On her last night before boarding school, Wendy Darling is taken to Neverland by Peter Pan and meets Captain Hook, who turns out to be Peter's old best friend. This version cares more about the cost of growing up than the pirate fights, and it is worth watching for how it rebuilds Hook as Peter's mirror.
Peter Pan & Wendy is a 2023 fantasy, adventure and family film directed by David Lowery. This breakdown covers 4 techniques (1 psychology, 2 narrative and 1 sound), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Where the Wild Things Are uses several of the same techniques.
Pairing the main character with a second character who mirrors them. The double shows what the hero wants, fears or secretly is.
How this film uses it
Hook is not a stranger to Peter. He was once the first Lost Boy and Peter's best friend James, and the two now mirror each other as a boy who will not grow up and a man who could not stay. When Hook ambushes Peter and he seems to fall to his death, Hook feels empty instead of joyful.
Where to see it
Hook and Wendy: Hook tells Wendy he left Neverland because he missed his mother. When he came back, Peter could not accept how much he had changed, and the two became enemies.
Shaping the story with fairy tale elements such as quests, enchanted figures and moral tests, or letting them break into a realistic world.
How this film uses it
A girl is whisked away by a flying boy to an island of pirates, fairies and lost children. It has the shape of an old tale, with a wish, a journey, a villain and a return home. The story keeps asking what it costs to stay a child forever.
Where to see it
Leaving for Neverland: Wendy spends her last night at home before boarding school and says she does not want to grow up. Peter hears her wish and takes her and her brothers to Neverland.
Making a sound, voice or call drive the story itself. A phone line, a mimicked noise or a spliced recording changes what characters do or believe.
How this film uses it
A simple lullaby changes the story. Wendy sings it to the Lost Children to comfort them, and the sound gives away their hideout to the pirates. A tender moment turns dangerous, and you feel how small kindnesses can have big costs.
Where to see it
Hideout lullaby: at Peter's hideout, Wendy sings the Lost Children a lullaby that accidentally reveals their location to the pirates. Hook's crew then captures the children.
Taking a character to the opposite of where they started, such as from weak to strong or from decent to compromised. That reversal is what the film is about.
How this film uses it
Wendy starts the film afraid of growing up and ends it ready to. She escapes the plank by flying on Tinker Bell's pixie dust and the happy thought of wanting to grow up. Peter goes the other way and returns to Neverland because he is not ready.
Where to see it
Walking the plank: Hook forces Wendy to walk the plank, but she flies away with pixie dust and the thought of wanting to grow up. Later Peter says he is not ready to grow up and goes back to Neverland.
Questions
Peter Pan & Wendy: quick answers
What filmmaking techniques does Peter Pan & Wendy use?
CineCode breaks down 4 techniques in Peter Pan & Wendy (2023): Psychological Doubling, Fairy Tale Structure, Sound as Plot Device and Character Arc Inversion.
Who directed Peter Pan & Wendy?
David Lowery directed Peter Pan & Wendy, released in 2023. CineCode also covers Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), Pete's Dragon (2016), A Ghost Story (2017), The Old Man & the Gun (2018), The Green Knight (2021).
What films are similar to Peter Pan & Wendy?
Films that share techniques with Peter Pan & Wendy include Where the Wild Things Are (2009), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), Logan (2017), Black Swan (2010).
