Return to Never Land
| Return to Never Land | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by |
Robin Budd Donovan Cook (co-director) |
| Produced by |
Cheryl Abood Christopher Chase Michelle Pappalardo-Robinson Dan Rounds |
| Written by |
Temple Mathews (screenplay) Carter Crocker (additional material) |
| Based on |
Characters created by J.M. Barrie |
| Starring |
Harriet Owen Blayne Weaver Corey Burton Jeff Bennett |
| Music by |
They Might Be Giants Joel McNeely |
| Editing by | Antonio F. Rocco |
| Studio |
Walt Disney Pictures DisneyToon Studios A. Film A/S |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 72 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget |
$20 million (adjusted by inflation: $25,957,447) |
| Box office |
$109,862,682 (adjusted by inflation: $142,587,736) |
Return to Never Land (also known as Peter Pan 2 or Peter Pan 2: Return to Never Land) is a 2002 American animated film produced by DisneyToon Studios in Sydney, Australia and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is a sequel to the 1953 film Peter Pan, based on J. M. Barrie's most famous work Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up.
Plot
It is World War II in the 1940s, and Wendy Darling has grown up. Her husband, Edward, is sent to fight in the war. Wendy tries to keep her children's spirits up with stories of Peter Pan, but Jane, her daughter, has become cynical under the pressures of the war, ignoring the stories her mother tells and unintentionally ridiculing her brother, Danny's faith in them. Jane has promised her father that she'll take care of her mother and family when he was gone. But when Wendy tells her that she must be evacuated to the countryside for her safety, Jane lashes out on her.
Meanwhile, Captain Hook, still seeking revenge against Peter Pan, breaks into the Darling home, kidnaps Jane while she is sleeping, and flies back to Never Land on his ship to use as bait for Peter. Back in Never Land, he drops Jane into the waiting tentacles of "the beast" (a giant octopus), expecting Peter to also be devoured by it as he dives after Jane to save her, along with Tinker Bell. Peter rescues Jane, and the octopus attacks Hook who is rescued by Smee. Meanwhile, upon finding Jane is Wendy's daughter, Peter assumes she would like to follow in her mother's footsteps. He takes her to his home to be the mother for the Lost Boys, but Jane refuses, because she is more interested in getting back home. They try to make her have fun and teach her to fly, but she fails, because she does not believe in fairies, leaving Tinker Bell to die until Peter tells the boys they have to make her part of the group.
After Jane leaves them, she is approached by Hook, who tricks her with a deal. He promises to take her home and not harm Peter if she agrees to help him find his treasure. He gives Jane a whistle to signal him when she finds it. The Lost Boys search for Jane and eventually Peter finds her. Jane suggests they play a game of "treasure hunt". Peter and the Lost Boys show her the fun they have and she changes her ways. When Jane finds the treasure, she throws away Hook's whistle, refusing to help him. Peter and the Lost Boys make Jane the very first Lost Girl and they celebrate. However, one of the Lost Boys finds the whistle and blows it. Hook and his crew arrive and captures Peter and the boys, but let Jane go as a thanks for "helping" them. Despite Jane denying that she wanted to help Hook in this way, Peter calls her a traitor for lying to him and tells her that since she said that she does not believe in fairies, Tinker Bell is dying.
Jane, realizing it is her fault rushes to the Lost Boys' home to revive Tinker Bell. They both hurry to the Jolly Roger, where they find the Lost Boys tied up and Peter (tied to an anchor) about to walk the plank. Jane saves him, and with the help of "faith, trust, and pixie dust", she learns to fly and unties Peter. Hook's ship is sunk by the octopus, leaving him and the pirates to exit on a rowboat with the octopus pursuing them. Jane return homes to her family. After apologizing to them for her selfishness, Wendy and Peter meet again for the first time in over thirty years. Though Peter is disappointed that she has grown up, Wendy assures him that she has not really changed. Peter understands and notices that though Wendy has grown up, she is still young at heart and still believes. Edward returns from the army and the family is reunited as Peter and Tinker Bell fly off into the night.
Cast
- Harriet Owen as Jane, a girl who does not believe in Peter Pan. Owen also voices young Wendy in a brief flashback scene.
- Blayne Weaver as Peter Pan, the main character.
- Corey Burton as Captain James Hook, the antagonist of the film.
- Jeff Bennett as Mr. Smee, Captain Hook's first mate.
- Tim Curry as Oscar, one of the pirates.
- Dan Castellaneta as Smokey, one of the pirates.
- Jim Cummings as Silius, one of the pirates.
- Jerry Nelson as Duncan, one of the pirates
- Rob Paulsen as Rusty, one of the pirates.
- Clive Revill as Gordon, one of the pirates.
- Wally Wingert as Patrick, one of the pirates.
- Martin P. Robinson as Bert, one of the pirates.
- Keith Wickham as Schroder, one of the pirates.
- Kath Soucie as Wendy Darling, Jane's mother.
- Andrew McDonough as Danny, Jane's younger brother.
- Roger Rees as Edward, Jane's father.
- Cameron Jessie King as Muoro General, Jane's master.
- Spencer Breslin as Cubby, one of the lost boys.
- Bradley Pierce as Nibs, one of the lost boys.
- Quinn Beswick as Slightly, one of the lost boys.
- Aaron Spann as the Twins, two of the lost boys.
- Frank Welker as Nana II, Jane's pet dog and the giant octopus.
Soundtrack
| Return to Never Land | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by Joel McNeely | |
| Released | 2002 |
| Genre | Classical |
| Length | 54:14 |
| Label | Walt Disney |
| Producer | Joel McNeely |
Joel McNeely composed the score of Return to Never Land.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Joel McNeely, except where noted..| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Do You Believe in Magic?" | John Sebastian | BBMAK | 2:58 | |
| 2. | "Main Title" | 2:07 | |||
| 3. | "Second Star to the Right" | Sammy Fain, Sammy Cahn | Jonatha Brooke | 1:58 | |
| 4. | "The Tale of Pan" | 1:45 | |||
| 5. | "I'll Try" | Jonatha Brooke | Jonatha Brooke | 4:07 | |
| 6. | "Jane Is Kidnapped" | 3:34 | |||
| 7. | "A Childhood Lost" | 2:37 | |||
| 8. | "Here We Go Another Plan" | Randy Rogel | Jeff Bennett | 0:24 | |
| 9. | "Summoning the Octopus / Pan Saves Jane" | 2:42 | |||
| 10. | "Flight Through Never Land" | 2:43 | |||
| 11. | "So to Be One of Us" | They Might Be Giants | 1:29 | ||
| 12. | "Meet The Lost Boys" | 1:16 | |||
| 13. | "Now that You're One of Us" | They Might Be Giants | 0:38 | ||
| 14. | "Longing for Home" | 2:16 | |||
| 15. | "Hook and The Lost Boys" | 3:24 | |||
| 16. | "Hook Deceives Jane" | 2:57 | |||
| 17. | "Jane Finds the Treasure" | 2:00 | |||
| 18. | "Pan Is Captured" | 2:17 | |||
| 19. | "I'll Try (Reprise)" | Jonatha Brooke | Jonatha Brooke | 1:09 | |
| 20. | "Jane Saves Tink and Pan" | 3:29 | |||
| 21. | "Jane Can Fly" | 2:36 | |||
| 22. | "Flying Home" | 3:27 | |||
| 23. | "Reunion" | 2:21 |
Reception
The film opened at the third position at the box office behind Crossroads and John Q. Return to Never Land grossed $48,423,368 domestically and $61,432,424 overseas, for a total of $109,862,682. With an estimated budget of $20,000,000, this made Return to Never Land a modestly successful theatrical release. This was before DVD sales, which had been the initially planned market for the film. Critical reaction was mixed, with a total score of 46% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Release
Return to Never Land was released on VHS and DVD August 20, 2002. On November 27, 2007, Return to Never Land was released in a "Pixie-Powered Edition"; the movie was also released in a Peter Pan Trilogy, along with the Peter Pan Platinum Edition, and Tinker Bell, on December 18, 2008. The Pixie-Powered Edition went out of print on January 31, 2009.[1] It was re-released again on a Blu-ray combo pack on August 20, 2013 accompanying the Diamond Edition release of Peter Pan when the Blu-ray was released on February 5, 2013.
References
External links
- Official website
- Return to Never Land at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Return to Never Land at the Internet Movie Database
- Return to Never Land at Box Office Mojo
- Return to Never Land at Rotten Tomatoes
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
