One of the earlier Disney sequels is Return To Never Land. It is worth noting that Return To Never Land is also referred to as Peter Pan In Return to Never Land and also Peter Pan II: Return to Never Land depending on the region you live in or the release date of the version you end up getting.
How to Download Return to Never Land
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
As someone who loved the original Peter Pan movie and who considers Peter Pan’s Flight to still be one of the best rides at Disneyland Pairs, I have always had a soft spot for the character. While most Disney sequels of this era ended up straight to DVD/VHS, Return to Never Land actually got a full theatrical release and it did fairly well, to be honest with you.
I will say that I do not feel that it is as good as the original, however, Return to Never Land does have some charm. It takes place during World War II and a grown-up Wendy now has a family of her own which includes a daughter called Jane. During the Blitz of London, Wendy is telling her kids about her adventures in Never Land and also about her friend, Peter Pan.
Jane lacks the imagination of Wendy and just thinks that these stories are all make-believe. I have to say that I do not think Jane is all that likable of a character at the start of the movie! You do eventually come around to her, but I feel that she and some of the other characters lack that little bit of magic 99 percent of the cast had in the original movie.
Well, there is a return to Never Land in this movie, but it is not the way that you think. Captain Hook is still obsessed with capturing Peter Pan and he thinks that if he captures Wendy, Pan will come and try to save her! It is a good plan in theory, but Hook makes a mistake.
You see, he and his crew mistake Jane for Wendy and it is her that they kidnap by mistake. Peter comes to Jane’s rescue and realizes who she is. I have to say that the overall plot is very, very similar to the original Peter Pan in many ways. The real twist here is Jane’s complete disbelief in anything magic which greatly affects Tinker Bell and other stuff on the island.
Eventually, Jane ends up in more trouble and Peter needs to convince Jane that magic is real in order for them to escape the clutches of Captain Hook! In all, the plot may not be all that original, but it is still fun. I think they did as well as they could with a sequel to Peter Pan which let’s face it, is questionable if we actually needed this in the first place.
I will say that Return to Never Land is one of the better-looking Disney sequels of this era and the score and the voice acting are very well done too. If you enjoyed the original Peter Pan, I am pretty sure you will have fun with this. It is good harmless fun, but it never matches the brilliance or timeless nature of the original movie.
