Imagination Creation

Rating: 10/10 (21 June 2005)

Nominated as one of the best films of 2004, "Finding Neverland" sweeps us off our feet with the story of the creation of J.M. Barrie's play "Peter Pan". Playwright J.M Barrie's (Johnny Depp) latest play not only fails him, but also leaves him without hope of ever writing a successful play. One afternoon in the park, J.M. Barrie is attempting to create a play when he is introduced to the widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet) and her four sons. The six of them form a surrogate family and with the memories they create, Barrie finds the inspiration he needs that will help him produce "Peter Pan", his greatest play ever.
The hidden message in this film is that there is imagination in everyone; it just needs to be awakened. There is a scene in the movie where Barrie teaches the Davies boys that if they believe in something hard enough, it can come true. Barrie sparks their imagination by pretending his dog is a bear and dances with it. Peter, one of the Davies boys, refuses to imagine anything and insists the dog is not a bear. Peter is trying to grow up too fast, so it is up to Barrie to reignite the boy's imagination spark. While helping Peter, Barrie finds his own imagination has been revived.
"Finding Neverland" is classified into the drama genre because of the intense character building and character relationships. Historically, this movie was quite accurate, including small details such as Barrie's Scottish accent. The actors cast for this film did a phenomenal job of captivating audiences of all ages and types. As far as music and graphics goes, it only enhanced the beauty of this story. It's no wonder that "Finding Neverland" was nominated as one of the best films of 2004. A story for young and old a like, the creation of imagination will never grow up.