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Return to Never Land Movie Review

Return to Never Land is a 2002 animated fantasy direct-to-video feature from Disneytoon Studios. It’s mostly a solid sequel.

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“And I especially don’t believe in fairies!“

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A long time has passed since the original ‘Peter Pan’, and Wendy is all grown up now. Her daughter Jane doesn’t believe in magic and fairies, but she has to become a better person once she ends up in Neverland (this is the correct spelling of this place and not the odd one from the film’s title). The overall plot I found to be solid. Certainly rehashed at times, but mostly engaging.

The movie actually held my interest most of the time, and I found its entire tone and vibe very much in line with the original, and that way the film’s not an embarrassment as some other Disneytoon sequels are (looking at you, Beauty and the Beast sequels). The ending is genuinely moving, the beginning is overlong but fine, and the middle act is quite fun.

I actually really liked Jane and her story. Yes, Disney has done this type of story so many times before – a character is grumpy and doesn’t believe in fun and magic, screws over the good guys by making a pact with the villain, and eventually saving the day – but because they have done it so many times, they knew how to do that again here, and that plot was very well done, involving and with high stakes, certainly higher than most other sequels from this studio.

But because Jane is so well developed, others suffered as a result. Yes, Tinker Bell and Hook are per usual great, but Peter and Wendy could have been better utilized as they’re forgettable here. But the Lost Boys have their moments, and overall the character dynamic is very strong.

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Return to Never Land doesn’t have a good humor at all, the runtime is too short and the animation is fine, but nothing truly memorable in any shape or form. The worst offender is the soundtrack, which is just so run of the mill. I actually quite liked I’ll Try as this solid, moving number, but all the others are so forgettable and dull.

Return to Never Land is ultimately a solid Disneytoon sequel. Yes, the soundtrack, animation, humor and some characters are weak, but Jane is great, her story is well done and the film is mostly very faithful to the original in terms of vibe and character dynamics.