CNN claims Disney’s “woke” Peter Pan still contains racism, despite using non-white actors.

Racism and Colonialism in Peter Pan: A CNN Opinion Piece

The Problem with the New Disney+ Film

A recent CNN opinion piece by Noah Berlatsky argues that racism and colonialism are “built into the workings” of the Peter Pan story, despite the new Disney film’s diverse cast and inclusion of girls in the “Lost Boys.” Berlatsky claims that switching to non-white actors “isn’t enough” to address the core issues of the story.

The op-ed accuses the new film of trying to “sidestep the colonialism at the heart of ‘Peter Pan’ by employing less uniformly White casting than other remakes.” Berlatsky writes, “It’s a worthy effort, but racism, unfortunately, is harder to disarm than Captain Hook.”

The Colonial Framework

Berlatsky argues that the classic story of Peter Pan combines ideas about childhood and colonialist tropes into an exciting, whimsical narrative. He claims that the message of Peter Pan is that by traveling to the British colonies, one can “recapture lost time and lost youth.”

While recent adaptations have tried to add more non-white actors, Berlatsky insists that “the colonial framework is still in force.” He charges that recent adaptations “become tales of White women going on an adventure to educate and elevate non-White people.”

The Need for Change

Berlatsky concludes by expressing appreciation for recent adaptations’ attempts to address the issues of racism and colonialism. However, he maintains that Peter Pan “was created in important ways out of racism, and no one in film has yet figured out how to make him fly free of it.”

The matter comes as more and more attempts at pushing “woke” ideology are continuously deemed insufficient.