The New Adventures of Peter & Wendy is a modern adaptation of the JM Barrie classic, Peter Pan. The series has a fantastic team behind it, with Kyle Walters & Shawn deLoache at the helm as creators, and produced by the incomparable, Emmy award winning producer Jenni Powell (The Lizzie Bennet Diaries). I mean, if you want anyone on board to do a modern take on a classic piece of fiction, it’s Jenni Powell. The show has incredibly high production values, not to mention a stellar cast, including Kyle Walters, Paula Rhodes, Brennan Murray, Graham Kurtz, and Lovlee Carroll. To think that it was made for an estimated $9,000 is staggering. It is technically flawless, Alex Parker and Chidi Onyejuruwa deserve a special shoutout for their work. Especially the lighting. So often it’s the lighting that lets an otherwise great web series down.
The show is in a Vlog style popularised by series like lonelygirl15, The Guild, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and more. It follows Peter, a late-20s man-child and comic book artist living in the small town of Neverland, Ohio with his friends Wendy, Michael, John, Lily and his trusty fairy Tinkerbell. Peter has 3 goals in live; 1) Never grow up, 2) Have as much fun as humanly possible, and 3) Win the heart of his best friend, advice vlogger for the Kensington Chronicle, Wendy Darling.
The show is a really interesting modern twist that manages to be reverent with its source material. It captures the spirit of adolescent joy, and a pretty spot-on depiction of what the Darling children would be like as 20-somethings. It is light-hearted and fun, the writing is fluid and snappy throughout and promises a lot from its first episode. Let’s face it, in the books, Wendy isn’t the most likeable character, she is adventurous but always sensible and Paula gets that mix just right, all the while bringing bags of likeability and pluck. Kyle Walters is the perfect 21st Century man-child as obsessive, videogame loving, semi-stoner, Peter. The series brings some real relatability to the characters. It’s got enough magical realism to choke a crocodile. It’s my new happy thought.
The series continues twice weekly on their YouTube. Check out all the episodes so far below.
