Peter Pan is a CLASSIC animated movie.

It’s a classic in that it set new standards for cartoons including animation, storytelling and voice acting.  Originally released in 1953, Peter Pan tells the story of Wendy and her adventure in a mystical island called Never Land.  One night in her nice London home, the enthusiastic flying boy, Peter Pan takes her to the island along with her brothers.  Peter Pan has his friends in the Lost Boys and it’s their job is to stop the menacing Captain Hook and his comrades.

The animation looks dated compared to today’s animated flick but Peter Pan is the first animated movie to feature expressive facial expressions.  The painted background also looks great.  These accomplishments wouldn’t hold as much weight if the story was bad but the fact it’s still more popular than ever is a testament to the greatness of the story.

Peter Pan and Wendy have a nice chemistry and for a movie like this, it’s easy to make Wendy an annoying brat.  But Walt Disney found the right formula and made her stubborn yet likeable.  Peter Pan is a happy go lucky character and his interaction with his friends makes him a character we can all relate to.  Peter Pan’s fairy friend and sage, Tinkerbell, is a great contrast to Wendy.  She’s feisty and sassy while Wendy is a proper Brit.

Hook is a great bad guy.  He’s evil but his scenes are fun because of his goons.

Peter Pan is a great movie that even kids and adults will still enjoy today.

Presentation for this movie is an overkill and that’s a good thing!

The video is presented in its original 1.33:1 ratio.  That means it’s setup like a regular tv show before the HD days.  Movies back then were presented this way so don’t be surprised when you see black bars on the left and right hand side of the screen.  The video is pristine clear and officionados might be upset Disney got rid of the grains since it’s part of the movie.  I have no problem with it because it would be hard to watch this movie with all the grains.  It would just be distracting.  Without the grains, I could focus more on the bright color palette and animation.

The audio is presented in lossless DTS HD 7.1.  Yes, you read that right, 7.1.  Even some current action blockbusters aren’t released with a 7.1.  That’s how great Disney has taken care of this transfer.  Mostly the surrounds aren’t used and it’s still mainly a front soundstage with the main channel doing the heavy load.  The dialogue is crisp and easy to understand.  Sound effects is decent but don’t expect any heavy bass.

The extras for Peter Pan is extensive including an behind the scenes (SD) look clocking in at more than an hour long.  While the main documentary is in SD, it has a really cool documentary closing in at 40 minutes of 9 animators from the movie and their contribution to the Disney company.  There’s also an audio commentary from Roy Disney that’s insightful.  Other extras include deleted scenes, sing along for the kids and a game called Side Bars.

Disney scored big again with the release of Peter Pan.  The set captures the magic of the movie and a lot of love was shown for this set.  This a movie that deserves to be watched once a year.  It’s a fun movie.  The presentation is great.  I was highly impressed with the extras and it’s an inspiration to see the documentary about the 9 artists.

Get this movie before it flies off the shelves and go back to the vault.

Grade: A

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