“Peter Pan” is one of those movies that lives up to the over-used phrase, a timeless classic.
Disney’s Diamond Edition 60th anniversary Blu-ray (44.99) is the latest evidence of that, a pristine HiDef presentation of the charming and amusing tale of a young boy who gets his wish to never grow up. You quickly get used to the movie not filling the width of the screen since it is displayed in its original squarish-aspect ratio — and once again you have the option of watching with the normal black vertical bars on each side of the film frame or choosing to create digital curtains — original paintings to fill the black space on the sides.
In addition to including almost all the best bonus features from previous releases of this movie on DVD, which are considerable and fun historical and behind-the-scenes documentaries, as well as an alternate opening, this new edition also includes an alternate ending to the 77-minute movie using original storyboard drawings and a narrator (Wendy and Peter have a more specific good-bye on his boat where she tells him to embrace his desire to remain a boy, but she needs to move on — something that really didn’t need to be spelled out in this detail).
A new 41-minute documentary features the children of Disney’s famous Nine Old Men animators reminiscing about life as a child with their semi-famous fathers. This is not much more interesting than watching someone else’s home movies although their comments are a little revealing about the poor parenting skills of some of their fathers.
Once again a new optional introduction by Disney’s daughter Diane Disney Miller is included to showcase different areas of the museum she built as a shrine to her father in San Francisco.
Other bonus features: You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan; Tinker Bell: A Fairy’s Tale; Disney Song Selections; Audio Commentary Hosted by Roy Disney; Music Videos.
— By Scott Hettrick