I came across this unexpectedly on the Disney Channel surfing through stations tonight and became interested when I saw how fine the artful animation was. In color, design and format, it matched the beauty of the original conception for Disney's original PETER PAN.
And it got off to an intriguing start with wartime London being the setting for the Darling household--at a time when Daddy is off to war and saying good-bye to his kids. Amusing to see Nana in an air-raid helmet while they trot off to a shelter during a bombing raid. And how true it was that soon after the nightly bombings began, children were hauled off on trains and separated from their parents for much of the war.
So far, so good. Then the pirate ship makes it through the skies and onto the roof over the children's nursery--a magical blend of CGI and great hand-drawn animation for this sequence--and eventually Jane (Wendy's non-believing daughter) is whisked off to Neverland where she meets Peter Pan under most unusual circumstances.
An explosion of comic scenes featuring Captain Hook (voiced brilliantly by Corey Burton) and his befuddled Mr. Smees and an octopus (just as funny as the old Crocodile) take center stage before we return to the adventures of Jane, Peter and The Lost Boys.
It's all stylishly done in bright color with fine attention to detail in all the layouts and settings. No complaints on this score.
But speaking of score, this is one area where the film falls dismally flat. The music. Modernized songs that sound as though leftovers from "The Lion King" (and not very good leftovers at that), were tossed into the mix. Most trying of all is a song called "I'll Try" sung, if that is the word, by Jonatha Brooke, so as to make the words utterly meaningless since they can't be understood without a caption feature.
None of the other songs have any distinction or charm whatsoever and there is even a poor rendition of "The Second Star to the Right" that is used as a throwaway in this version.
So, if you can tolerate a Disney film with the worst possible selection of songs, but otherwise up to par in animation and voice characterizations--and just a little below par in the storyline--you'll find some pleasant moments in this otherwise uninspired sequel.
And speaking of vocals, Blayne Weaver does a nice job on the Peter Pan voice--as do the animators which make him look strikingly like the original. Tinker Bell too, is beautifully rendered so that there is indeed some "faith, trust and pixie dust" whenever she is around, despite that worthless song called "I'll Try".
The end credits are another headache, working against the style of the film itself. For all these complaints, still worth catching.
And it got off to an intriguing start with wartime London being the setting for the Darling household--at a time when Daddy is off to war and saying good-bye to his kids. Amusing to see Nana in an air-raid helmet while they trot off to a shelter during a bombing raid. And how true it was that soon after the nightly bombings began, children were hauled off on trains and separated from their parents for much of the war.
So far, so good. Then the pirate ship makes it through the skies and onto the roof over the children's nursery--a magical blend of CGI and great hand-drawn animation for this sequence--and eventually Jane (Wendy's non-believing daughter) is whisked off to Neverland where she meets Peter Pan under most unusual circumstances.
An explosion of comic scenes featuring Captain Hook (voiced brilliantly by Corey Burton) and his befuddled Mr. Smees and an octopus (just as funny as the old Crocodile) take center stage before we return to the adventures of Jane, Peter and The Lost Boys.
It's all stylishly done in bright color with fine attention to detail in all the layouts and settings. No complaints on this score.
But speaking of score, this is one area where the film falls dismally flat. The music. Modernized songs that sound as though leftovers from "The Lion King" (and not very good leftovers at that), were tossed into the mix. Most trying of all is a song called "I'll Try" sung, if that is the word, by Jonatha Brooke, so as to make the words utterly meaningless since they can't be understood without a caption feature.
None of the other songs have any distinction or charm whatsoever and there is even a poor rendition of "The Second Star to the Right" that is used as a throwaway in this version.
So, if you can tolerate a Disney film with the worst possible selection of songs, but otherwise up to par in animation and voice characterizations--and just a little below par in the storyline--you'll find some pleasant moments in this otherwise uninspired sequel.
And speaking of vocals, Blayne Weaver does a nice job on the Peter Pan voice--as do the animators which make him look strikingly like the original. Tinker Bell too, is beautifully rendered so that there is indeed some "faith, trust and pixie dust" whenever she is around, despite that worthless song called "I'll Try".
The end credits are another headache, working against the style of the film itself. For all these complaints, still worth catching.