Return to Never Land

Return to Never Land is a 2002 animated fantasy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Studios and released by Disneytoon Studios. It serves as a sequel to the 1953 classic Disney film Peter Pan. it was theatrically released on February 15, 2002.

Plot
Jane, Wendy Darling's daughter, refuses to believe in her mother's stories about Peter Pan and the Lost Boys during the Blitz in London, only to be mistakenly brought to Never Land by Captain Hook and his pirate crew. In order for her to go back home, she meets Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys, who encourage her to fly and make her believe in faith, trust and pixie dust.

Good Qualities

 * 1) Beautiful animation, as with the first film.
 * 2) "I'll Try" and "So to be One of Us" are good songs.
 * 3) Many funny moments here and there, especially those concerning Captain Hook and the Octopus along with those of Mr. Smee.
 * 4) Excellent voice acting, especially that of Corey Burton as Captain Hook.
 * 5) Peter Pan and Tinker Bell are much more likable than in the original film. As both Peter and Tink aren't as much of an abrasive rebel and  grumpy envious jerk as they both were in the previous film respectively.
 * 6) The Lost Boys are given a larger role than the one they had in the first film. Even their names are revealed. And like Peter and Tinkerbell, they're more likable here as they're no longer annoying.
 * 7) Jane's story arc flips with that of her mother Wendy in an intriguing way: whereas Wendy went to Never Land to stay a kid and never grow up until realizing that growing up isn't a bad thing, Jane ends up in Never Land by accident and acts like a grown up (due to her family being currently stranded in the middle of World War II which causes Jane to become so focused on the well-being of her and her family that she becomes cynical and left behind many of the things she perceived as childish in her childhood) until realizing that she's still a child.
 * 8) The Octopus serves as a good replacement of Tick-Tock the Crocodile and is funny in its own way.
 * 9) It corrects some of the original film's mistakes. The mermaids are given a more modest appearance (even though their appearance is quick) and the Native Americans are nowhere to be seen (due the racial controversy surrounding their presence in the original movie).
 * 10) The subplot of Tinker Bell dying because of Jane's refusal to believe in fairies is interesting. And it also adds a large amount of tension to the story.
 * 11) The World War II setting is well-executed and adds drama to the plot.
 * 12) Some emotional and poignant moments. Namely, the scene where Peter and Tinker Bell reunite with Wendy at the end is very heartwarming. And when Jane, seemingly about to drop the Lost Boy that she was currently holding, hugs him instead as she realizes that he reminds her of her younger brother.
 * 13) "All you need is faith, trust and pixie dust!"
 * 14) While not the best DTV sequel to a Disney classic, it's very decent and pleasant in its own way. As it stays faithful to it's source material and improves several aspects of it as well, mainly the plot, tone, and characters (which is what a good sequel should do).

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Sometimes it can feel like a rehash of the original film.
 * 2) Jane can come off a bit unlikable at the beginning when she yells at Danny for still believing in Peter Pan's stories, even though her anger was justified in some ways due to her anguish and World War II.
 * 3) Although the Octopus was a good replacement of Tick-Tock the Crocodile, it's kinda strange why Tick-Tock was replaced to begin with, as he was one of the most iconic characters of the original film and we aren't even given an explanation about his absence, though Captain Hook implies that Tick-Tock is dead.
 * 4) Unlike Wendy, John and Michael don't make a physical appearance in the film nor are ever mentioned like if they don't even exist anymore, though it can be assumed they went to fight in the war along with Wendy's husband Edward.

Reception
Critical reception to Return to Never Land was mostly mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 46%, based on 96 reviews and an average of 5.41/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With its forgettable songs and lackluster story, this new Pan will surely entertain kids, but will feel more like a retread to adults". On Metacritic, it received a score of 49 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Despite receiving criticism like most of Disney's direct-to-video sequels, although some can say that this sequel was unnecessary, Return to Never Land is considered nowadays as one of the best sequels to a film of the Disney Animated Canon, being surprisingly pleasant in its own due to its nostalgic and emotional elements.

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