Published on Mar 14, 1999
One of the best things about being a parent is that I now have a
legitimate reason to start watching all these old Disney movies.
It’s easier walking up to the counter at Blockbuster with a copy of
“Lady And The Tramp” with a toddler in hand than if I were to go up
alone. (“Uh, I’m babysitting…”)
Although my daughter and I are slowly plowing through the Disney
catalog (we keep getting stuck on “Winnie-The-Pooh” and “Mulan” –
“Watch it again, Daddy!”), we haven’t gotten to all the movies just
yet. One of those on the short list to watch is today’s soundtrack
review,
Peter Pan.
I’ve said this in many reviews of Disney soundtracks, and I’ll
say it again: You don’t really need to have seen the movie in order
to understand how the plot is going thanks to the way the music is
structured. I can almost see Tinkerbell and Peter Pan peeking into
the nursery to watch Wendy; I can see them all flying through the
air, singing, “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!”. And, daring
to be politically incorrect, I can see the “war dance” going on
during tracks like “What Made The Red Man Red” and “Big Chief
Flying Eagle”. (Save the flames; I didn’t write the friggin’
tracks.)
After multiple times listening to
Peter Pan, I still don’t understand why the song “Never
Smile At A Crocodile” didn’t make it into the film. It’s a bit
quirky, especially with the rambling conversation that closes the
track, but it’s still a fun song to listen to. Likewise, “The
Boatswain’s Song” – complete with an “error” that the producers
chose to leave in for historical purposes – is a fun number, and
one that could have easily found a home in this film.
To be honest, either of the tracks would have been better than
“Following The Leader,” a song that I’m sure appeals to the kids
more. I guess that it would be a fun song to have them march around
to (maybe why it was included in a different version on
Disney Babies – Playtime), but it just isn’t one of the best
songs I’ve ever heard on a Disney soundtrack.
Like any good soundtrack, the mood of Peter Pan rises and falls
with the corresponding action onscreen, and the listener can sense
the times that Peter is being lured into Captain Hook’s trap – and
when Peter saves the day for Never Land.
Even with the odd weak spot, this soundtrack is a nice addition
to your collection – and has almost guaranteed that my daughter and
I will be watching the movie this weekend. Winnie-The-Pooh needs a
brief vacation, anyhow, to stock up on honey.