Offering one of the weakest defenses for Disney’s virtue signaling thus far – even by the company’s own standards – Peter Pan & Wendy director David Lowery has justified his film’s inclusion of young girls in the ranks of The Lost Boys on the grounds that “movies should be for everybody”.
Lowery spoke to his creative decision during a recent interview given to SFX Magazine (via CBR).
Leaning on the concept of ‘diversity and inclusion’ to justify his expansion of the mischief makers’ roster, the director said of the change, “Movies should be for everybody, and it doesn’t change the movie at all.”
“It’s the same story everyone grew up with,” he continued. “To each their own, but it’s their loss. They’re going to miss out on a great movie-going experience.”
Further, Lowery asserted that despite facing so much criticism over his alterations to the source material – including both his aforementioned addition of female members of The Lost Boys and hjs tired race-swapping of Tinkerbell – he was “really excited for kids who get to discover this tale for the first time and for this to be their version of the Lost Boys and Peter and Tinkerbell and Captain Hook and Wendy.”
“The old versions are all going to be there, but for a certain generation, this will be their introduction to the story, and I’m really excited that it will be the one they think of when they think of Peter Pan.”
As seen in its debut trailer, The Lost Boys in Peter Pan & Wendy will feature a number of girls among their ranks, including Birdie (Diana Tsoy) and twins Tudy (Skyler Yates) and Rudy (Kelsey Yates) – the latter of whom are shown taking offense to Wendy’s (Ever Anderson) pointing out the disconnect between the group’s name and its membership.
However, in an ironic twist, this attempt by Lowery at forcing ‘female representation’ actually undercuts the source material’s truly empowering explanation behind their absence from the group.
In his original novel The Little White Bird, Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie explicitly states that there are no ‘Lost Girls’ because infant girls were simply too smart to fall out of their cribs and wander off.
Therein, Peter himself explains to Wendy that The Lost Boys “are the children who fall out of their perambulators when the nurse is looking the other way.
“If they are not claimed in seven days they are sent far away to the Neverland to defray expanses,” he adds. “I’m captain.”
Met with the reaction of “What fun it must be!” from his new companion, Peter laments in reply, “Yes, but we are rather lonely. You see we have no female companionship.”
Pressed by Wendy as to whether or not “none of the others [are] girls?”, the almost-mythical youth confirms, “Oh no; girls, you know, are much too clever to fall out of their prams.”
At present, Peter Pan & Wendy are on course to land on Disney Plus on April 28th.