Sunday, April 2, 2017

Peter Pan Re-watch

Peter Pan is a fantastic Disney film. It doesn't feel like it would be one of the oldest ones ever created because it seems particularly timeless as I still hear of so many girls and boys saying that it is their favorite. My little sister, in particular, is obsessed with Peter Pan and still says that he was her first "crush." I too, was in love with Jeremy Sumter's portrayal of Peter in the 2003 live action adaptation.


That being said, I wanted to go back and re-watch the movie with the new "critical" eye I have developed from this class. I remember, of course, the "Indians", and I figured that our modern viewpoint would render those portrayals problematic. But I was particularly interested in if a lot of Disney tropes or patterns would be apparent with gender. Of course this movie was created in the 50s, with a different standard at the time for what was deemed acceptable, but I still wanted to approach it with my knowledge of what Disney would create in the future. One of the main things I wanted to focus on was evil versus goodness in the movie and how they fit into the larger Disney pattern of both.

What I found, in my opinion, is that the portrayal of evil in the film contradicts a lot of the patterns that we have seen but also simultaneously reinforces a stereotypical attitude of what creates a "good" girl.

George Darling and Captain Hook

Now, these are probably who we can consider far and away the most "evil" characters in the movie. Once a person becomes older, the connection is clear - Hook is the alternate reality version of George Darling. They both have two defining qualities- obsession and anger. However, I would argue that George Darling comes across as FAR more "evil" than Hook, despite Hook actively attempting to full on murder little children versus George just yelling at his children. Why is that? Now, as I argued in the first essay I turned into this class, audience members have a hard time watching villains who abuse children (The Rescuers and The Hunchback of Notre Dame). But, as I also argued in that essay, an audience is able to reconcile the abusive actions in their head if some barrier is placed between the child and the adult. In this case there are two reasons the audience doesn't really take the abuse, or Captain Hook, too seriously; he is incredibly stupid and he is wrapped up in some fantasy world. The fantastic setting of Neverland hints to the audience that they shouldn't really believe anything they are seeing (such as flying, mermaids, or abusive adults) and Captain Hook's sheer stupidity calms the audience down because he is clearly unable to comprehend what exactly it would take to succeed in his malicious intentions.

George Darling on the other hand comes across as far more detestable, and is hard to stomach on a television screen. That is because there is no barrier between the children and him, making the audience unable to reconcile his personality in their mind. The setting he is in is hyper real. He is the head of a standard family living in London. And his children are extremely sweet and good, yet he is still mean to them. He still yells at them and is obsessed at depriving them of their dreams (remaining together, imagine up wild stories, having fun with their dog, etc). His anger issues are far less justified and are hyper realistic, thus making him the worse of the two villains.

George Darling is interesting because usually the Disney pattern is to eliminate the mother entirely, or create her as the unreconcilable abuser. By making a present, sweet mom with an evil Dad, Disney definitely created unique villains in Peter Pan.

Wendy and Tinker Bell


Unlike the pretty progressive villain portrayals, Disney was routine with their two lead female characters. Though Tinker Bell has some hilarious moments, and Wendy is likable and precious throughout, they both reinforce typical, unprogressive views of women. Wendy is admired specifically because of her mother-like qualities. Though she is nice, and she is responsible, these are only ultimately seen as good because they contribute to why she would be a great mother, not a great person.

Tinker Bell on the other hand embodies a lot of what is seen as stereotypically "negative" amongst females. She is markedly jealous of Wendy, and is shallow. These are in fact the first two qualities we are given with Think; she is mad that a new woman has entered Peter Pan's life and tries to get her killed, and freaks out early on because she is scared her butt looks too big. Though she ultimately turns around and helps Wendy, it is almost like she does this despite her typical womanly qualities, not because of any inherent goodness.

Conclusion

I absolutely love Peter Pan and think it is one of the most magical, pro-imagination children's films out there (also baby Michael is SO cute). I also think it ultimately sends a great message of not needing to grow up too fast. However, looking at it from a critical perspective does result in one seeing a weird dichotomy for women. The villains are markedly male in character, personality, and appearance. This could be seen as liberal and progressive because it diverges from the early pattern Disney set of female villains. However, the two main females throughout the movie are defined by stereotypical qualities with the good maternal ones present in Wendy and the bad, shallow ones present in Tinker Bell.


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