Peter Pan is not my favorite Disney cartoon but it is still a magical film for the entire family. The animation is, of course dated, but there is a certain charm which gives that special something extra the newer styles don’t have.
Peter Pan (1953)
Genre(s): Animation, Fantasy
Disney | G – 77 min. – $44.99 | February 5, 2013
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Hamilton Luske
Writer(s): James M. Barrie (play); Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Bill Peet, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, Ralph Wright, Bill Cottrell (story)
Voice Cast: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried
Theatrical Release Date: February 5, 1953
DISC INFO:
Features: Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Deleted Songs, DVD Copy, Digital Copy
Number of Discs: 3
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 7.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Full Frame 1.33
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Disc Size: 40.2 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A, B, C
THE MOVIE – 4.0/5
Outline (from back cover): Bid your cars away as Wendy and her brothers embark on fantastic adventures with the hero of their bedtime stories… Peter Pan! With faith, trust and Tinker Bell’s pixie dust, Peter teaches them how to fly and leads them to the “second star on the right” and beyond… to Never Land!
Quick Hit Review: Peter Pan is one of those timeless classics which is just as funny and poignant each time I’ve seen it. The animation is wonderful harking back to Disney’s hayday. What’s also fascinating is, though based on the works of James M. Barie, how many times the story has been translated (one way or another) in the various mediums including Spielberg’s live action version, Hook, starring Robin Williams and Julia Roberts; the touching Finding Neverland which is probably the only movie ever to make me cry; the 2003 version starring Jason Isaacs voicing Captain Hook which takes a more honest approach; and a direct-to-video sequel, Return to Neverland. There’s some failure and some surprising successes but the original is still my favorite.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5
This release comes with a glossy, embossed slip cover. Inside is a digital copy disc (no code required!) and in the insert are instructions how to get the storyboard app. The DVD Copy is also included.
Growing Up with Nine Old Men (41:08; HD) – This extensive featurette documents the nine animators who, as narrator states, “made Disney, Disney”. It’s a great and in-depth look at these men from their personal lives and includes interviews with their offspring.
Deleted Scenes and Songs (TRT 15:28; SD) are 4 scenes that for one reason or another were cut or redone.
Classic DVD Bonus Features:
Disney Song Selection where you can jump to a scene featuring that particular song; Classic Music & More has two Music Videos, a Deleted Song and a Lost Song, “Never Land”. Also included is an Audio Commentary hosted by Roy Disney and has excerpts from a different of interviews by participants in the movie.
Under Classic Backstage Disney are a few featurettes which brings some insights into the background on the project: You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan (15:59; SD), In Walt’s Words: “Why I Made Peter Pan” (7:46; SD), Tinker Bell: A Fairy’s Tale (8:27; SD), The Peter Pan That Almost Was (21:01; SD) and The Peter Pan Story (12:04; SD).
Previews – Wreck-It Ralph, Monsters University
VIDEO – 4.25/5
Albeit on the limited side with the source material, this MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer for Peter Pan looks fantastic on Blu-ray. The film, presented with a 1.33 full frame aspect ratio, is clean and free of dust, scratches and other marks which tend to show up on 60 year old movies. Now, this restoration is wonderful but it may not satisfy purists as there have been color changes (which, from my reading, were present in the Platinum Edition on DVD), though I thought it looked well balanced and didn’t seem oversaturated.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
Peter Pan receives a brand spanking new 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track which really brings out every nuance from the film from the various songs to crisp and clear dialogue levels coming mainly from the center channel. The surrounds are also impressive showcasing not only the songs but the superb score as well. Not sure how this compares with the Platinum Edition’s DEHT (Disney Home Theater Mix) but it’s got to be at least on par.
OVERALL – 4.25/5
Overall, Peter Pan is not my favorite Disney cartoon but it is still a magical film for the entire family. The animation is, of course dated, but there is a certain charm which gives that special something extra the newer styles don’t have. The 3-disc Blu-ray comes with a fine selection of features, though only a couple of them are new but the audio/video transfers are both excellent.
Published: 01/31/2013