The trailer for Disney’s “Peter Pan & Wendy” – based on the Mouse House’s 1953 animated classic “Peter Pan” – dropped on Tuesday, and it certainly presents a movie that looks far more inclusive than past retellings of the original J.M. Barrie tale.
“But you’re not all guys,” Wendy Darling, Ever Anderson’s character, says to a group of kids in Neverland who claim to be the “Lost Boys” in the clip.
Those children are not all boys. Two girls suddenly emerge on the screen, responding to Wendy’s comment with a simple and spirited, “So!”
announcing a contest over the internet. Shahidi is the first Black woman to play the diminutive fairy on film.
The movie also stars Alexander Molony in his feature film debut as Peter Pan, and Jude Law as a very creepy-looking Captain Hook, who is seen in the trailer sporting his signature hook, red coat, and twisted mustache as he asks Wendy, “Where is Peter Pan?”
All of the legendary characters from the 1953 film appear in the video, including the Darlings’ beloved dog Nana and a realistic recreation of John Darling (Joshua Pickering) in his top hat and rounded spectacles.
An aerial picture of the mermaids shimmering and splashing in the sea underneath Wendy and her brothers, who are soaring in the air above, is presented in the video. And Alyssa Wapanatâhk’s Tiger Lily is shown saying to Wendy, “Keep the past in your heart, but where you go from here is up to you.”
From the 1991 cult classic “Hook” starring Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Julia Roberts to NBC’s 2014 “Peter Pan Live” show featuring Allison Williams and the 2015 “Pan” film, Peter Pan and Wendy’s adventure has been depicted on screen in a variety of ways.
The new “Peter Pan & Wendy” is a more inclusive version of the original story, blending Pan’s fantastical world into a modern terrain.
On April 28, “Peter Pan & Wendy” will be available on Disney+.
