Review: Peter Pan (DMC #16)

Welcome back everyone! We hope you are all safe and cozy in your homes while we wait out the coronavirus. We may have to quarantine ourselves and practice social distancing for a while, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun! For example, you can invite your friends to join in the Disnerd Movie Challenge, sync your Disney Plus apps, and host your own virtual watch parties via Skype, FaceTime, or social media to keep in touch with your friends. And as always, you can follow along with us here and on our social channels as we make our way through the challenge.

This week we watched Peter Pan, the sixteenth film in the Disnerd Movie Challenge. If you’ve never seen this before, our synopsis is below. Otherwise, read on for our review of this Never Land adventure!

Synopsis

On a quiet street in London, England, George and Mary Darling are preparing to go out for the evening. Their sons, John and Michael, are playfully re-enacting a story of Peter Pan and Captain Hook which their older sister, Wendy, has told them. George is irritated by the stories and believes Wendy, especially, is too old to believe in such nonsense. The Darlings’ nursemaid (and dog), Nana, just goes about her evening duties, but when George loses his temper and declares this will be Wendy’s last night in their nursery, he accidentally trips over Nana. He finds himself in a heap on the floor, but is angered to see his wife and children tending to Nana instead of him. He takes Nana outside, insisting that his children need to grow up. That night, after Mary and George depart, Peter Pan himself visits the Darling household to search for his shadow, which Nana had taken after his last visit. He finds his shadow, but awakens the Darling children in the process. Realizing that Wendy tells great stories, and wanting a mother figure to live with him, Peter offers to bring Wendy to his magical home of Never Land. After John and Michael eagerly express wanting to go as well, Peter teaches all three of them to fly with the help of the dust from his pixie friend, Tinker Bell.

The group’s arrival alerts Peter’s enemies: Captain Hook, his first mate Mr. Smee, and their pirate crew. Hook, who wants revenge on Peter for cutting off his hand and feeding it to a crocodile, tries to kill them, but the Darling children escape. Tinker Bell tries to have Wendy killed by the Lost Boys but fails, and Peter banishes her. While John and Michael set off with the Lost Boys to find the island’s Indians, Peter takes Wendy to see the mermaids. John, Michael, and the Lost Boys are captured by the Indians, who believe them responsible for capturing their princess, Tiger Lily. Wendy has a less than warm welcome from the mermaids, and she and Peter discover that Hook has kidnapped Tiger Lily in an attempt to learn of Peter Pan’s hiding place. Peter fights Hook, who is nearly eaten by the crocodile who consumed his hand, while Peter saves Tiger Lily and is honored by the tribe. Hook takes advantage of Tinker Bell’s jealousy to find Peter’s hiding place. That night, the Darling children grow homesick and plan to leave. While the Lost Boys agree to join them, Peter refuses to grow up. The pirates ambush them and take the children back to the ship while leaving a time bomb to kill Peter. Tinker Bell is able to save Peter from death, and he in turn saves Tinker Bell. They rush to Hook’s ship to rescue the children, and Peter duels Hook while the others fight off the pirates. The pirates flee their ship, and Peter has Tinker Bell use her pixie dust to allow the ship to fly back to London. The Darlings return home while the Lost Boys ultimately decide to stay in Never Land. George and Mary also return home, and George has relaxed his belief that Wendy needs to grow up. In that moment, George, Mary, and Wendy look out the window and see a pirate ship in the clouds. George has a moment of remembrance, recognizing the ship from his own childhood.

Thoughts Before Watching

Megan: I don’t remember liking this one as much as a kid, primarily, I think, because there weren’t any great female characters to root for. Wendy is a constant victim, Tink is a brat, the mermaids are mean… I recall that little Michael and his teddy bear were the characters that I most cared about, but even then it wasn’t enough for me to rewatch it often. It’s been ages since I’ve seen this, so I’m curious what I’ll think of it as an adult.

Kevin: I’ve loved Peter Pan for a long time—it’s one of those films that defines “classic” Disney to me. As for other versions of the story, I read a children’s version of J.M. Barrie’s play many years ago, and I’ve seen several live action versions, from the Broadway musical production (one of my favorite renditions ever; I’m especially partial to the 1960 broadcast with Mary Martin) to Robbie Kay’s villainous portrayal of the character in the third season of Once Upon a Time. I’ve enjoyed these other takes, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen the Disney animated film. I know it has a far less enthusiastic reception these days though, and I know it’s with good reason. I’m interested to see what I think after we watch it this time.

Thoughts After Watching

Kevin: All right—this film is not as great as I remember it, and I’m not exactly surprised at this reaction, but it’s a bit disappointing considering how much I loved this growing up.

Megan: Brace yourselves—I’m about to go full feminist analysis on this film.

I joked with Kevin while watching this that I was spending so much time writing notes that I was barely looking at the television screen. Every new line of dialogue demanded to be analyzed, and this English major was thrilled! So consider yourself warned—I have a LOT to say about this one.

Kevin: I’ll see you all a little later!

The Parents: George and Mary Darling

Megan: From the moment we meet George and Mary Darling we can see their parenting dynamic is at odds with each other. George is far too easily angered while Mary remains calm at all times. In fact, George doesn’t seem to have a good thing to say to anyone—least of all the women in his household. He scolds the dog, Nana, for doing her job, he scolds Wendy for telling stories, and he scolds his wife when he cannot find his own belongings because his sons have taken them to play pirates. In this initial introduction to George Darling, we begin to wonder if he even likes his children. When he trips over toys and Nana and dramatically falls, we see from his facial expression that he expects his family to rush to his aid and fawn over him. He is immediately disappointed, however, because his wife and children instead rush to comfort Nana. But why would his family rush to comfort him when he has positioned himself as an antagonist in their lives? Is it any wonder that both Captain Hook and George Darling are voiced by the same actor?

Megan: Mary Darling is the complete opposite of her husband, as she is the epitome of a perfect wife and mother. She’s level-headed and seems to put up with her husband’s outbursts. In fact, we can assume her calm reasoning and sway over her husband is why George changes his mind about forcing Wendy out of the nursery by the time they return home from their evening out. Her job here seems to be to smooth out her husband’s rough edges. She even tells her children, “don’t judge your father too harshly. After all, he really loves you very much.” But we in the audience are left wondering, does he? Does he really love his children? He sure has a strange way of showing it.

Both parents’ roles in this film seem to be a result of society’s expectations and social conditioning. Women during this time period were to strive to be perfect wives and mothers (although Mary certainly has a lot of help with Nana cleaning up after the children, giving them medicine, and, at least in Michael’s mind, being a caring mother-figure). Fathers, meanwhile, weren’t expected to be involved in the child rearing. I was immediately struck by the similarities between George Darling and George Banks from Mary Poppins. Beyond sharing the same first name, both men give their all to their jobs and treat their children as an accessory to their success, and yet they are not happy. This is the success=happiness formula the world has given them, and yet following that formula leaves them unfulfilled and angry. True happiness is found in our connections to other people, and while Mr. Banks discovers that at the end of Mary Poppins, it’s hard to say if Mr. Darling learns that same lesson by the end of Peter Pan. He clearly remembers something of what it was like to be a child, and in that moment he receives affection from both Wendy and Mary, but is that enough for him to rebuild his relationships with his wife and children?

The Nursemaid: Nana

Megan: Nana does so much for the Darlings, and yet she is never appreciated for it. She cleans up after the children, she brings them their medicine, and she seems to do it all happily (except, of course, when something she just cleaned up gets messed up again). In fact, Nana does so much for the children that after spending time in Never Land, it is Nana that Michael remembers most, not his own mother. When George Darling trips over Nana, the dog is comforted by the children and Mary Darling, but George becomes jealous of her and only then decides that having a dog as a nursemaid is preposterous. Nana is then punished for George’s injured ego and chained up in the backyard. But Nana is the one who protected the children against the intruder, Peter Pan, by stealing his shadow, so while Mary Darling (rightly) worries if the children will be alright “without Nana” while they go out for the evening, Peter Pan is free to break into the nursery and basically kidnap the children. Though Nana barks and tries to follow the children, she is still tethered and thus unable to intervene. I ask you this: if Nana had been a boy dog, would she have been forced into service as a nursemaid? Probably not. In fact, if she had been a boy dog, her role likely would have been more focused on protecting the children and thus seen as more valuable in the eyes of George Darling.

This could be Wendy’s story.

Megan: Even though this movie is named for Peter Pan, one could argue that this is supposed to be Wendy’s story. After all, she is the only character who experiences a change. In the beginning she is upset because “I have to grow up tomorrow,” yet by the end of her harrowing adventure through Never Land (and it is harrowing—more on the many threats on her life below), she feels she is finally ready to grow up (perhaps it is safer than staying a child in Never Land forever). However, there are so many flaws with this film from a feminist standpoint that I really don’t think this is Wendy’s story—at least, not anymore. It’s like her story has been stolen to serve a male narrative.

Girls Don’t Have Friends, They Have Enemies.

Megan: I couldn’t help but notice that every relationship between two female characters in this film is antagonistic, while many of the relationships between boy characters allow for at least some level of camaraderie. What’s more, the central reason the girls can never get along is because they’re all competing for the same boy: Peter Pan. (Which, can I just say, if Peter Pan is the most eligible and desirable bachelor in Never Land paradise, there’s a much bigger problem. He’s a terrible dating choice! He cut off a guy’s hand, breaks into the Darlings’ home, kidnaps them…) This sets up a dangerous scenario, because as Hook says, “a jealous female can be tricked into anything.” And it’s true—if none of the female characters are friends with each other, they are easier to pick off one by one, thus leaving the male characters in control. Let’s dive deeper into this one relationship at a time, shall we?

Tinker Bell vs. Wendy

Megan: I’ll be honest, I’ve never liked Tinker Bell, and I never really understood why so many other girls and women seemed to like her (though I will admit the later 3D animated films do make her more likable, but people were crazy for Tinker Bell even before those newer films came out). From the outset Tinker Bell is presented as a character who is sexualized (the shortness of her skirt would have been scandalous back when this film came out) and overly concerned with her body image. She stops to admire herself in a mirror, only to suddenly be displeased at the size of her hips. Really? Hey, Disney animators, (A) it’s your fault her hips-to-waist ratio is blown out of natural proportions, and (B) way to make a bunch of young girls suddenly self-conscious about their bodies.

They could have stopped there, but instead we learn that Tinker Bell is an incredibly jealous pixie. She immediately sees Wendy as a threat to her relationship with Peter Pan and spends most of the movie finding ways to get rid of her—largely by killing her. For example, when they first get to Never Land, Tink ditches the Darlings so she can get to the Lost Boys first. She then tells the Lost Boys that Peter Pan wants them to shoot down a “Wendy Bird.” After Peter Pan learns that Tink was behind the Lost Boys’ attempt on Wendy’s life, he banishes Tink, which only makes her jealousy for Wendy worse. By this point, Tink is so incredibly jealous that it’s easy for Captain Hook to use that jealousy to convince Tink to reveal Peter Pan’s hideout. In her fervent desire to get rid of Wendy, Tink is willing to believe that the pirates will “shanghai Wendy” on her behalf.

Mermaids vs. Wendy

Megan: When Wendy first arrives in Never Land she’s most excited to meet the mermaids, who, like Tinker Bell, are sexualized (their sea shells, star fish, sea weed, or hair just barely conceal their breasts). But it soon becomes clear that Wendy is unwelcome in Mermaid Lagoon. The moment the mermaids see Wendy they immediately question why she’s there, “and in her nightdress, too.” Her presence is clearly seen as an assault on their time with Peter Pan, whom they all seem to be flirting with. They then begin to tug at Wendy’s nightdress to pull her into the water, asking her cruelly to “join us for a swim” before splashing her repeatedly while Wendy cries out in protest. They casually admit that they “were only trying to drown her.” While the mermaids seem to have some tenuous friendship with each other, we can guess that if Peter were to show favor to one mermaid over the others, that mermaid would become the new victim of torment, just like Wendy.

Peter is no help in this scene. Firstly, he flies over to the mermaids and seems to enjoy being the center of their attention while Wendy is left to awkwardly climb down from the cliff to get to the lagoon. While the mermaids torment Wendy, Peter only laughs at her predicament. It isn’t until Wendy brandishes a large shell to chuck at the mermaids, and starts to threaten with “if you dare to come near me again…,” that Peter intervenes—to stop Wendy, not to stop the mermaids. He insists the mermaids were “just having a little fun” and doesn’t even bat an eye when the mermaids admit they were trying to kill Wendy by drowning her. Though Wendy again protests, Peter quickly places a hand over her mouth, silencing her because he hears someone coming. The message from Peter to Wendy is clear—shut up and don’t speak your mind, not even to defend yourself from those who would harm you. This is pretty messed up messaging for a children’s movie. Not only does it encourage girls to compete with each other rather than raising each other up, it encourages boys to sit back, have fun being the center of female attention, and forget about being an ally to women except for when it suits your goals (i.e., making sure Wendy doesn’t hurt one of the mermaids, giving him fewer women fawning over him).

Tiger Lily vs. Wendy

Megan: I would like to say that things get better with Tiger Lily, but while Wendy’s interactions with her are far less violent, they’re not really any better. Firstly, Tiger Lily has one single line in the entire movie—a half-drowned “Help!” (never a great sign when that’s a female character’s only line in a movie…). Because she never speaks in the movie, it’s hard to say what her intentions might be (while Tinker Bell similarly doesn’t speak, her language is interpreted through Peter and other male characters, so we at least know what she says—if those male interpreters are to be trusted). We can assume, however, that Tiger Lily and Peter Pan had some sort of relationship before Wendy came to Never Land, because Tiger Lily decides to remain loyal to Peter rather than giving away the location of his hideout when Captain Hook and Mr. Smee capture her. Thus when we see her dancing with Peter at the celebration back at her home, it’s perhaps a more natural interaction for them (and it’s already been established that Peter has several girl friends, so it really isn’t surprising to see him and Tiger Lily flirting with each other).

This time it is Wendy who is jealous of Tiger Lily. However, rather than attempting to kill Tiger Lily (as Tink and the mermaids tried to kill Wendy), Wendy merely sulks. Some of her sulking is warranted. After all, while everyone else is having a grand old time dancing, an older woman tells Wendy she must go get firewood. No one tells the boys to go fetch firewood, and Tiger Lily is presumably exempt from this chore because she’s the chief’s daughter. But when the party is over and everyone returns to Peter Pan’s hideout, Wendy is still sulking because she’s jealous of Tiger Lily. By this point, Wendy has had enough of Never Land. When Peter greets her saying “Big Chief greets Little Mother,” her response of “Ugg” is both a response out of jealousy and, I’d argue, a response to the implication that she’s stuck in a role of “mother”—she’s expected to tell stories, do chores, and be a good girl/woman who doesn’t start fights with mermaids and also has zero aspirations outside being a wife and child-bearing machine. Back in London she knew she didn’t want to grow up, but somehow being in Never Land where no one ever grows up hasn’t allowed her to escape the pressures of adulthood. In fact, becoming an adult in London never looked so attractive. At least she’d have fewer near-death experiences.

Wendy tries to be the better person, but to what end?

Megan: Although every female character Wendy encounters in Never Land is set up as an antagonist, Wendy still tries to be kind to all of them. When Tink calls Wendy “a big ugly girl” Wendy replies “I think she’s lovely.” When Peter decides to banish Tink “forever,” it is Wendy that says “oh Peter, not forever,” making him change his mind and only banish Tink “for a week, then.” We also see that Wendy is incredibly excited when she’s about to go meet the mermaids—she’s eager to befriend them (though she quickly changes her mind once the mermaids show their true colors). Even when it comes to Tiger Lily, Wendy is the one who reminds Peter that oh, hey, by the way, you were so busy fighting Captain Hook that you completely forgot about saving Tiger Lily—you know, the girl who’s about to drown because the tide is coming in? However, through it all, Wendy’s kindness doesn’t bring her any closer to the female characters, and it doesn’t really win her any points with the boys, either. One could almost argue that, at least in Never Land, it doesn’t pay to be kind.

Girls, Boys, and Romance

Megan: The limited gender roles presented in this movie largely disadvantage women. For example, girls are conditioned to seek romance (for the sole purpose of becoming a mother). Boys, on the other hand, are conditioned to be ignorant of romance (with zero thought to fatherhood duties). We see this with Mary and George—Mary, the doting wife and mother who seeks to please everyone, and George, the husband who’s seemingly angry to find that fatherhood and children were also part of the “success” package. With Wendy, John, and Michael, Wendy has been caring for her brothers like a mother would, while the boys run around playing pirates with no care or responsibility for the mess they make in the process. When Peter Pan enters the picture, Wendy is quick to thank him with a kiss, but Peter’s response is “what’s a kiss?” Even in Never Land, where every girl fawns over Peter, he is oblivious of their romantic interest in him, as he’s far more concerned with having fun and tormenting Captain Hook. While he is quick to throw Wendy into the role of mother, he does not take on the role of father. Rather, he expects Wendy to also be his mother, while we can assume Wendy would have expected to see him in a husband-like role.

Motherhood in the eyes of Never Land

Megan: Even the role of mother, as detailed in the song “Your Mother and Mine” is held to such a high standard that it is unattainable. Just look at these lyrics: “the most wonderful person in the world,” “the angel voice that bids you goodnight,” “What makes a mother all that they are? / Might as well ask what makes a star? / Ask your heart to tell you her worth / your heart will say heaven on earth.” Now, granted, when we are small children, our parents are our whole world, and we idolize them, sometimes oblivious to their faults. However, if this is the ideal that Wendy is to strive for on her path to motherhood, it doesn’t seem worth it. After all, Michael doesn’t even remember their own mother—he remembers the dog. All the Lost Boys don’t remember their mothers, either, and it would seem that the pirates listening in from outside the hideout had also forgotten about their mothers until they heard Wendy singing. While the song seems to be saying that mothers are amazing, the scene oddly juxtaposes this by implying that no matter how good a mother is, she will be forgotten.

The trouble with all of this is that the female characters are given no aspirations beyond an idealized and unattainable version of wife and/or mother, while the boys can have many aspirations (though theirs are largely limited to fighting and showing their dominance over others). Thus, girls like Wendy have to grow up to be like Mary, and boys like John and Michael may one day grow up to be disgruntled men like George when they find that constantly fighting for dominance does not lead to fulfillment. Peter Pan, whom we’re assured will never grow up, remains free to be a wild hellion with little regard for those around him.

“Peter Pan will save us.”

Megan: The male and female roles are further narrowed by positioning all female characters as victims who need to be rescued, and the one male protagonist as the constant savior. Peter saves Wendy when she falls out of the sky after the Lost Boys shoot at her. He also “saves” her (from herself) when she gets mad at the mermaids. Then, at the very end, Peter saves Wendy when she walks the plank. Peter also saves Tiger Lily from drowning, and gets a hero’s welcome from her father in return. Tinker Bell briefly breaks the mold by rescuing Peter from the bomb gift box, and Peter recognizes “if it hadn’t been for Tink…” he wouldn’t have survived. However, in rescuing Peter, Tinker Bell again becomes the victim who has to be rescued by Peter. In this dire moment where Peter is searching the rubble for Tink, he betrays a brief moment of vulnerability when he admits to Tink, “you mean more to me than anything in this whole world.” This is the only time we see Peter break the masculinity trope, but it is quickly covered up by him rescuing Tink, Wendy, John, Michael, and the Lost Boys, and defeating Captain Hook. Heaven forbid his masculinity be thrown into question by a girl saving him and forcing him to express his true feelings.

The problems with masculinity

Megan: Captain Hook further calls Peter’s masculinity into question when he calls him a coward. Of all the terrible things they’ve said to each other, it is made clear that “coward” is the absolute worst thing Hook could have called Peter. It is such a devastating blow to Peter that he then boasts that he’ll fight with one arm behind his back and promise not to fly in order to prove to Hook and everyone watching that he is not a coward. In spite of his overconfidence and stupidity, Peter emerges victorious, problematically demonstrating that the best way to prove you’re not a coward is to do something incredibly stupid and life-threatening. Very macho.

Male overconfidence

Megan: John, too, falls prey to overconfidence. A know-it-all from the start, John somehow becomes the de facto leader of the Lost Boys in Peter’s absence. He boldly leads the group through Never Land—where he has never been before. When they come upon tracks in the woods, John is too busy mansplaining to the group that he doesn’t hear Michael’s warnings and the entire group is soon captured by the natives.

Following the Leader (aka, the Alpha male)

Megan: The Lost Boys aren’t much better. They truly are “lost” as they repeatedly fall prey to the alpha male of the moment and are seemingly incapable of thinking or deciding for themselves. They idolize Peter as their hero and leader, and thus are eager to seek his approval. After they shoot down Wendy, they literally fall over each other to take credit for the terrible deed, hoping to win praise from Peter. In following John (while literally singing “We’re following the leader, because he told us so”), they’re ambushed. Later, when they’ve all been captured by Captain Hook, they again fall over themselves, racing to sign up to join Captain Hook. Their fickle loyalty is similar to the dragons in How to Train Your Dragon 2 who blindly follow whichever dragon has established himself as the alpha. Granted, in the pirate scenario, the Lost Boys do not have the “luxury” of Wendy’s confidence that “Peter Pan will save us.” In their experience, Peter Pan doesn’t always come to save them. They’re not damsels in distress, after all. Thus when the choice is death by walking the plank or following a new alpha male, they overwhelmingly choose following a new alpha male. Wendy may seem brave for choosing to walk the plank, but we know that she does so believing that Peter Pan will rescue her.

Phew! That was even more than I thought I had to say on this film… Over to you, Kevin!

Why does the art look so… dull?

Kevin: Hi, everyone! I took a step back so Megan could tackle all that because, well, I don’t think there’s more I can add. Every single thing Megan just said is completely on point. Still, I want to give my two cents on this film. Way up above I said that I was disappointed by this recent viewing. Out of everything wrong with this movie, one of the first things I noticed (and was very dismayed about) is how desaturated this film looks compared to Alice in Wonderland. Where Alice in Wonderland has bright colors and vibrant images, Peter Pan looks distinctly whited out, and the colors are far less vivid. Just compare the looks of the characters—I wonder if this is because Alice was in production hell for several years and had more time and production costs thrown at it? I’m not sure, but it makes Peter Pan noticeably less polished. (As it is, the official Disney Plus image for the movie, as seen above, is just a still image from the film itself, whereas many of the other animated films we’ve seen so far are these highly polished, glossy images.)

Once more, Disney’s depiction of Native Americans is racist.

Kevin: Disney does not have a great track record when it comes to how they portray Native Americans. Even Pocahontas, which seems to do a lot better in its portrayal, still has plenty of issues. I don’t recall thinking much about this as a kid (for example, for a long time I didn’t remember “What Made the Red Man Red?” was even a song, because the soundtrack my family had didn’t include it, likely for obvious reasons). Still, the negative stereotypes are there. For example, when searching for the island natives, John says “the Indian is cunning, but not intelligent” and suggests taking them by surprise. While the exact thing happens to John, Michael, and the Lost Boys in that moment (and thus undermining John’s own racist statement), it feels hollow and still comes off as a terrible stereotype because we’re not necessarily meant to dislike John. If John were created to be an unlikable character, we could then take his comment and throw it away. Later on, John ends up with the role of translating the chief’s sign language to the other characters, and by extension the audience. How does John, a boy from London, even understand this foreign language? There’s just something problematic here when the information we’re getting is being translated by a white male. And then the actual song itself is just loaded with outdated, bigoted stereotypes. The way Native Americans are shown in this movie is wrong by today’s standards, and though we may not have known better at the time, it was wrong then. In fact, the depiction here was so negatively received that Disney didn’t include their appearance at all in the sequel, Return to Never Land.

The humor is created at someone else’s expense.

Kevin: Megan touched on this a lot up above, but I wanted to talk more generally about it here. I’m a bit ashamed that I only realized it upon this recent viewing, but it’s clear how much of the film’s humor is based around characters making fun of each other. Hook often violently attacks Smee (and because Hook is intentionally depicted as a slightly comical villain, the antics are likely intended to be funny). Peter makes fun of Wendy even when she’s clearly feeling hurt. George Darling falling to the floor at the beginning of the movie is meant to be hilarious, and we see it as such because of how he treats Nana and his children. Now while there is some humor that is created by things like some silly slapstick gags, so much of it is driven by characters putting each other down that it’s… kind of disturbing.

Verdict

Kevin: With everything we talked about here, I have to say I still somewhat like this film because my inner child loved it so much, but that appreciation has greatly diminished. There are just so many problems with it. I don’t know for sure if it’s just that I never really realized all of its flaws, or perhaps I just ignored them. I’ll still watch it, I just think it will be important to keep in mind that this film is incredibly outdated by today’s standards.

Megan: I will say, even though this royally fails the Bechdel test and just about every feminist measure, I truly had fun analyzing it, so if I ever do go back to revisit this one I’m sure I’ll find even more elements to critically assess. Will I let my future kids watch it? Not without some co-viewing to make sure they know that it’s not okay to be racist or sexist.

Kevin: 4

Megan: 3

Final Score: 3.5

What did you think of this movie after rewatching it (or watching it for the first time)? Join the discussion in the comments!

Ways to Watch

Disney Plus

Amazon Digital Video

DVD