Wonderful movie. As usual, classics hold up while the modern films don't

Recently going through some of the Disney films that I never viewed or had forgotten, I'm amazed at how poor the modern ones are. Tarzan, Mulan, Hercules, Princess and the Frog, these are all pretty disappointing, some almost terrible.

Then I come to a true classic like this, and I'm amazed at how good it is.

Wonderful theme, the balance that must be struck between practicality and imagination. You don't want to become a Captain Hook, like the family's father is in danger of being, but you can't be just a flighty Peter Pan either.

Great tale about the importance of motherhood too, the implication being that the "Lost Boys" are fated to become thugs and thieves, like the pirate crew (what we would consider a gang today) without a stable family life and parental involvement.

Wendy's brothers have almost forgotten what a mother is, that role being taken on by Wendy herself and the family dog, whereas both parents should be more involved.

Wendy has a great arc, at first being the champion of fantasy, but then, when fantasy runs amok, becoming the voice of practicality -- the voice of her father, unexpectedly.

And Tinkerbell is a completely delightful character precisely because she's not just some angel, but a feisty, jealous, but also good-hearted and self-sacrificing young woman. And of course, very, very pretty.

That too contributes to Wendy's arc -- for at first, she's the one who's the target of jealousy (from Tinkerbell), but then she feels jealous herself (because of Tiger Lily).

Really a splendid movie, and with some wonderful songs.

The one criticism? Hook is too pathetic a villain and too easily dispatched. One ends up feeling sorry for him. Also, some of the humour is too forced.