Hi, Bryan Here….
It was so great to see this newly remastered ‘Peter Pan’ from Disney. The image is pristine and is the best this animated film has ever looked. Plus, Disney decided to give it a 7.1 lossless DTS-HD audio mix, which just sounds amazing. I can’t believe it has been since 1953 since we first watched this animated instant classic capture the hearts of many. It’s truly remarkable to have this on blu-ray.
THE FILM
People often make remarks that I am a bit like Peter Pan. Michael Jackson once referred to himself as being like Peter Pan. And I’d like to think that sometimes when we are all alone, that our inner child comes out and keeps us in check from the adult world to let us know that we still don’t want to be grown-ups. That we never want to get old and just have a fun life full of adventure and fun. Heck, I opened up a comic book store so I could do the things I loved doing growing up as a kid.
Disney adapted J.M Barrie’s story perfectly into animated form at a time where Disney was producing some of the best cartoon films that has ever graced the screen. And I like to think that this is one of the first Disney animated flicks that is chock full of adventure and not necessarily about a love story, even though it has a bit of that aspect to it.
And since this 1953 version, there have been countless films, shows, plays, and books based on this story. Some have been good, and many have been bad. But one thing is for sure, not one project has come close to this Disney animated show. I dare anyone to watch this and not feel so good and child like after the film ends. This movie is pure magic.
As the story goes, Peter Pan visits Wendy Darling in London looking for his shadow, which Wendy has. After some fun dialogue, Wendy and her two brothers fly to Neverland with Peter to never grow up and be free of adults. They have some adventures and laughs and meet some very fun characters and friend along the way. However, there is a very dangerous man in Neverland. A man by the name of Captain Hook along with his pirate gang. Captain Hook wants to destroy Peter Pan forever and sees this as the perfect opportunity to exact his evil scheme.
This version is my favorite out of the countless ones that have come out over the years. The animation is amazing, the voice work is incredible, and the story itself is one tof the best of all time. Maybe it’s a nostalgia thing, as I grew up watching this film at least twice a week growing up, but it hits close to home every time I watch it. This is a must have.
THE VIDEO/AUDIO
Disney’s ‘Peter Pan’ comes with an exquisite 1080p transfer and is presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This just looks stunning on all accounts. This animated film is 60 years old and while the animation has that 50’s feel, today’s technology and engineers have cleaned it all up and made the film like new. It was a complete new experience watching this. All of the grain and dirt has been removed, which were on some of the previous releases. The colors are very strong and pop. The color fills are smooth and sharp. The blacks are deep and inky as well. The blues and greens of the film truly do shine vibrantly on the screen. This is one hell of an HD transfer. Disney did a wonderful job here. ‘Peter Pan’ never looked this good.
This release comes with an all new and boasting lossless DTS-HD 7.1 audio mix as well as an original mono track. Listening to this in 7.1 was a thrill. Dialogue was crystal clear and easy to understand with the directionality of the mix sounding flawless. The explosions, yells, and action sequences give the speaker system a very good hard work out as it all sounds loud and uses each surround perfectly. I’ve never heard ‘Peter Pan’ sound this good before. Amazing audio transfer here.
THE EXTRAS
Audio Commentary — This commentary was imported from the DVD and features Roy Disney in a scripted dialogue. It also features some of the cast and crew of this film talking about their time on the flick, which is worth listening too. But, don’t expect a normal commentary track with this one.
Deleted Songs and Scenes (15 mins.) — Here are some deleted storyboard concepts and art that could have been. There are also two deleted songs here too.
Backstage Disney (65 mins.) — “You Can Fly: The Making of ‘Peter Pan’,” “In Walt’s Words: Why I Made ‘Peter Pan’,” “The ‘Peter Pan’ that Almost Was,” “Tinker Bell: A Fairy’s Tale,” and “The ‘Peter Pan’ Story”, are the five featurettes showcased her, which are the extras from the previous DVD release.
Introduction by Diane Disney-Miller (2 mins.) — Here, Diane (Walt’s daughter) intros the film and talks about how much her father loved the work on this film.
Music & More (17 mins.) — Here you get a few songs from the film as well as a music video or two. Nothin really to see here unless you’re just dying to watch music videos for a kids movie.
Growing Up with Nine Old Men (41 mins.) — This is a cool feature where the children of the original animators (who are all dead now) talk about their father’s work and history with Disney.
Disney Intermission — When you pause the actual film, you’ll be whisked away to Pirate Training. Arrrrrrr!
‘Peter Pan’ Sing-Along — You can click this button to add subtitle lyrics to the songs in the film, so you can your family can sing a long.
DisneyView — And as always, if the black bars on the sides bother you during the film, you can access this feature to put up ‘Peter Pan’ themed bars instead.
THE ULTIMATE WORD
This ‘Peter Pan’ release is top notch. The video and audio are all demo worthy and it the flick never sounded or looked better. The extras or okay, but this Disney release is definitely one to own. Highly recommended!!