Peter Banning (Robin Williams) is a successful lawyer whose relationship with his kids, Jack (Charlie Korsmo) and Maggie (Amber Scott), is on tenterhooks due to his busy schedule and inability to see things from their perspective. The family are on their way to London so Peter can deliver a speech in honour of his wife's grandmother, Wendy Darling (Maggie Smith), who helped Peter find a family when he was an orphaned child.
However, whilst they're out for the evening, Peter's children are kidnapped by Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), a scheming pirate and Pan's enemy. Eventually, Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) turns up to take Peter, who has forgotten that he is really Peter Pan, back to Neverland to beat Hook and save his children.
Written by James V. Hart (Bram Stoker's Dracula, August Rush), the film has an interesting take on the Peter Pan story arc, taking him away from Neverland and letting him grow up, so that he effectively has to start over again to prepare for his fight against Hook. Generally, it's a good script that is creative in the direction it takes the characters and never fails to amuse. However watching it back again all these year later, I would have preferred it to be a bit shorter.
This film has a great cast of actors that fill the roles very naturally. Maggie Smith may slightly overact the elderly lady gestures and tones, but she's still believable, and whilst I might find personally find Julia Roberts a bit annoying, she's great as Tinkerbell. Then there's the late Bob Hoskins, possibly the most cockney man who even lived, who makes the most perfect Smee imaginable. Though if anybody equals or even surpasses Williams in Hook, it's Hoffman as the titular character. Captain Hook's terrifying, barbarous charisma is brought to life more by Hoffman here than even Hans Conried in 1953, and he had animation to help him!
This is one of those roles that seems to fit Robin Williams perfectly. As an adult Peter, he may have grown up, but Williams' energy brings the inner Peter Pan out. His sense of humour comes through too when he's delivering all the great one-liners that are spread throughout. Though playing totally different characters, his performance here is quite reminiscent of some of his other children's films such as Jumanji and Patch Adams.
Ok, so this film certainly has it's issues, not the least of which is it's 2 Hour 20 minute running-time (for a children's movie? seriously?) but it never fails to be enjoyably childish and fun, which is what Peter Pan is all about right?
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