Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy Completely Rewrites Tiger Lily, Ditching The Racist Stereotypes

Figuring out how to make a live-action Peter Pan story that abandoned the racist tropes of the original text and the 1953 Disney film, while still “keeping in mind the legacy” of Disney’s “Peter Pan,” was tricky. Ultimately, Lowery explained, they completely rewrote Tiger Lily’s history to include elements from the culture of Cree actor Alyssa Wapanatâhk, who plays the character: 

“The challenge for us was: how do we take this character who, going back to the original text, was problematic, and give her a role that is not only supporting, but integral to the entire movie? There was nothing from the past that we needed to hang on to when it came to Tiger Lily. The version of the character in the movie, who is so strong and vibrant, it’s incredible. There should be a Tiger Lily movie!”

The early drafts hewed closely to Barrie’s original works, but Lowery felt that that the book(s) had already been adapted “perfectly” in the 2003 live-action “Peter Pan” film directed by P.J. Hogan. They looked then to the animated Disney film, and found that combining both sources made something new and more interesting. Though “Peter Pan & Wendy” will have plenty of familiar landmarks (“I would often say: if it’s in the ride at Disneyland, it needs to be in the movie”) Lowery also aimed to preserve the “anarchic, adult spirit” of Barrie’s writing.

In an interview with Native Viewpoint last month, Wapanatâhk said that Lowery encouraged her to bring her own Cree background to the role. She in turn consulted her grandmother, who grew up Cree and speaks the language fluently, and her grandfather, who is an elder and medicine man.

“My thoughts on Disney’s past is that I hope they leave it where it is,” said Wapanatâhk. “And I think they will … I really felt like they were trying.”

“Peter Pan & Wendy” will premiere on Disney+ on April 28, 2023.