Return to Never Land
Y
Feb 15, 2002
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Return to Never Land."
Preceded by the vintage cartoon short "Pluto's Fledgling," with its thematically in tune story of a young bird learning to fly, the Disney's "Return to Never Land" is an eminently airworthy sequel to one of the studio's most renowned creations, 1953's "Peter Pan." While theatrical prospects are solid if unspectacular compared to the new generation of animated blockbusters, "Return" is an entertaining 72 minutes that will sell like lollipops on video and DVD.
Set initially in World War II London and centering on Jane, the daughter of Wendy, "Return" is a production of Walt Disney Television Animation that combines traditional 2-D and computer-generated imagery. Evoking the original's style with the character animation and able to create such sophisticated effects as Tinker Bell's pixie dust and Captain Hook's flying pirate ship Jolly Roger, it may not be a big technical leap forward for the genre, but the film keeps one watching and certainly will make the grade with young viewers.
Jane (voiced by Harriet Owen) is a smart, serious girl who has grown up fast in wartime England, where she's out on the streets even as bombs are falling.
Her father has left the family to go off and fight. Jane and her little brother are about to be sent to the safer countryside when her frustrations cause her to briefly vex her mother, the grown Wendy (Kath Soucie), who tries to make everyone feel better with stories of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.
Going to sleep in an unbelieving state of mind, Jane is promptly kidnapped by Captain Hook (Corey Burton), who thinks she is Wendy and who plans to hold her hostage to lure Peter Pan (Blayne Weaver) to his doom. Heading off into space, they fly to Never Land and, in short order, Pan rescues her as Hook runs into a new aquatic foe in the form of a big, funky octopus.
Remembering promises she made to her father and wanting to get home as soon as possible, Jane tries to build a raft and otherwise acts too "grown-up" for Pan and the boys. When she's informed that pixie dust will allow her to fly home, Jane puts down Pan and Tinker Bell, causing the latter to start losing her "light." A plan to make her one of the boys and a believer is derailed when Hook makes a crooked deal with her.
Of course, Jane comes to realize her mistakes. While Pan is captured and she alienates all the Lost Boys, Jane starts to get the picture and by the end knows that growing up properly means keeping one's imagination and sense of playfulness. Tinker Bell almost doesn't make it in the scariest part, but Hook is ultimately foiled again. Jane wakes up a new girl.
Along with nicely imagining the timeless Peter Pan vision of eternal youthful energy and bouts with bad guy Hook, director Robin Budd and screenwriter Temple Mathews ("The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea") find the right moments to insert songs, including Sammy Fain and Sammy Cahn's "Second Star to the Right" and They Might Be Giants' "So to Be One Of Us," performed by the cast.
RETURN TO NEVER LAND
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Television Animation
Director: Robin Budd
Screenwriter: Temple Mathews
Producers: Christopher Chase, Michelle Robinson, Dan Rounds
Art director: Wendell Luebbe
Editor: Anthony F. Rocco
Music: Joel McNeely
Casting: Jamie Thomason
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jane, Young Wendy: Harriet Owen
Peter Pan: Blayne Weaver
Captain Hook: Corey Burton
Smee: Jeff Bennett
Wendy: Kath Soucie
Running time -- 72 minutes
MPAA rating: G
Preceded by the vintage cartoon short "Pluto's Fledgling," with its thematically in tune story of a young bird learning to fly, the Disney's "Return to Never Land" is an eminently airworthy sequel to one of the studio's most renowned creations, 1953's "Peter Pan." While theatrical prospects are solid if unspectacular compared to the new generation of animated blockbusters, "Return" is an entertaining 72 minutes that will sell like lollipops on video and DVD.
Set initially in World War II London and centering on Jane, the daughter of Wendy, "Return" is a production of Walt Disney Television Animation that combines traditional 2-D and computer-generated imagery. Evoking the original's style with the character animation and able to create such sophisticated effects as Tinker Bell's pixie dust and Captain Hook's flying pirate ship Jolly Roger, it may not be a big technical leap forward for the genre, but the film keeps one watching and certainly will make the grade with young viewers.
Jane (voiced by Harriet Owen) is a smart, serious girl who has grown up fast in wartime England, where she's out on the streets even as bombs are falling.
Her father has left the family to go off and fight. Jane and her little brother are about to be sent to the safer countryside when her frustrations cause her to briefly vex her mother, the grown Wendy (Kath Soucie), who tries to make everyone feel better with stories of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.
Going to sleep in an unbelieving state of mind, Jane is promptly kidnapped by Captain Hook (Corey Burton), who thinks she is Wendy and who plans to hold her hostage to lure Peter Pan (Blayne Weaver) to his doom. Heading off into space, they fly to Never Land and, in short order, Pan rescues her as Hook runs into a new aquatic foe in the form of a big, funky octopus.
Remembering promises she made to her father and wanting to get home as soon as possible, Jane tries to build a raft and otherwise acts too "grown-up" for Pan and the boys. When she's informed that pixie dust will allow her to fly home, Jane puts down Pan and Tinker Bell, causing the latter to start losing her "light." A plan to make her one of the boys and a believer is derailed when Hook makes a crooked deal with her.
Of course, Jane comes to realize her mistakes. While Pan is captured and she alienates all the Lost Boys, Jane starts to get the picture and by the end knows that growing up properly means keeping one's imagination and sense of playfulness. Tinker Bell almost doesn't make it in the scariest part, but Hook is ultimately foiled again. Jane wakes up a new girl.
Along with nicely imagining the timeless Peter Pan vision of eternal youthful energy and bouts with bad guy Hook, director Robin Budd and screenwriter Temple Mathews ("The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea") find the right moments to insert songs, including Sammy Fain and Sammy Cahn's "Second Star to the Right" and They Might Be Giants' "So to Be One Of Us," performed by the cast.
RETURN TO NEVER LAND
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Television Animation
Director: Robin Budd
Screenwriter: Temple Mathews
Producers: Christopher Chase, Michelle Robinson, Dan Rounds
Art director: Wendell Luebbe
Editor: Anthony F. Rocco
Music: Joel McNeely
Casting: Jamie Thomason
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jane, Young Wendy: Harriet Owen
Peter Pan: Blayne Weaver
Captain Hook: Corey Burton
Smee: Jeff Bennett
Wendy: Kath Soucie
Running time -- 72 minutes
MPAA rating: G
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