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Fanciful, Charming Account of the Creation of "Peter Pan". "Finding Neverland" is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Scottish playwright James Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family that inspired Barrie to write the classic children's story "Peter Pan". The film was written by David Magee, based on a portion of Allan Knee's play "The Man Who Wrote Peter Pan" and directed by Marc Forster of "Monster's Ball" fame. In London, 1904, James Barrie (Johnny Depp) is a playwright in need of fresh ideas. Walking his dog in the park one day, he meets a young widow, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet), and her four sons, George, Jack, Peter, and Michael. The boy's playfulness and earnestness fire James' imagination, and he makes regular trips to the park to spend time with them. This unusual relationship with the boys and their mother raises a few eyebrows, including those of James' wife, Mary (Radha Mitchell), and Sylvia's socially conscious mother, Mme. du Maurier (Julie Christie). But James is quite fond of Sylvia and her sons, and the boys become a sort of muse. Peter (Freddie Highmore), a thoughtful, melancholy child still grieving the loss of his father, lends his name to "Peter Pan", as James writes the fanciful play about "the irrepressible spirit of youth". "Finding Neverland", although fictionalized, is an interesting exploration of the creative process: How James Barrie's own childhood and those of the Llewelyn Davies children were translated into art -into a play whose popularity seems endless. This is a "period" film, but not really conventional. Gemma Jackson's production design and Roberto Schaefer's cinematography are striking from the film's first minutes. "Finding Neverland" is part period drama, part tear-jerker, and part children's fantasy. The fantasy sequences are spare and skillfully blended into the film to avoid being overbearing or incongruous. The cast is impressive. Johnny Depp conveys the perfect blend of maturity and playfulness necessary to make us charmed, instead of bewildered, by James Barrie's carrying on with the children. Barrie's rapport with those kids is palpable. Julie Christie's role as Sylvia's uptight mother is small but crucial and wonderfully articulated. Dustin Hoffman is the skeptical, sensible theatrical producer, who thankfully has a sense of humor. "Finding Neverland" injects humor in just the right places, so it never becomes leaden, even when the drama turns serious. This is a beautiful film to look at, and its oscillations between playful and serious, reality and fantasy, prevent the story from ever stagnating. An embellished story about the creation of "Peter Pan" won't appeal to everyone, but I can't imagine anyone doing it better than "Finding Neverland". And I never could stand "Peter Pan", so that's not a qualification to enjoy this movie. The DVD (Miramax 2005 release): Bonus features include 3 mini-documentaries, 3 deleted scenes with optional commentary, outtakes (5 minutes), and an audio commentary. "The Magic of Finding Neverland" (15 minutes) is a general "making-of" piece featuring interviews with cast, producers, and director Marc Forster. This includes some discussion of various versions of "Peter Pan" and the actor's careers. "Creating Neverland" (3 minutes) is about the film's visual effects. "On the Red Carpet" (2 minutes) features interviews with cast, producers, and even Hilary Clinton, on the red carpet at the film's various premieres. The audio commentary by director Marc Forster, producer Richard Gladstein, and writer David Magee is the most worthwhile of the bonus features. It's not scripted, but the commentary is full of information. The three men discuss everything that comes to mind for each scene, and in doing so manage to cover many facets of the film and its history. They talk about filming, cast, locations, technical stuff, and writer David Magee compares the events depicted in the film to Allan Knee's play, his script, and the real story of James Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family. English captions are available for the film, as well as subtitles in French and Spanish. Dubbing is available in French and Spanish.