AN EVENING HANGING OUT WITH PETER IN NEVERLAND - MOVIE REVIEWS OF DISNEY'S "PETER PAN" AND SPIELBERG'S "HOOK"

 You may have remembered that last year I spend a few hours, watching both Disney's '51 animated and '10 live action films titled "Alice In Wonderland." Well, this year I decided to watch Disney's "Peter Pan" ('53) and "Hook" ('91).

There is a noticeable difference between my Alice binge last year and the Peter Pan double feature: As I mentioned, both Alices were Disney pictures. "Hook" isn't a Disney movie. In fact, one thing that I noticed was there was an allusion to Tinkerbell drinking poison to save Peter's life, as in the original story and plays, as opposed to her rescuing Peter from a bomb in the Disney version.

When I was young, I loved Peter Pan. It was onc of the Disney albums telling the story with a short illustrated version that I had - probably my second favorite (Jungle Book taking first place). However, it wasn't until seeing this movie again that I realized  that Peter was a womanizing flirt, mad when jealous Tinkerbell tried to have Wendy killed, laughing when jealous bikini-clad mermaids tried to drown Wendy, and having Tiger Lilly dance for him.

While I didn't catch this when I was 10, I did pick up on the racial slurs towards Indians (would characters in an English story that takes place in a fantasy world accurately be called Native Americans?). Even as a kid, I cringed wht the "What Made The Red Man Red." This was the first exposure I had to racial prejudice.

I am surprised at my typing this review, but "Hook" is more of a family film than the Disney classic. I will say it had a slower start before the film picked up. But Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, and Bob Hoskins (playing Peter, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and Mr. Smee respectively) did a great job in making this entertaining. 

Before I forget, I'll mention that my first introduction to Peter Pan was on the Disneyland dark ride (as was the case with Alice in Wonderland). This was the original version, where Peter was no where on the ride except for his shadow (the idea is for the rider to view themselves as Peter; same was true with the Alice, Mr. Toad, and Snow White rides).

MOVIE AND RIDE REVIEWS AND COMPARISON - DISNEY'S "ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (1951) AND DISNEY'S "ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (2010)

I debated calling this "An Evening Down The Rabbit Hold." Reason? I took an evening and watched both versions back to back. I saw an edited version of the original once in the later '80's on TV (an hour including commercials, compared to the features 75 minute without commercials), and not the newer version. Of course, if you count the number of times I rode the Disneyland ride when I was a kid... 

Walt Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) was a memorable and creative animated film. Some consider that Lewis Carroll was influenced by drugs when he wrote this story, and this film didn't do much to counter that view. As a writer, I find it interesting that there wasn't a real hero(ine)in the story, nor was there a villain - the Queen of Hearts wasn't mentioned let alone seen in the first half of the film. Rather, it dealt with Alice dealing with unique, unforgettable characters like the Caterpillar, the Chesire Cat, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, Tweedledum and Twiddledee, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the aviary in Tulgy Wood, and the Queen of Hearts ... oh, I must not forget the King.

As mentioned, I didn't see the movie until I was an adult, but I was very familiar with the Disneyland ride, which is connected near the Peter Pan ride and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, with Snow White not far away. The original design of these rides were visual thrills, with some surprises like the honking bird on Alice or the crocodile snapping at you on Peter Pan. Didn't really tell a story and didn't have an ending (for example, going through several doors on Alice, having the witch roll a stone on you at the end of Snow white, and going through hell - literally - on Mr. Toad. By the way, no Queen of Hearts on Alice.

After I left California, Disney did remodeling while I was gone. They added a fifth ride (Pinocchio), and had the rides more give a story summary and, with the exception of Mr. Toad, end with a happy ending (Peter Pan and friends commanding the ship, Snow White revived by the prince's kiss, and the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit wishing you a happy Un-birthday. Sorry, but I liked the originals better. But if I go back to Disneyland after a 40 year sabbatical, I'll get on the original four again. (I'm able to view them on Youtube when I need a fix.)

Now, let me move to Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" (2010). Or should it have been called "The Mad Hatter in Wonderland?" Johnny Depp's version of the character is prominent on both the front and back cover, and he's the only actor whose name is on the front. (Take a look at the covers pictured above - do you agree that the focus went from Alice to the Hatter?)

To be honest, while I had a crush on the cartoon Alice since my childhood (I had no interest in the Disney princesses), I actually liked this remake better.  It came across more of a fantasy movie than a drug trip like the cartoon. The Red Queen and the Knave were good villains, and Alice's role was more like Frodo's than a girl lost in an unreal world. I'd also say this is my favorite Tim Burton movie, and that I loved the take on the Bandersnatch.

Last comment - would you say I'm onto something to say we need a dose of unreality to cope with the 2024 election?