Disney’s Peter Pan Shadow/Silhouette Imagery - Part 2, Return to Neverland
Just as in the original 1953 film we discussed last time, Disney continues to make fairly heavy use of shadow imagery in the Peter Pan sequel, Return to Neverland.
Right off the bat, we are given a quick overview/reminder of the events and characters of the first film in a very creative manner in which we see Tink illuminate the outline of various people and places in the clouds before finally approaching Peter, sailing on the Jolly Roger as we left him at the end of the first film, backlit by the moon.
It’s a lovely, sweet tribute to the dreamy world of Neverland…but the shadows quickly grow into something much darker. While it’s not the first time we see Jane on screen, one very early image we get of her is this striking silhouette as she and Nana Two narrowly avoid bombs on their way back to the house.
The floodlights here are harsh and cold, not the soft, ethereal glow of the moon or the warm light emanating from Tinkerbell.
When she does finally make it back and slips into the bomb shelter with Wendy and Danny, Wendy quickly tries lighten the mood by telling a story, Danny’s shadow on the wall transitioning into the image of Peter as the real world falls away and we are swept up into the story.
Yet, interestingly, even Neverland is somewhat tainted by the reality of the war. Wendy’s story is not painted in the vivid colors of the island we are used to seeing. Rather, the whole thing takes place seemingly at night during a storm and all the characters and locations are themselves dark and shadowy in form.
As we slip back into the world of London and the family makes their way back inside the main house, we see Wendy and Jane’s shadows on the wall. Wendy’s shadow is undoubtedly that of a mother cradling her child while Jane’s looks nothing like an innocent little girl but instead is that of a soldier.
A bit later, as Jane sleeps, we get a view of the house outside. While in the first film we see Peter’s silhouette on the roof, this time it’s the darkened forms of Hook’s men dropping down from the ship.
Speaking of Hook…the first time we actually see him (not in Wendy’s story but in “real time, as it were), we see only the claw, its shadow lingering ominously over Jane for a second before he flings open the shutters and we get a brief glimpse of his entire form in shadow before she startles awake.
There’s definitely some stuff going on here with Jane and shadows in particular. She doesn’t look like a child in her shadow on the wall beside Wendy but a grownup ready to go to war…and then that shadow of adulthood as symbolized by Hook looming over her as she sleeps.
Now her shadow looks more like that of the frightened child she really is.
Once we make it to Neverland, the first shadow we see is Peter’s as he once again cuts through the sail—a nice callback to the scene from the final battle of the first film.
We also see Peter and Jane’s shadows dance along the rocky wall of Skull Rock as he gives her a quick tour of the island from the air.
From here on out, the shadow imagery is much more limited. The actual Neverland, unlike the one of Wendy’s story, is still very bright and aside from a few scenes at night when Jane is at her lowest point, there is a great deal of color and light. The shadows—so prevalent early on in the film—have seemingly been chased away.
One thing I did find interesting is how when Hook leaves his conversation with Jane, he seemingly becomes one with the shadows of the forest, disappearing back into them as if he himself was a part of the darkness.
The last time we get shadow imagery, it’s very brief and not nearly as noticeable as some of the other shots. But you if you pause for just a second, you can clearly see Peter’s shadow on the wall of Dead Man’s Cave. At this particular angle, it almost looks like his shadow is bound not only at the wrists but also the ankles.
The darkness pretty quickly dispels after this point, though, as Jane awakens Tinkerbell from her sleep of death and they go to help Peter. We don’t see any more shadows beyond this point. If they were meant to symbolize some inner turmoil or darkness within Jane, it makes sense that as the story resolves and she embraces her inner child, the shadows, too, would disappear.
