Is Peter Pan & Wendy movie safe for kids? Is Peter Pan & Wendy OK for children? Read the Peter Pan & Wendy Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, an honest parents guide and mom review of the all-new 2023 Disney+ original live action Peter Pan film, starring Jude Law as Captain Hook. No spoilers! #PeterPanandWendy May contain commissioned links.
Peter Pan & Wendy Movie Review | Safe for Kids? Parents Guide
Faith, trust and pixie dust. And let’s not forget the side of chauvinistic, racist stereotypes.
Peter Pan was never one of my favorite Disney movies. The passive woman, the glaring race issues, the lack of morals and life lessons – I never understood the mentality of running away from home and never growing up to avoid…well, life.
But in yet another attempt in a long line of reinventing the classics that we didn’t ask for, 2023 brings an all-new, straight-to-streaming, live-action reimagined version of Peter Pan – and given the name, a hope for some much needed, modern updates. But can one Disney+ live action remake put a Band-Aid on a cringe-y Disney past?
In this Peter Pan & Wendy Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, I’m breaking down the visuals, the story, a full PG age rating explanation for violence, adult themes and language, and what kids’ age recommendation is suggested to watch in this new 2023 Peter Pan & Wendy parents guide to the new original live action remake on Disney+. A no-spoiler parent review of the new live action Peter Pan film, can one movie overcome a lifetime of hurtful stereotypes? Or should we have just left that Peter back in 1953?
The Visuals
It’s certainly not the highest budgeted CGI film Disney+ has ever produced. Peter Pan & Wendy, with the straight to streaming Disney+ option seems to have skimped on some of the visuals to produce a more budget-friendly live-action film (ahem, Pinocchio ringing some bells). With just enough CGI and visual enhancements to make this Peter Pan reimagined story somewhat believable, the vast fairy tale landscapes are the visual highlights of this film.
Those prone to motion sickness may be surprised that some of the scenes are quick moving, and could be nausea inducing. I would compare these potentially dizzying scenes to The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Photosensitivity Warning. For viewers prone to epilepsy and photosensitivity, be warned that there are multiple scenes in Peter Pan & Wendy that could be triggering. Multiple scenes with bright flashes of light (especially when flying or when pixie dust is involved), scenes in extreme darkness and potential dizziness/motion sickness (thanks to enhanced camera work/visuals).
The Story
Based on the J.M Barrie novel and the 1953 classic Disney animated film, Peter Pan & Wendy is a live-action reimagined movie directed David Lowery (“Pete’s Dragon”). The film stars Jude Law (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”) as Captain Hook, Alexander Molony (“The Reluctant Landlord”) as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson (“Black Widow”) as Wendy, Yara Shahidi (“black-ish”) as Tinkerbell, Alyssa Wapanatâhk as Tiger Lily, Joshua Pickering (“A Discovery of Witches”) as John, Jacobi Jupe as Michael, Molly Parker (“House of Cards”) as Mrs. Darling, Alan Tudyk (“Encanto”) as Mr. Darling, and Jim Gaffigan (“That 70’s Show”) as Smee.
Don’t expect to be blown away by the story. If you were expecting another Disney agenda-filled “woke” movie, you will certainly find familiar influential tropes in this Peter Pan retelling. However, given the fact that I grew up truly disliking the original 1953 animated Peter Pan film (and the classic fairy tale author’s inferred racist and sexist undertones), Peter Pan & Wendy is a welcome breath of fresh air for this Asian mom. (It’s me, hi! I’m the problem. It’s me.)
We have modern day inclusion (for gender, race AND special needs) to reflect the current world around us. And we have actual life lessons for kids. Imagine kids walking away with lessons on friendship, love, and acceptance, responsibility instead of excuses to run away from home. Throw in a few original songs (nothing to write home about) and add some new backstory for engaging content, and you have one modern take on Peter Pan.
Yes, there’s women empowerment, full coverage clothing, and representation matters in this 2023 Peter Pan & Wendy retelling. But we also get relatability, emotion and heart. I call that compromise, aka growing up. Not quite Hook level (give me Rufio!), but certainly a better interpretation of a classic. And considering some of the former Disney live action movies to compare to – this one certainly has to rank higher than others.
Peter Pan & Wendy PG Rating Explained
Is Peter Pan & Wendy safe for kids? Another Disney+ movie that’s rated PG? Are we talking 1953 PG or 2023 PG? Should parents be concerned? It’s no secret that I am highly skeptical of all MPAA ratings (um hello, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker not disclosing any language??). And as we know, not all movie and TV age ratings are the same. As a parent, it’s been rather heartbreaking to witness how ratings have shifted over the years with a G-rating no longer an option.
PG ratings now oscillating between Turning Red intense to Christopher Robin calm, and even PG-13/TV-14 age ratings teetering on the edge of R or MA ratings (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Werewolf by Night, I see you!), there’s a wide range between the age of 0-14 years old for parents to consider. Having fully disclosed parent guidelines can help determine if a movie or show is kid friendly – and safe for the whole family to watch together.
Why is Peter Pan & Wendy rated PG? In this Peter Pan & Wendy Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, this 2023 Disney live action remake is rated PG for “violence, peril and thematic elements.” With film and TV ratings also unpredictable these days, having fully disclosed parent guidelines can help determine if a movie or television show like Peter Pan & Wendy is kid friendly. Is Peter Pan & Wendy too scary for kids? Let’s breakdown that PG age rating in this Peter Pan & Wendy parents guide.
Violence/Suspense. Peter Pan & Wendy includes pretty typical “Peter Pan”-esque style of fighting, including use of primitive pirate pistols, swords, arrows, and cannon blasts. Hand-to-hand fighting, one possibly scary/realistic CGI animal (moving), pirates (also moving) and human skeletons (non-moving), one painful-looking human appendage injury, and multiple inferred deaths/peril. Very mild suspense. No blood or gore.
Adult Themes. One momentary hand holding. One scene of pants falling from waist to floor (nothing seen) for comedic relief. Mild discussion of past childhood traumas. Overall mild as expected for a kids movie.
Language. Does Peter Pan & Wendy have swear words and bad language? Thankfully, no. Keeping with the 1953 original classic, I report almost zero foul language to report. There is one instance of “Oh g-d.” But otherwise a rather clean live action remake for Disney. Hallelujah.
Peter Pan & Wendy Movie Age Rating for Kids
With a runtime of 1 hour 43 minutes, this 2023 Peter Pan and Wendy live action remake is definitely geared towards children and families, and surprisingly again towards younger children who love adventurous fairy tales. While certainly more “woke” than the original, this Peter Pan interpretation includes heart, emotions and actual life lessons that are relatable to kids today.
Boredom will play a factor (thank you, pause button!) for wiggle worms Your child’s sensitivity to fairy tale/fantasy themes, pirates, scary creatures, and nightmares will play a huge role in determining if Peter Pan & Wendy is ok for kids to watch. But overall, this family film is definitely kid friendly.
Disney’s 2023 Peter Pan & Wendy movie is most comparable to the 1953 animated classic “almost” meets Robin Williams’ 1991 Hook film.
This 2023 Disney live action Peter Pan remake streaming on Disney+ is rated PG for “violence, peril and thematic elements” by the MPAA.
No, there’s no end credit scene in the 2023 Peter Pan & Wendy movie. No need to wait for the end of the credits.
Based on my Peter Pan & Wendy parents guide and mom review above, this parent movie reviewer would not recommend the new live-action Peter Pan movie to kids younger than the age of 5-6 years old.
Considering the full PG rating breakdown above, this parent movie reviewer would not recommend Disney+ Peter Pan & Wendy movie to kids younger than the age of 5-6 years old. This Peter Pan & Wendy PG rating is pretty light, but with Peter Pan violence, fairy tale/pirate thematic elements, and peril there could be some scenes that may frighten younger children.
No need to be worried about another “dark” Peter Pan retelling. Peter Pan & Wendy is a classic retelling with a modern inclusive twist. I still recommend parents to prescreen the 2023 Disney+ original live action remake for fantasy/fairy tale themes and violence.
The Overall
Considering that I thought the original Peter Pan movie was a terrible, sexist and racist film, the 2023 version could only get better from there. Am I right?
Make no mistake. Disney definitely did NOT think that this Peter Pan & Wendy film was going to WOW in the theaters. The decision to have this reimagined classic to go straight to Disney+ streaming despite having a big name actor (*cough, Pinocchio, cough*) was a calculated move. However, perhaps there was a little sprinkling of pixie dust
Maybe Peter Pan has grown up a little bit – but finally in a good way. While I admit that I still am not a Peter Pan & Wendy convert and definitely NOT a Disney live-action remake proponent (who asked for a Peter Pan live action?!), the addition of heart, emotion, and backstory made this 2023 Peter Pan overall more relatable. And for once, likeable.
Follow Peter Pan & Wendy on social media:
- Website: https://ondisneyplus.disney.com/movie/peter-pan-and-wendy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyPlus/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyplus
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disneyplus/
- #PeterPanandWendy
Looking for more parent movie reviews and TV reviews like Peter Pan & Wendy Movie Review | Safe for Kids? Check out these popular posts:
Faith, trust and pixie dust. The 2023 Disney+ original live action retelling of Peter Pan & Wendy flies it’s way exclusively to streaming on Friday April 28, 2023. Will your family be watching?
I was invited to screen the 2023 new Disney+ original live action remake of Peter Pan & Wendy film in exchange for this Peter Pan & Wendy Movie Review | Safe for Kids? Parents Guide. All photos courtesy of Disney. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more movie updates, celebrity interviews, entertainment and behind-the-scenes info!
Leave a Reply