My roommates and I just watched Peter Pan, the original Disney classic. The last time I saw this, I was maybe 12, at the oldest. Wow, what a little time and perspective does to a movie. I remember watching this film as a kid and absolutely loving it, as I do with most Disney movies. However, this is one Disney movie that does not stand the test of time. Its depictions of women and Native Americans make me want to keep this one off my DVD shelf. I know many Disney movies don't have very feminist messages, having fairytale routes, but in this film they were particularly negative.
Women of Peter Pan
I already talked about her inappropriate outfit, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. In the movie, through absolutely no dialogue, you see her as a shallow, jealous, and manipulative woman. Her introductory scene shows her concerned over the size of her hips and jealous over Peter Pan's fascination with Wendy. She doesn't get any better as the movie progresses. She races to lose Wendy and orders the Lost Boys to shoot her down. She nearly kills Wendy! All because she doesn't want Peter Pan to focus on any other woman but her. And then, instead of trying to apologize or get to know Wendy, she runs off hurt and alone. Later in the movie, Hook hears of her being spurned and decides to use her in his plot to kill Pan. Hook is sure this will work because "a jealous woman can be tricked into anything." Yes, that is a direct quote from the movie. She does save Peter Pan from the bomb, but that doesn't redeem her in my eyes because she never tries to make things right with Wendy. The closest she gets to an apology is covering the ship with pixie dust to drop them off back home. So in the end, she does get rid of Wendy and has Peter all to herself.
The mermaids are only in one scene, but they still manage to fit within the poor image of women in this film. They are shallow beings, again focusing mainly on their looks. They sit and swim around all day, and spend a lot of time just combing their hair and looking pretty. When Wendy shows up, they become mean and jealous. Apparently, Peter Pan is the only man of interest in Neverland and all the ladies want him and they don't want to share.
Wendy isn't as shallow and petty as the other ladies, because she's the "mother" in this movie. It shows that only motherly type women are supportive and nurturing. The young, carefree mermaids and Tinkerbell only care about getting their man, at any cost to other people.This telling of JM Barrie's Peter Pan is definitely my least favorite of those I've watched recently. Disney's Peter Pan will not be getting the repeated viewings of Aladdin, The Lion King, and Pixar films. For this story, I think I'll stick with Hook, Finding Neverland, or the even new Peter Pan.
But that is what makes Tink great! Now, of course, Disney has ruined her by giving her a voice and making all that fairy bullshit, but Tink in Peter Pan is so awesome because of the fact that she is a bitch. There's moral ambiguity goin' on! Although I'm sure it flew over most people's heads, she is one of the most complex characters in the Disney canon, its so great! She's a crappy person, but she (mostly) is a "good guy," ...kinda like Faith. How many other Disney movies have jealous bitch traitor fairies????! None!!! As for Wendy, that is just Barrie's vision, there wasn't much changed for Disney, I definitely prefer her to the sexy kiddie porn Wendy of the newer Jason Issacs starring Peter Pan. And mermaids, well their mythical so they can be whatever..and Peter is the only "man" worth having on Neverland...unless there is some Indian warrior or something. Also, you didn't mention Tiger Lilly, who is a strong female charater.
ReplyDelete..Also, Twilight is way more sexist than this magical Disney masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteoh, no doubt Twilight is worse in terms of anti-feminist characters. But at least that is meant for teenagers, who hopefully have more sense and differing depictions of women to go off of so it doesn't do any damage. But I think the impact of Peter Pan is worse, since it's a kids movie. I'm sure parents let their kids watch this without thinking of the impact of seeing these vapid characterizations.
ReplyDeleteAnd your right, Tigerlily is a stronger character than the other ladies, but the negative depiction of the Native American people as a whole cancels out some of that good.
This is probably one of my favorite Disney movies... I think because its not a fairy tale, they fly and its about not growing up:) I have great memories of this movie. I love that Wendy is a mother figure. And a lot of times, mother figures are the most caring and nurturing. Or women who'd like to be mothers...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I didn't realize how outdated this movie was until I bought the anniversary edition a few years back. I was shocked, and felt a little dirty after watching it.
ReplyDeleteI had great memories of this movie too, but when I rewatched it the other day, I just couldn't get over the sexism prevalent throughout the other female characters. It ruined the movie for me. It kind of makes me want to rewatch like every movie I saw as a kid and see how they hold up now.
ReplyDelete@Marcos: exactly! I felt kind of bad about enjoying it as a kid, because it is so racist and sexist once you're old enough to think about it.
ReplyDelete1) Political Correctness sucks and the American hegemonic mythology of the Red Man is awesome. Indians are badass.
ReplyDelete2)This is a product of its time, a historical document..and a beautifully animated tale to boot...so let's think about it before we ban it from our shelves....hiding things away is more heinous to me...we really need to bring Song of the South out the vault!
3)Is Peter Pan really a children's story? It's pretty disturbing if you think about it.
4) Smee is gay for the Hook.
1. They are pretty cool, with a rich history and culture to tell.
ReplyDelete2. I agree that it's a product of its time, but that doesn't mean I want kids to watch it now. Save it for the film class as an analytical study. Or if you are going to have kids watch it, I think it should spark discussion about the "red man" and how it really is. Just watching it without the context of it being a "different world back then" just makes it seem like it's still that way now.
3. Peter Pan can be told as a dark tale, but I'm just talking about the Disney version here, which is definitely targeted for kids.
4. Haha, subtext homosexual relations are not new so I'd believe it. (see Kirk/Spock, Batman/Robin, etc)
Boy, your hate for Tink really snowballed didn't it? I love Peter Pan in all his forms, so I want to come to his defense:
ReplyDelete1) I actually agree a lot with Rudy (except that I really liked the new take on Wendy for the Jason Isaacs live-action movie). The Disney version of Tinkerbell is very faithful to the original J.M. Barrie book/play, right down to the skimpy outfit. And how is her form of dress any worse than the one Jasmine wears in your repeated viewings of "Aladdin"?
2) Mermaids were essentailly CREATED to be sexual objects by lonely sailors at sea. I think they get a free pass.
3) Since your feminism is raging, what do you make of the fact that in the classic video-taped version of the play, Peter himself is played by Mary Martin, a GIRL?
4) What do you make of "Beauty and the Beast" then, where a seemingly independent woman gets in a relationship with a violent hateful man, but through love and ceaseless devotion changes him into a handsome prince? Don't try to tell my THAT has no implications for young girls in abusive relationships.
5) I disagree on teens being "smarter" than children. If anything, teen girls are FAR MORE susceptible to Twilight's bullshit, since their hormones are raging and the books/films are a (twisted) version of stuff they're actually dealing with. Children don't really catch any of what we're talking about; they came to laugh at the goofy clock-ticking crocodile. As a child, did anything in Disney's "Peter Pan" REALLY screw you up and make a lasting impression? As you said, you remembered it with fondness.
Dan knows what he's talking about. This is a FANTASY film, not a depiction of real life. That is the way the Red Man really is in Neverland! The characters are the way they are in Neverland, that's why it's Neverland and not America or England! Disney movies aren't documentaries, I have no doubt that people are going to give Princess and the Frog some shit for being racist or some such nonsense bullshit like that, but that fact is these are fantasy characters in fantasy worlds telling magical family tales with no malice behind them, only good intentions.
ReplyDelete