The latest in a litany of increasingly homogenous live-action adaptations based on classic Disney animated fare, “Peter Pan & Wendy” had an uphill climb even before factoring in the competing Pan pictures unleashed over the past few decades. Whether Steven Spielberg’s “Hook” in 1991 or attempted reboots by P.J. Hogan in 2003 and Joe Cornish in 2015, it’s gotten so that the “boy who wouldn’t grow up” has become more like the “boy who wouldn’t go away.”

So it’s rather remarkable what David Lowery achieves with this latest iteration. Ostensibly indebted to Disney’s 1953 classic in style and aesthetic, “Peter Pan & Wendy” very much flies its own course. As with 2021’s “The Green Knight” and his lovely 2016 remake of “Pete’s Dragon” for Disney, Lowery brings a willingness to take complex, emotional deep dives into familiar fantasy milieus. It’s so well done that it feels like a disservice that Disney is dropping this on its streaming service on Friday, April 28, as it’s a film very much deserving of a theatrical spotlight.

Adapted by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks, “Peter Pan & Wendy” follows the familiar broad strokes of J.M. Barrie’s beloved children’s story: Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson), a preteen living in London during the early 1900s, is on the cusp of shipping off to boarding school when she’s whisked away to far-off Neverland by Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) with the assistance of his fairy aide-de-camp Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi).

Once there, Wendy and brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacob Jupe) meet Peter’s friends known as the Lost Boys — not all of whom are boys in this incarnation of the story — and Tiger Lily (played at long last by an ethnically appropriate actor, Alyssa Wapanatahk of the Bigstone Cree Nation).

Of course, it’s also not long before they make the acquaintance of one Captain James Hook (Jude Law), the pirate leader with whom Peter regularly crosses swords and wits.

The arguable key to the Peter Pan story’s enduring appeal for well over 100 years is the wish fulfillment aspect of living a life of permanent playtime, with no responsibilities and no adults to answer to. Lowery zeroes in on this while gently layering pathos and even tragedy into the myth. A life of perpetual youth also means a life of loneliness, never forming lasting bonds with anyone for fear of them eventually growing up or moving on.

Lowery doesn’t stray too far outside the lines — this is still a Disney movie based on a beloved family property — but he also doesn’t shy away from mining a familiar tale for meta commentary. Far from deconstruction, it’s heartfelt and introspective. On reflection, it’s not surprising he chose this approach for “Peter Pan,” having previously tackled questions of mortality and loss in 2017’s haunting, transfixing “A Ghost Story.”

编剧/导演是辅助tal巨大ented newcomers occupying the roles on either side of the title’s ampersand. Molony makes a confident feature debut, managing a delicate balance between innocence and callousness. Meanwhile, Wendy’s expanded significance in this story requires Anderson (daughter of actor Milla Jovovich) to carry a good deal of the emotional and intellectual weight for this adaptation, and she’s more than up to the challenge.

Just as important to the equation, of course, is Hook, and we get a wonderful, shaded performance from Law knitting together an essential air of menace with equally necessary comedic beats, often bouncing off of Jim Gaffigan as sidekick Smee. Unlike Garrett Hedlund’s roguish, Han Solo-esque interpretation of Hook in the Cornish film, this version is very much a villain, but with an added backstory making his conflict with Peter both richer and sadder.

Despite getting off to a promising start with 2015’s “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book” the following year, there’s been an increasing sameness to Disney’s live-action adaptations of its animated catalog. Even distinctive directors like Tim Burton and Robert Zemeckis couldn’t do much to make their respective “Dumbo” and “Pinocchio” remakes feel like more than prepackaged assembly-line output. Lowery bucks this trend with “Peter Pan & Wendy.” He helps Peter fly, and more importantly he helps keep him grounded.

Zaki Hasan is a freelance writer.