Wendy.

Coarse language

There’s no coarse language in Peter Pan & Wendy.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Peter Pan & Wendy is a fantasy adventure featuring a diverse cast which includes a powerful Native American woman, a racially diverse Tinker Bell and a lost boy who appears to have Down syndrome. Additionally, some of the ‘lost boys’ are actually girls with dialogue indicating that gender should not matter. The movie is darker than most other versions of Peter Pan and it looks at the reasons behind Captain Hook’s anger to paint a more in-depth and understanding picture of a man who is traditionally shown as a monster. For this reason, the movie is best suited to tween and older audiences.

These are the main messages from Peter Pan & Wendy:

The greatest adventure in life is growing up.
Mothers are irreplaceable.
Thinking happy thoughts can help you even in the darkest and most difficult of times.

Values in Peter Pan & Wendy that you could reinforce with your children are friendship, compassion, forgiveness, maturity and courage.

Peter Pan & Wendy could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of behaviour, such as:

Leaving home without telling anyone.
Holding onto the past and refusing to grow or change.
Allowing feelings of anger, rage and resentment to define your every move.
Refusing to forgive or accept forgiveness.