Finding Neverland

It's been an imaginative day. While I was getting Ariel to bed tonight, she asked me to tell her a story. Usually, she wants to be the one telling the stories . . . and sometimes how they do run on. But tonight it was my turn.

So, spur of the moment, I decided to try and tell her some of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" one of the Chronicles of Narnia. I got through the main substance of what I remember from the first chapter or so--where Edmund (whom I called Eddie) and Lucy discover the painting of the Dawn Treader and are magically transported onto the deck of the ship and begin their journey.

If we pursue the story further, I'll probably have to make up the majority of what remains--or maybe I'll read it at night and tell it to her the next day? I don't think that she is quite ready to sit still very long for C.S. Lewis' prose just yet. I tried to do that with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" last year and I think she needs a bit more time.

Anyway, after she went down to bed I decided to watch Finding Neverland. It was very good and while it was sad at the end, it was a satisfying kind of sad. I was especially glad that I had the pleasure of watching an actual play performance of "Peter Pan" with Ariel. I think it made me appreciate the movie's depiction of the play a bit more. Previously, I had only seen the Disney animated version, and I think that you really miss something if that is all that you know. Plus, I can relate to the idea that Barrie had to bring children into the theater on opening night to win over the adults watching the play.

Watching Ariel talk to me tonight after I finished telling her my story, I wonder if she will have a rich fantasy life and love the same kinds of things that I do. Will she be very serious and practical? Will she have as strong imagination in ten years that she seems to have now? I hope so . . . having seen what she is capable of, I would hate to see it disappear at some point. I think that would make me very sad.

But, what else can I say about the movie? Depp gives a very strong performance and while I kid about him a lot, I really respect his movies. Freddie Highmore and all of the children performed well. I liked the touch of adding Dustin Hoffman into the mix of this movie, even if it did remind one of the sadness that was Hook.

I wonder if I will always associate Peter Pan with Ariel.