Of course, whatever you think of their artistic failings, the films have made more than enough money for Disney to press on with the project unabated \u2013 and it appears that these live-action remakes are something cinemagoers are going to have to reckon with for the foreseeable future. The release of The Little Mermaid<\/a> is imminent, while the next few years will also see new takes on Snow White<\/a>, Lilo & Stitch<\/a>, Hercules<\/a>, and doubtless many more, not to mention a sequel to The Lion King directed by Moonlight\u2019s Barry Jenkins.<\/p> It\u2019s therefore something of a breath of fresh air when a filmmaker actually manages to inject some personality into one of these films. That\u2019s the case with David Lowery\u2019s new film Peter Pan & Wendy<\/a>, which is now available to stream on Disney Plus<\/a> having bypassed a theatrical release. The film stars Alexander Moloney, Ever Anderson and Jude Law and has a sort of old-fashioned sense of adventure and charm to it that should make it a hit with younger viewers. It also doesn\u2019t shy away from delivering some genuinely sinister moments, with Law excelling as the wicked but not necessarily irredeemable Captain Hook.<\/p>\n Lowery is perhaps best known for writing and directing the sublime film The Green Knight in 2021, but he also has previous form when it comes to remaking works from the Disney catalogue: in 2016, he adapted one of the studio\u2019s more forgotten works Pete\u2019s Dragon \u2013 a live-action\/animation hybrid from 1977 \u2013 into a rollicking and poignant adventure starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Robert Redford.<\/p>\n Peter Pan & Wendy is perhaps not quite at the same level as that film, nor is it anywhere near as consistently enchanting as The Green Knight. The narrative can feel uneven at times and some of the character dynamics would have benefited from having a little more room to breathe, as would Lowery\u2019s thoughtful ruminations on the theme of growing up. But the film nonetheless retains his trademark directorial stamp \u2013 combining an earthy, natural feel with a magical sense of wonder and awe \u2013 that ensures it seems a far cry from the more mechanical live-action remakes of recent times. In short, it\u2019s a film with style and soul rather than just a meaningless product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The question must be asked, then, of why it is being dumped straight to Disney Plus without first getting a theatrical release. It\u2019s by no means the first time this has happened to one of these films, partially due to the effects of COVID, but it does feel like a rare case of a live-action remake that would have really benefited from being seen on a big screen. That\u2019s because Peter Pan & Wendy actually feels genuinely cinematic, featuring some sublime visuals that see Lowery making the most of the beautiful Canadian landscape moonlighting as the mystical Neverland, while also delivering some impressive tracking shots and making nifty use of special effects.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a particularly unfathomable decision when we consider that 2023 hasn\u2019t exactly been a vintage year for children\u2019s entertainment. The Super Mario Bros Movie<\/a> may have performed well at the box office, and there has been a consistent conveyor belt of animations such as Mummies, but aside from perhaps Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, nothing has really stood out as a genuinely great film.<\/p>\n Peter Pan & Wendy is by no means perfect, but it could have very competently filled that void, providing younger viewers with an enjoyable swashbuckling adventure that simultaneously gives them some interesting things to think about. Frankly, it is more deserving of a cinema release than most of the previous live-action remakes \u2013 and should be praised for not sticking resolutely to a dreary formula. If Disney must insist on pressing on with its remake obsession, we could do with more filmmakers like David Lowery bringing some style to proceedings.<\/p> ![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/Peter-Pan-and-Wendy-1-a660ab6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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