''Return to Never Land'' (also known as ''Peter Pan in Return to Never Land'', ''Peter Pan: Return to Never Land'', or simply ''Peter Pan II'') is a 2002 American animated

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...

produced by

Disney MovieToons Disneytoon Studios (DTS), originally named Disney MovieToons and also formerly Walt Disney Video Premieres, was an American animation studio which created direct-to-video and occasional theatrical film, theatrical animated feature films. The stud ...

and

Walt Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA; also shortened to Disney TVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is an American animation production company that serves as the television a ...

. A

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

Walt Disney Feature Animation Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

's 1953 film ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'', the film is based on the 1908 play ''When Wendy Grew Up'' by

J.M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

. It follows

Wendy Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activit ...

's daughter, Jane, who is mistakenly abducted and brought to

Neverland Neverland is a fictional island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is an imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live. ...

and must learn to believe in order to return home. The film stars the voices of Harriet Owen,

Blayne Weaver Blayne Nutron Weaver (born April 9, 1976 in Bossier City) is an American director, screenwriter, and actor. Among his better-known films are '' Manic'' (2001), '' Weather Girl'' (2009), '' 6 Month Rule'' (2011), and ''Cut to the Chase'' (2016). ...

Corey Burton Corey Burton is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transformers'', Brainiac in the DC Animated Universe, Count Dooku and Cad Bane in ...

Jeff Bennett Jeff Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor. He voiced the titular character of ''Johnny Bravo'', Dexter and Dee Dee's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', List of The Powerpuff Girls characters#Ace, Ace, List of The Powerpuff Gi ...

Kath Soucie Kath Soucie (, ). is an American voice actress, known for voicing Phil, Lil and their mother Betty DeVille in '' Rugrats'', Lola Bunny in the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise, Fifi La Fume and Li'l Sneezer in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Maddie Fent ...

Spencer Breslin Spencer Breslin (born May 18, 1992) is an American actor and songwriter. He has appeared in feature films, including '' Disney's The Kid'', '' The Santa Clause 2'', '' The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'', ''The Cat in the Hat'', '' Rais ...

, and

Bradley Pierce Bradley Michael Pierce (born October 23, 1982) is an American actor, producer and cinematographer. Along with other roles and bit parts in television, films, direct-to-video animation, advertising, and video games, he played Peter Shepherd in ''J ...

. ''Return to Never Land'' premiered at the

El Capitan Theatre El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple (now known as the El Capitan Entert ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on February 10, 2002, and was released in the United States in February 15, by

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, it was a box-office success like its predecessor, grossing $115 million against a $20 million budget.

Plot

Many years after her trip to Neverland, a fully grown

Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...

, who maintains her belief and knowledge of

, is married to a soldier named Edward, and has two children, Jane and Danny. With

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

raging, Edward leaves his family to fight, leaving Wendy to take care of the children. Jane becomes cynical and, unlike her younger brother, refuses to believe in stories about Peter Pan and Neverland. A few years later on Danny's fourth birthday, Wendy is informed that the children are scheduled for evacuation to the country the following morning. Jane refuses to go and has an argument with her mother and brother. Later that evening, Peter Pan's arch-nemesis,

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter and Wendy, Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain of the br ...

, and his pirate crew arrive on his pixie-dust enchanted ship and kidnaps Jane, mistaking her for Wendy, and takes her to Neverland, where they plan to feed Jane to an

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

to lure Peter Pan into a trap. However, Peter Pan rescues Jane, and Captain Hook escapes from the disgruntled octopus, being in the role of the Crocodile, returning to the ship. After Peter Pan learns that Jane is Wendy's daughter, he takes her to his hideout to be the mother of the Lost Boys as Wendy once was, but Jane refuses. She tries to leave the island by means of a raft, but it sinks. Peter Pan tells her that the only way to get home is by flying. The following day, the boys fail to teach Jane about flying. Annoyed by their unruly behavior, Jane loses her temper and declares that she does not believe in Neverland, particularly fairies. Her disbelief causes Tinker Bell to lose her strength and the fairy's light begins to fade. Captain Hook, overhearing Jane's longing to return home, plans to use this to his advantage. That evening, Captain Hook promises to bring Jane home if she can find the treasure that Peter Pan and the Lost Boys stole, giving her a whistle to signal him when she finds it. Jane asks Peter Pan and the boys to play a game of "treasure hunt", and they teach Jane how to act like a Lost Boy, hoping to get her to believe in fairies and save Tinker Bell's life. Jane finds the treasure and changes her mind, discarding the whistle. The boys make her a "Lost Girl", before Tootles finds and blows the whistle, inadvertently alerting the pirates, who capture the boys and expose Jane as their accomplice. Jane tries to convince Peter Pan that it was a misunderstanding, but he berates her for her deception and reveals that her disbelief in fairies is causing Tinker Bell's light to fade. Horrified by her mistake, Jane runs back to the hideout to find Tinker Bell's lifeless body. Jane is devastated, believing her to be dead, but her newfound belief in fairies revives her. They head to the ship and see Captain Hook forcing Peter Pan to walk the plank. With Tinker Bell's help, Jane learns to fly. As Peter Pan uses the anchor to sink the ship, the pirates, riding on a rowboat, are chased away by the octopus. After saying goodbye to the boys, Peter Pan escorts Jane back home, where she reconciles with Wendy and Danny. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell meet with Wendy again, then fly back to Neverland as Edward returns home and reunites with his family.

Voice cast

* Harriet Owen as Jane, Wendy and Edward's daughter, and Danny's older sister who refuses to believe in stories, but changes her mind with Peter's help. Lianne Hughes served as the supervising animator for Jane. ** Owen also voices young Wendy Darling. *

, the leader of the Lost Boys, Jane's new friend, and Wendy's former playmate who protects Neverland and its inhabitants. Pieter Lommerse and Andrew Collins served as the supervising animators for Peter Pan. *

, a pirate captain and Peter Pan's arch-nemesis. Bob Baxter served as the supervising animator for Captain Hook. *

Mr. Smee Mr. Smee is a fictional character who serves as Captain Hook's boatswain in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy''. History Mr. Smee seems an oddly genial man for a pirate; ...

, Captain Hook's clumsy and innocent first mate and right-hand man. *

, Jane and Danny's mother, Michael and John's older sister, Edward's wife, and Peter's former playmate. Ryan O'Loughlin served as the supervising animator for Wendy.

Kathryn Beaumont Kathryn Beaumont Levine (born 27 June 1938) is a British actress. She is best known for voicing Alice in ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1951) and Wendy Darling in ''Peter Pan'' (1953), for which she was named a Disney Legend in 1998. Early life Be ...

, who voiced Wendy in the original film, recorded dialogue for the sequel, but Soucie replaced her as Beaumont's voice had aged. * Andrew McDonough as Daniel, nicknamed Danny, Wendy and Edward's son and Jane's younger brother who believes in his mother's stories of Peter Pan. *

Roger Rees Roger Rees (5 May 1944 – 10 July 2015) was a Welsh-American actor and director. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance as the lead in ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (play), The Life and Adventures of Nicho ...

as Edward, a surviving soldier, Wendy's husband, and Jane and Danny's father. Rees would later serve as co-playwright for another Peter Pan project, the stage adaptation of ''

Peter and the Starcatcher ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' is a play based on the 2004 novel ''Peter and the Starcatchers'' by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, adapted for the stage by Rick Elice. The play provides a backstory for the characters of Peter Pan, Mrs Darling, Tin ...

''. * The Lost Boys, Peter's best friends: **

as Cubby, a lost boy in a bear costume. **

as Nibs, a lost boy in a rabbit costume. ** Quinn Beswick as Slightly, a lost boy in a fox costume. ** Aaron Spann as the Twins, the lost boys in raccoon costumes. ** Tootles, a mute lost boy in a skunk costume. *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...

as The Octopus, who seeks to consume Captain Hook, similar to the Crocodile in the original film. *

Clive Revill Clive Selsby Revill (18 April 1930 – 11 March 2025) was a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he also starred in numerous films and television ...

as the film's narrator.

Production

Disney MovieToons/Disney Video Premiere developed the project and then assigned the work for ''Peter and Jane'' to

Disney Animation Canada The Walt Disney Company has owned and operated several animation studios since the company's founding on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; the current Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, Cal ...

. The film was a ''

'' sequel originally designed as its first theatrical release. In fall 1999, the Canadian unit stopped work on what was then a video release. With Canada's closure, the work on ''Peter and Jane'' was instead moved to the

Walt Disney Animation Australia The Walt Disney Company has owned and operated several animation studios since the company's founding on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; the current Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, Cal ...

and

Walt Disney Animation Japan The Walt Disney Company has owned and operated several animation studios since the company's founding on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; the current Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, Cal ...

units. In March 2001, Disney announced that the film would revert to a theatrical release due to positive reception by company execs and would release as part of the

division. Cornerstone Animation was then contracted to do animation direction. Due to the controversy of the first film, the Native-Americans are completely absent in the sequel, but it does show their teepees and totem poles in one sequence. Also following these changes, the mermaids are given brassieres since their appearances in its predecessor were considered

sexualized Sexualization (sexualisation in Commonwealth English) is the emphasis of the sexual nature of a behavior or person. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification, treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire. According to the Ame ...

. A video game based on the film, titled '' Peter Pan: Adventures in Never Land'' was released by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

and

Disney Interactive Disney Interactive is an American video game and internet company that oversees various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company. History 1995–1996: Formation and beginnings In December 1994, Disney announced that it w ...

for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. An abridged version for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

was also released the same year.

Soundtrack

Several original songs were written for the film: "I'll Try" (written and performed by

Jonatha Brooke Jonatha Brooke (born January 23, 1964) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Massachusetts, United States. Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a ...

, which is put into three different versions. A short version; sung at the beginning of the film, a reprise; heard towards the film's climax, and a full version; which is used in the end credits), "Here We Go Another Plan" (written by Randy Rogel and performed by

), and "So to Be One of Us"/"Now that You're One of Us" (written by

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...

). The song "Second Star to the Right" from the original film is covered by

. The soundtrack also includes a cover of " Do You Believe in Magic?" by

BBMak BBMak are a British band consisting of Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Stephen McNally (musician), Stephen McNally. Formed in Liverpool in 1996, they sold over three million albums worldwide between 1999 and 2003. The band first achieved success ...

, which is also heard in the end credits. The end title version of "I'll Try" was produced by Stewart Levine. The score for the film was composed by

Joel McNeely Joel McNeely (born March 28, 1959) is an American composer, conductor, arranger, musician, lyricist, and record producer. A protégé of composer Jerry Goldsmith, he is best known for his film and television scores. He won the Primetime Emmy Aw ...

Track listing

Reception

Box office

The film opened at the third position at the box office behind ''

Crossroads Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet. Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...

'' and ''

John Q ''John Q.'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes, and written by James Kearns. It stars Denzel Washington as the title character, a man who takes a hospital emergency room hostage in order for his son to receive a ...

'' with $11.9 million. ''Return to Never Land'' grossed $48.4 million domestically and $66.7 million overseas, for a worldwide gross of $115.1 million, against a production budget of $20 million. It was before DVD sales, which had been the initially planned market for the film.

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an approval rating of 45% based on 97 reviews, and an average rating of 5.5/10. 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 Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

gave the film three stars out of four and praised the vocal performances of Burton and Weaver, especially Burton's, though he expressed surprise the movie's songs were not sung by the voice actors.

Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' published a negative review by calling the film a "completely uninspired cartoon sequel", dismissing it as a very dull retread of the original film. Nell Minow of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the film two stars out of five, saying remarks that it was "pleasant but forgettable sequel to Disney classic."

Accolades

Breslin was nominated for a 2003

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

as Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role at the 24th Young Artist Awards.

Home media

''Return to Never Land'' was released on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on August 20, 2002, and it took in only lukewarm sales. In November 2007, the film was released in a "Pixie-Powered Edition" and was also released in a ''

'' trilogy, along with the ''

'' Platinum Edition and ''

Tinker Bell Tinker Bell is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play '' Peter Pan'' and its 1911 novelisation '' Peter and Wendy''. She has appeared in a variety of film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 ...

'' in December 2008. The film was released on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

in August 2013, after the first Blu-ray release of ''

''. It was reprinted on Blu-ray in June 2018 as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive.

Video game

A tie-in video game, ''Disney's Peter Pan: Return to Never Land'' was released on

in 2002.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Return to Never Land Peter Pan (franchise) Peter Pan films 2000s children's animated films 2000s children's fantasy films 2000s English-language films 2000s fantasy adventure films 2002 American animated films 2002 children's films 2002 directorial debut films American animated adventure films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated fantasy films American direct-to-video films American fantasy adventure films American films based on plays American sequel films American World War II films Animated films about families Animated films based on children's books Animated films based on plays Animated films set in London Animated films set in the 1940s Animated World War II films Battle of Britain films Disney Television Animation films DisneyToon Studios animated films English-language fantasy adventure films Films about the British Army Films about fairies Films directed by Donovan Cook Films scored by Joel McNeely Films set in 1940