The first trailer for Disney’s live-action movie Peter Pan & Wendy delivered a divisive look at the upcoming reworking of the classic animated movie of 1953, which itself was adapted from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories. The movie continues the recent trend of updating older Disney projects that often have now problematic stereotypes and lack in representation due to the era in which they were made. In the new iteration of the Peter Pan story, Yara Shahidi takes on the role of Tinkerbell and recently talked to Extra about how the Disney+ release is correcting he issues of the original animated movie. She said:
“It’s such a beautiful moment to step into a fairy tale that I think means so much to people… I think remakes have to be prove why they are worth being remade in the first place, and having had a chance to watch the film, I think [David Lowery] updates it in a such a natural way.
[He updates it] in a way that feels like it adds to the canon of Peter Pan and also subtly corrects the kinds of stereotypes that are unfortunately passed along through those fairy tales. Correcting the indigenous representation that was mistaken in the animated and in some of the past versions.”
Peter Pan Is One Of Many Disney Movies With “Of The Time” Issues
Peter Pan is still a much loved animated classic from the Disney vault, but the film does come under fire for the inclusion of certain characters that are now seen as offensive and out-dated. When Disney+ debuted, Peter Pan was one of the many older Disney movies to receive a warning message for viewers. The main focus of this was on the representation of indigenous people, who are referred to as “redskins” in the movie, and even sing the song ‘What Makes The Red Man Red.” This is just one of the sections of the old movie that won’t be appearing in the new remake, but that does not mean the indigenous characters have been removed. Instead, the character of Tiger Lily is played by actress Alyssa Wapanatâhk bringing the character to life in a more accurate and representational way.
While there are plenty of opportunities for new versions of older stories to correct out-dated opinions and depictions of literary characters, it is also right to have the original versions available as a legacy of how the world has evolved over time. Disney have released almost their entire catalogue of older movies on Disney+, although some such as Song of the South have been completely removed for being too offensive in their depictions of Black people. However, there is always an argument of whether this is right, or whether all movies of the past should be there to be seen and discussed rather than locked away. Despite its problems, Peter Pan is still a timeless classic to be enjoyed by new generations of children alongside the newer versions of the story, and in some cases, instigate a conversation about why some stereotypes no longer have a place in society.