The Only Peter Pan Movie Worth Watching

In my humble opinion... Peter Pan's Hates Food, Wendy Loves Sickly Sweet Medicine, and Captain Hook is a tasty treat for semiaquatic reptiles...

Feb 26, 2024

When I was 12 I had a portable DVD player that had the 2003 film adaptation of Peter Pan permanently loaded and ready to play.

In bed, on long car rides, and even at the park, this film was played over and over in front of my eyeballs. The movie became so associated with the specific media technology and feel of the early 2000s in my mind that I was curious if a film chock full of special effects (cutting edge for the Y2K era) and based on a century-old play would still feel as relevant.

Luckily, the film is delightfully timeless upon rewatch.

The Modernity of Peter and Wendy

Heralded by some film critics as the best — or at least, most true to J.M. Barrie’s original play and novel — live-action adaptation of Peter Pan and Wendy’s story, Director P.J. Hogan’s film is as romantic in style as it is in substance.

Nina Boucicault as Peter Pan and Hilda Trevelyan as Wendy, possibly at the Duke of York’s Theater in London performing “Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens” | Photograph via Smallhythe Place National Trust Collections

Art imitates life as backdrops are painted with the gaiety and flair that the original turn-of-the-century play featured. The original play, too, pushed production designers to the technical boundaries of the day, allegedly casting a new-fangled electric light that changed color and darted around the stage in the role of Tinkerbell. The world of Neverland continues to be fantastical and imaginative.

And yet, the paradox of aging with joie de vivre feels more modern and urgent than ever.

“Old, Alone, Done For!”

“Old, Alone, Done For!” chants are shouted as Captain Hook (the unparalleled Jason Issacs) careens into a crocodile’s mouth, weighed down by the depression of aging.

By contrast, Wendy Darling — played by the jaw-dropping talent of

Rachel Hurd-Wood

, now author of her own newsletter,

Confessions Of A Lost Girl

— seems to instinctively know that a path to a fruitful adulthood exists. An adulthood filled with stories and fun and kissing boys, even if it means paying your bills and taking your medicine. In the words of Mr. Darling, also played by Isaacs, “Dash the expense!”

“Dash the Expense” - Jason Isaac’s Mr. Darling and also me.

And what of Peter? The most moving and heartbreaking character of them all. Jeremy Sumpter portrays a boy who doesn’t just hope to avoid growing up, but a boy who simply cannot bring himself to do so.

An Epiphany Re: Why Children Love Fruit and Hate Medicine, Maybe

In the film, consumption of any substance, let alone food, is something Peter Pan seems to avoid, or at least have no use for. Upon arrival in Neverland, Wendy and Peter engage in stream-of-consciousness make-believe games in ways that many parents, nannies, and children are familiar with. (“What if this happened, and then this — no, this actually, and then this! And also you have to do whatever I say.”)

When Wendy adopts the role of mother to the lost boys and asks them to take their medicine, Peter’s aversion to the faux-cough syrup goes beyond simple childhood hatred of weird-tasting things. With medicine, Peter and Wendy’s entire charade starts tearing at the seams.

Medicine, food, wearing actual items of clothing — these are all responsibilities that mothers and caretakers worry about. They simply have no place in Peter Pan’s life. While the other lost boys are excited to feast on Neverland’s fruits, as far as Peter’s concerned, if he would start caring about the basic responsibility of feeding himself he might as well fly back to London and get a job at a bank.

If you’re anything like me, on the other hand, you might often look at natural, divine, everyday pleasures like eating a great meal as something that fills you with childlike wonder. Sure, logistically, paying to put food on the table and making sure your grocery bag is filled with more vegetables than chocolate is an act of grown-up duty, but the act of simply eating, in my opinion, is for all to enjoy. As you can imagine, when Peter’s aversion to eating anything at all is considered, I’m left scratching my head.

But 2003’s Peter Pan is clever. Whereas most people think of Peter Pan as a fable that highlights how great being a kid is, this film reminds us of some more useful takeaways lurking within the lore.

Peter Pan serves as a pathway to extend further compassion and empathy toward those who don’t fit into society in ways we can easily understand. It’s a call to remind every audience member that we can believe in fairies. Really, go ahead, try it.