Why Peter Pan And Wendy Is Director David Lowery's Favorite Project Of His
David Lowery's new film "Peter Pan & Wendy" will be the director's second remake of a Disney animated feature and his seventh feature overall. Lowery previously helmed the remake of "Pete's Dragon," where he turned a whimsical fantasy film into an earthier tale of a boy raised in the woods by a dragon slowly re-assimilating into human society. The dragon was amusing in Lowery's movie, but the director seemed far more interested in the inter-human relationships. Finding real human experiences inside of an outlandish, fantastical world may be said to be a common theme in Lowery's work.
This was also an element of his excellent and contemplative film "A Ghost Story," wherein a bedsheet-style ghost slowly reveals what caused it to start haunting in the first place. It was most certainly the central theme of his most recent film, "The Green Knight," an adaptation of the medieval poem about Sir Gawain and the title character. That film contained giants, monsters, and a reality that felt bent, but it was Sir Gawain's guilt that a viewer might remember the most sharply.
One can rest assured that Lowery's adaptation of "Peter Pan" will feature earthy, relaxing views of a fantasy realm like Neverland while delving deep into the psychology of Pan (Alexander Molony), Wendy (Ever Anderson), and Captain Hook (Jude Law). Yes, his tale will feature fairies and magic, but in Lowery's version of things, fairies don't glow.
In a 2021 interview with Collider, while "Peter Pan & Wendy" was still being filmed, Lowery was ready to call it his favorite project to date. Not only did he feel it was his most personal, but that it was also — perhaps ironically — his most adult.
Peter Pan syndrome
It took a while to get "Peter Pan & Wendy" made, as shooting was delayed nearly a year because of COVID-19 lockdowns. When David Lowery talked to Collider in July of 2021, he had been shooting for four months. Lowery wouldn't complete the film until February 2022. Despite the delays and the prolonged shooting schedule, Lowery was still happy with what he was doing and was fond of the entire experience. He told Collider:
"I think, personally speaking, it's my favorite thing I've ever made, which I wasn't expecting going into it, but it is. I've never been as in love with a movie as I am with this one. We've got a couple of weeks left to go and I just love this movie. It's the most personal thing I've ever made."
Lowery doesn't delve into very many specifics as to why "Peter Pan" was personal to him, other than to declare that he definitely had a case of Peter Pan syndrome, that is: Lowery is an adult who feels like it might be a bad idea to grow up, 'cause growing up is awfuller than all the awful things that ever were. But, as with all "Peter Pan" stories, Lowery saw that Pan was really a tragic character. Not being able to grow up sounds wonderful when you're a child, but adults understand the profound emotional and intellectual pleasures that come with maturity. Making "Peter Pan & Wendy" allowed Lowery to face certain immature aspects of himself, and rid himself of some of his worse mental habits.
Childhood vs. adulthood
The filmmaker went on in his interview with Collider to call "Peter Pan & Wendy" a film that isn't just for children:
"['Peter Pan'] is, ironically, the most adult movie I've ever made. I went into it thinking that my entryway into this movie was that I've got a classic case of Peter Pan syndrome. I don't want to grow up. Who does? And I thought that was what was going to appeal to me about it, but in making it, in writing it, and now directing it and seeing it come to life, I've realized that this is a movie about me letting go of that. Whether that's good or bad, I haven't processed yet, but it's the first movie I've made from an adult perspective, if that makes any sense."
Kids watch Peter Pan and see an aspirational figure. Growing up means more responsibilities while staying a child means infinite playtime. Adults watch Peter Pan and see the horror of his existence. Because both Pan and Captain Hook cannot grow up, it stands to reason that they cannot learn or change. Their brain chemistry is frozen in time, lost in a present that never stops passing. They are destined to fight for the rest of eternity, with neither dying nor being able to change their roles in the conflict. How many centuries ... how many millennia ... have they been fighting? There is something Sisyphusian about Peter Pan's and Captain Hook's lives. There will never be any achievements.
Lowery appears to be tapping into the universal conflict between wanting to stay a child and the inevitability of growing up. This would certainly be a fresh perspective from a children's story that too often celebrates adventure over growth.
"Peter Pan & Wendy" premieres on Disney+ on April 28, 2023.