Peter Pan & Wendy movie: 5 cool facts about the Disney film

Peter Pan & Wendy will make its way to screens on April 28, 2023. Given Disney's recent trend of making live-action adaptations of their animated features, it was only a matter of time before Peter Pan's story was adapted as well. The announcement of Peter Pan & Wendy has created quite a positive buzz for Disney.

For starters, the movie will feature the first black Tinkerbell, a move that has proven to be quite popular, as Disney has thus far been met with open arms regarding the casting decision.

Both the original J.M. Barrie book and the 1953 movie have been criticized before for lack of inclusion, problematic stereotypes, and sexist undertones. However, in Peter Pan & Wendy, Disney is trying very hard to update the story according to modern sensibilities.

Speaking about the same, actress Yara Shahidi, who plays Tinkerbell in the upcoming film and has seen a cut of the movie, said that she is positive that the changes are for the better. While speaking to Byrdie, the actress opened up on how the inclusion does not feel forced:

"It's evident they're not just popping Black and Brown folks in the cast for the sake of updating the story. Instead, it's about creating a story that so many more people can see themselves in after we've been left out for so long."

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Peter Pan & Wendy movie: 5 facts that you probably don’t know about the upcoming Disney movie

1) Peter Pan & Wendy will have the first black Tinkerbell

After a black Ariel, Disney has now decided to take inclusivity even more seriously and decided to include the first black Tinkerbell in the history of Peter Pan. So far, the reaction to the same has been largely positive.

While talking to Entertainment Weekly, Yara Shahidi spoke up on the pressure of playing such an important role in Peter Pan & Wendy, saying:

"There's a pressure to always make a statement. While I can argue that there's something really powerful about having a Black Tinker Bell, I think this job reminded me how much I enjoy the creativity of what I do, the playfulness and that feeling of growing up."

It is truly an iconic move for the film, and the audience support just validates Disney's historic decision.

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2) The Lost Boys group will include girls as well

In Peter Pan & Wendy, viewers will see girls being part of the Lost Boys group for the first time ever. In the original novel, J.M. Barrie deemed girls “too smart” to become lost in Neverland. That is set to change in the adaptation.

This decision, however, has been shrouded in controversy. The controversy is much like what Marvel and the Lord of the Rings franchise faced with the inclusion of more women and characters of color in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

However, Director David Lowery defended his decision to include the women in the Lost group in Peter Pan & Wendy to SFX Magazine, saying:

"Movies should be for everybody, and it doesn't change the movie at all. It's the same story everyone grew up with. To each their own, but it's their loss. They're going to miss out on a great movie-going experience."

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3) Disney is looking to improve its culturally insensitive aspects of the story

Disney will be revisiting the racist stereotypes around the original novel about indigenous people and will improve on them in Peter Pan & Wendy. In the original Peter Pan, there is an instance of Peter and the Lost Boys coming across an indigenous tribe and calling them “redskins,” which is a very dated and offensive term, to say the least.

Peter also described the tribe as "cunning but not intelligent," which led to many modern audiences accusing Disney of racist undertones.

Additionally, the makers also rewrote Tiger Lily’s character. Alyssa Wapanatâhk, who will play the role, has talked about the intricacies of playing the character in Peter Pan & Wendy:

"The challenge for us was: how do we take this character who, going back to the original text, was problematic, and give her a role that is not only supporting, but integral to the entire movie? There was nothing from the past that we needed to hang on to when it came to Tiger Lily."

She continued:

"The version of the character in the movie, who is so strong and vibrant, it's incredible. There should be a Tiger Lily movie!"

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4) Peter Pan & Wendy might improve on the sexist undertones throughout the movie

Other than there being no Lost Girls in the Lost group, there are also many sexist undertones throughout the original Peter Pan that are a bit problematic. Male characters often remark on how much the girls talk, and female characters feel insecure about their bodies, like when Tinkerbell examines her hip in the mirror.

Peter Pan & Wendy has already made many significant changes to improve the storyline. Many expect Disney to improve on these undertones and bring out a story that is powerful for every gender.

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Peter Pan & Wendy has many audience members excited about it due to its new viewpoint on a classic story. The cast will feature big names like Jude Law, Alan Tudyk, Molly Parker, and Ever Anderson.

Peter Pan & Wendy will be available for streaming on April 28 on Disney+.