Peter Pan

Even movie critics have trouble laying down their prejudices, and I must confess that as I entered the theater to see "Peter Pan" for the first time in many years I could not forget how much I loved this movie as a child.

So I purposely decided to take on the shell of a hard-nosed movie critic — no matter how much it took to muster up those feelings, given the conditions.

But try as I might to watch this movie through dry eyes and hardened heart, it got to me. I laughed, I teared up and I felt exhilarated.

Since "Peter Pan" is one of the first movies I remember seeing as a child, some of this can be chalked up to nostalgia. But examining the film more closely, there is much to admire.

The songs are memorable and work well in the context of the story without slowing down the pace; the slapstick comedy is hilarious, especially as Captain Hook is chased by the ever-present crocodile; the spirit of the original story remains intact better than with some other Disney adaptations; and the artwork is positively magnificent, especially that stunning sequence where Peter, Wendy, Michael and John are flying through the clouds at night when the lights of London suddenly appear below them. Wow!

If you want to carp, there is the unfortunate, insensitive portrayal of the Indians, and, if you really want to reach, the physical handicap of Captain Hook.

But this is, after all, a broad children's fantasy, and when you start searching for too much reality you spoil the whole idea of fairy tales.

This is also one of Disney's best later animated features, and it is every bit as timeless as the more intricate "Bambi" and "Pinocchio," if in a lighter, goofier vein. (It also remains far superior to the overly sentimental TV version with Mary Martin, which was recently revived.)

Take — do not send — your kids to this one. You'll have as much fun as they will.

In fact, you probably will have more. After all, you've been to Never Land before.