Disney Director Wants To Make Movies ‘That Scare Kids’

Peter Pan & Wendy, the newest interpretation of the classic Peter Pan story, just dropped on Disney Plus this past Friday. The film stars Jude Law as Captain Hook, Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, and Ever Gabo Anderson as Wendy Darling. Director David Lowery and Law recently sat down with Yahoo! Entertainment to discuss the film and what Lowery wants children’s movies to be moving forward.

READ MORE: Will This NEW Look At ‘Peter Pan And Wendy’ Win Over Haters?

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Along with Disney’s animated The Little Mermaid (1989), David Lowery lists the 1981 British fantasy/ adventure, Time Bandits, and Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) as huge creative inspirations that moved him during childhood. Lowery notes that the “anarchy” and “action” in those films intrigued and “terrified” him.

He wants generations of children that watch his films to experience a similar sense of inspiring fear. Disney Plus’ Peter Pan & Wendy offers a more mature and somewhat darker look, incorporating a drama many families may not initially expect when sitting down to watch.

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Lowery explains,

It’s something I always valued in those movies — 10 minutes in, I was really taken in by how scared they made me, and yet how much I wanted to rewatch it and rewatch it. There’s something nurturing and helpful about getting to face that darkness at a young age in the safe environment of an adventure film. All of the films that made the biggest impression scared me in some way and helped me face the darkness that I have to deal with as an adult. So I hope to continue that tradition: I hope to keep making movies that scare kids just enough — but not too much.

Jude Law agrees with Lowery’s sentiment and adds his own love of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians (1961) due to his fear of the movie’s villain, Cruella de Vil.

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Law adds,

I remember being both surprised and weirdly stimulated by the fact that I was scared. That kind of stimulation leads to curiosity that leads to questions that leads to conversation that leads to imagination. That’s the path I live on and love and that I hope to lead my children down.

Click HERE for Disney Dining’s review of David Lowery’s Peter Pan & Wendy on Disney Plus! We’ll let you know how “scary” it really is and if your family might like it.

See the full Yahoo! Entertainment Interiew here: