Peter Pan

Intro

Another Disney Classic gets a Special Edition Release. Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan, but for those of you who have been living under a rock for the past 100 years, here is a synopsis…

Synopsis

“Now fully restored and remastered in a glorious Special Edition — this timeless tale will live in your heart forever. Let your dreams take flight with this original Disney classic that never grows old! Bursting with fantasy, adventure, and pixie dust, Walt Disney’s 14th animated…masterpiece is a treasure that will delight the entire family! The magic begins when the boy who “never grows up” flies through the Darlings’ nursery window in search of his lost shadow. Accompanied by his feisty sidekick, Tinker Bell, Peter teaches Wendy, John, and Michael to fly … and they’re off to the “second star to the right” and straight ahead to Never Land! Before they know it, they’re knee-deep in high-flying battle with swashbuckling pirates, led by Peter’s archenemy, Captain Hook — whose time is nearly up against a ticktocking crocodile. From the stunning starlit London skies to the glorious first sight of Never Land, including the memorable songs “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!” “Following The Leader,” and “A Pirate’s Life For Me,” PETER PAN defines Disney Magic, reminding us all again and again that childhood dreams live forever.” – BVHE

Audio

Even though this film is nearing its 50th anniversary, I expected more from the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix. This disc sounded very 2.0 to me. The soundstage was not used effectively to convey the score or soundtrack, and most of the sound is focused towards the center channel. This film sounds as good as it ever has, but some remastering could have done wonders here. This DVD still sounded pretty good, especially because of the age of the original soundtrack.

Video

What a wonderful job Disney did with the video presentation of Peter Pan. Even though this film is old, the transfer is cleaner then many films that are much more current. The animation looks like classic Disney animation looks like, and there is very little damage to the print in terms of grain and scratches. This DVD easily met my expectations in regards to the video transfer… to bad Disney did not animate in widescreen 50 years ago 🙂

Features

Out of all of the special features included on this DVD, only two stand out as valuable. “You Can Fly! The Making Of Peter Pan” is a nice featurette that features an introduction by Walt Disney himself, original storyboards and concepts, an alternate musical sequence, and an overview of the voices behind the characters. The other interesting special feature is the feature length commentary featuring Roy Disney and many film experts. This commentary is set up in the form of individual interviews with film experts relaying their thoughts on the film, the story, and the impact the Peter Pan has had. This commentary is quite interesting, but not overly entertaining.

Many other little special features are included on this disc, but most are just filler material. There are sneak peeks of other Disney films including Return to Neverland, a treasure hunt game, an original 1953 promotional featurette, a sing-along, a still’s gallery, and featurette on the Story of Peter Pan. The menus are animated and scored, but the move quite slowly and the page transition animation is drawn out too much. These menus look good, but do not work as well as they were intended to.

Closing Thoughts

Any Disney fan should have this DVD in their collection. The video looks very good, and the audio and special features are also nice. This is a classic story that should live on in every DVD collection.

Special Features List

• Audio Commentary
• The Making of Peter Pan
• Featurette The Peter Pan Story
• Peter Pan Still Gallery
• “Following the Leader” Sing-Along Song
• “Peter
• Pirate Treasure Hunt – Game