Skip to main content

Remember How Creepy Disney’s Peter Pan Really Is Thanks to This Honest Trailer

Oh, and also racism and sexism.

Peter Pan was one of my favorite Disney cartoons growing up. I wore my VHS copy of that movie out. But even as I was enjoying it, Elementary School-Age Teresa was also made hugely uncomfortable by the “What Makes the Red Man Red?” song, as well as by how catty Tinkerbell was. What I didn’t realize until much later, however, was that in addition to the racism and sexism in the film, how creepy Peter Pan as a concept is to begin with. Thankfully, this Honest Trailer is here to clear things up.

Recommended Videos

Peter Pan basically lures children to Neverland, and keeps them from leaving. Creepy. Rather than being a parent to the Lost Boys himself and guiding them into adulthood, he finds “a girl” to be their mother – whose duties are limited to telling them stories, singing to them, then staying out of their way. Sexist. Oh, and then there are the Native Americans in the film. Yeeeeah. One of the few things that Once Upon a Time did right before it went irredeemably downhill was that it made Peter Pan a villain, and we got to see his behavior for what it really is – controlling, stalkerish, and sociopathic.

What do you think? Is there still value in Peter Pan as “the spirit of youth?” Or should we all just grow the fuck up already?

(via Hit Fix)

—Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.—

Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Author
Teresa Jusino
Teresa Jusino (she/her) is a native New Yorker and a proud Puerto Rican, Jewish, bisexual woman with ADHD. She's been writing professionally since 2010 and was a former TMS assistant editor from 2015-18. Now, she's back as a contributing writer. When not writing about pop culture, she's writing screenplays and is the creator of your future favorite genre show. Teresa lives in L.A. with her brilliant wife. Her other great loves include: Star Trek, The Last of Us, anything by Brian K. Vaughan, and her Level 5 android Paladin named Lal.

Filed Under:

Follow The Mary Sue: