Episode Summary

Erin and Rachel have A LOT of thoughts (just under two hours worth) about Peter Pan (1953), a film so full of racism and sexism, they’re left scratching their heads about why this Disney classic is so beloved. Join the hosts as they unpack all the different ways this movie is offensive toward indigenous people, women, and even people with disabilities! 

Episode Bibliography

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Geronimi, C., Jackson, W., & Luske, H. (Directors). (1953). Peter Pan [Film]. Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Great Ormond Street Hospital. (n.d.). The history of Peter Pan and GOSH. https://www.gosh.org/about-us/peter-pan/history

Grady, C. (2017, July 27). How the fantasy of Peter Pan turned sinister. Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/7/27/16021572/peter-pan-became-evil-jm-barrie-llewelyn-davies

Hooten, C. (2015, August 27). Please stop calling it the Bechdel Test, says Alison Bechdel. Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/please-stop-calling-it-the-bechdel-test-says-alison-bechdel-10474730.html

Joo-Young, Rognlie. (2012, November 6). Copyrights in Neverland. Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. Retrieved from https://harvardjsel.com/2012/11/copyrights-in-neverland/

Kavey, A. B. (2008). “I do believe in fairies, I do, I do”: The history and epistemology of Peter Pan. In A. B. Kavey & L. D. Friedman, (Eds.), Second star to the right: Peter Pan in the popular imagination (pp. 75-104). Rutgers University Press. 

Lane, A. (2004, November 15). Why J. M. Barrie created Peter Pan. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/11/22/lost-boys

Laskow, S. (2014, December 2). The Racist History of Peter Pan’s Indian Tribe. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/racist-history-peter-pan-indian-tribe-180953500/

Mohamed, Z. (2019, December 15). Indigenous representation in media. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/34bdcbb62ba04aa2a63a2bdc1e8accab

Moss, C. (2014, December 4). The surprisingly morbid origins of Peter Pan. The Week. https://theweek.com/articles/441765/surprisingly-morbid-origins-peter-pan#:~:text=Peter%20Pan%20originally%20debuted%20as,Who%20Wouldn't%20Grow%20Up.

National Congress of American Indians. (2017). Misappropriation of Native Identity in Film & Television. http://www.ncai.org/resources/resolutions/misappropriation-of-native-identity-in-film-television

Ohmer, S. (2008). Disney’s Peter Pan: Gender, fantasy, and industrial production. In A. B. Kavey & L. D. Friedman, (Eds.), Second star to the right: Peter Pan in the popular imagination (pp. 151-186). Rutgers University Press. 

Parasher, P. (2013). Mapping the imaginary: The Neverland of Disney Indians. In J. Cheu (Ed.), Diversity in Disney films: Critical essays on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability (pp. 38-49). McFarland & Company, Inc.  

Peter Pan (1953 Film). (2020, August 5). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20200804192746/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan_(1953_film)