Peter and Wendy is a British Made-for-TV Movie that first aired on ITV in December 2015. It puts an interesting new spin on the story of Peter Pan by giving it a modern-day framing story centered around the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London, which has owned the rights to the Peter Pan story since 1929.
Lucy Rose, a modern, preteen London girl, comes with her mother Julie to the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. Lucy has a heart condition that will prove fatal if not treated soon, and only an operation can fix the problem. Mr. Wylie (Stanley Tucci), the surgeon in charge of the operation, assures Lucy and Julie he'll do everything he can to make sure it goes smoothly, but Julie is deeply worried something might go wrong and Lucy might not make it. Before the operation Jerzy, one of the hospitals's orderlies, tells Lucy all about the hospital's history with J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan and gives her a copy of the book to read. The rest of the movie switches back and forth between Lucy's operation at the hospital and her imagining of the story of Peter Pan, which casts the people around her as the story's characters.
Peter and Wendy contains the following tropes:
- Action Girl:
- Lucy's version of Wendy doesn't want to be the kind of mother who just sits at home worrying; she wants to have adventures as well. The Lost Boys assure her that that's the kind of mother they need — very loving and tender and bloodthirsty.
- Tiger Lily, who was already a warrior in the original book, has received a bit of an action makeover here as well, being more of a fighter and being heavily involved in the final battle with the pirates.
- In the story she tells to the Lost Boys, Wendy re-imagines Cinderella as a fearless vampire hunter who uses the wooden heel of her slipper to kill vampires.
- Adaptational Nice Guy:
- Peter is less of a Sociopathic Hero in this version. He's still a boastful showoff who refuses to grow up, but compared to his book counterparts he comes across as downright thoughtful and kind.
- The mermaids, surprisingly. While Lucy's narration (taken from the book) insists that they aren't friendly, they come across as much less sinister and more affable... they're mainly dangerous because they're too stupid to understand that humans can't breathe in water.
- Adapted Out: The Twins are nowhere to be seen in this version of the story.
- Affably Evil:
- Hook, who's normally portrayed as Faux Affably Evil, seems more genuinely affable here. He's still very much a Card-Carrying Villain with a temper though.
- And of course, Smee is as affable and loveable as ever.
- Allegory Adventure: The story of Peter Pan becomes a symbolic representation of Lucy's surgery.
- And You Were There: Lucy's version of Peter Pan casts the following people as characters in the story.
- Lucy herself becomes Wendy.
- Her mother Julie becomes Mrs. Darling.
- Mr. Wylie becomes Mr. Darling and Captain Hook.
- Mr. Wylie's team of surgeons become Hook's crew of pirates.
- Other children Lucy meets at the hospital become John and Michael, the Lost Boys, and Tiger Lily.
- Badass Longcoat: This is probably the only depiction where Tinker Bell wears one.
- Bittersweet Ending: The main story of Peter Pan of course is a classic example, but here the framing story also mirrors that bittersweetness: Lucy makes it through the surgery and makes a full recovery, but Hanif, one of the boys whom she was telling the story to, and who in the story became Tiger Lily's brother, dies.
- Canon Foreigner: Tiger Lily's younger brother, who does not exist in the book.
- Chekhov's Gag: Early on in the movie, Lucy is seen watching a Paloma Faith music video on her iPhone. Guess who plays Tinker Bell in this version. Paloma Faith!
- Composite Character: Surprisingly, the Crocodile takes on the role of the Neverbird by saving Peter from drowning.
- Establishing Character Moment: The movie actually opens with one for Hook. He and his crew are cheerfully walking through the forest only to pass by a pirate who is hanging from a tree by his thumbs. Hook stops up to have a pleasant chat with him.Hook: Pleasant weather we're having, Mister Ratcliffe?
Ratcliffe:Very nice for the time of year, Captain.
Hook: You're keeping busy, I hope.
Ratcliffe: Oh, can't complain.
Hook: Remind me... what are you doing here?
Ratcliffe: You ordered me to be strung up by my thumbs, Captain.
Hook: Oh! Oh, yes, that does sound like me.
(Everyone, including Hook and Ratcliffe, laughs)
Hook: And you know what's so amusing? I can't even remember why!
(Everyone laughs again)
Hook: Bye-bye!
(Hook and the pirates walk away, still laughing, leaving Ratcliffe still hanging by his thumbs.)
Hook: I miss him a bit. - Evil Is Hammy: Captain Hook (of course)..
- Gender Flip: The pirate Starkey, normally a man, is a woman in this version.
- Homage: Stanley Tucci seems to be channeling the Captain Hook played by Dustin Hoffman in Hook more and more as the movie goes on.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The story of Peter Pan bleeds into Lucy's experiences at the hospital in such a way that in the end it's hard to say for sure if it's all just her imagination or if something is going on.
- Psychopomp: Probably not surprising considering the frame story, but this adaptation puts a heavier focus on this oft-forgotten aspect of Peter Pan. His role as a guide for children who have died is mentioned and alluded to several times, and there are several hints to the popular theory that Peter may have been Dead All Along and that the Neverland is a kind of afterlife of his making.
- Race Lift: Tiger Lily is not an "Indian" as in the old, outdated, politically incorrect term for Native American in this version, but an Indian as in someone from the actual country of India. The normally white pirate Cecco is black in this version.
- Shipper on Deck: Lucy tries to get her mother together with Mr. Wylie. It doesn't work out though.
- Take That!: Hook does not think back of his days at Eton fondly, describing the school as "one of the most brutal and savage institutions ever devised for the torture of young children."
- Symbol Swearing: Used in Tinker Bell's subtitles when she uses a cuss word. Which happens quite a bit.
- Villainous Breakdown: Hook suffers one in the end when he finds he can't win the fight against Peter. Laughing Mad, he tries to blow up the Jolly Roger in an attempt at Taking You with Me.
