Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: James Corden, Domhnall Gleeson, Rose Byrne, Sam Neil, Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debecki, Marianne Jean Baptiste, Sia, Fayssal Bazzi, Colin Moody, Christian Gazal, Ewan Leslie, Natalie Dew, Terenia Edwards, Gareth Davies, Vauxhall Jermaine, Tom Greaves, Alexandra Gluck, Taryn Gluck, Sam Haft, Sacha Horler, Will Reichelt, Alex Blias, Dave Lawson, Felix Williamson, Ming-Zhu Hii, Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown, David Wenham.
Striding the fine line between childhood memory and modern adaptation is one not for the faint hearted to attempt, after all you are treading in the footsteps of giants and nostalgia, the place where wistfulness and appreciation suffer under the duress of revision and possible intended correction, and where if you are not careful your childhood favourites become diluted, discarded, and disapproved of with more than a furrowed line upon the face.
Such is the dream of early years expression, the pull of revisiting a much-loved book or set of characters is arguably impossible to ignore, especially if you yourself now have a family that has children of the same age that you were when you first became enamoured with the adventures being reimagined for the screen.
It is to that end that the merging of live screen and computer animation that is beautifully created in 2018’s Peter Rabbit is one that fulfils the memory of childhood, but also breathes new life into a period piece that has become dated and perhaps distilled since the stories were created by the industrious and passionate mind of Beatrix Potter. By bringing the tale up to date, by creating a different world in which the rabbits and fellow creatures live, the Rob Lieber and Will Gluck screenplay is both one of the funniest films to be captured in recent years, but one that also manages to stay in touch with its roots, its familiarity, its sentimental upbringing, and for that it is a must-see family film.
The world that Beatrix Potter knew and fought valiantly to preserve has largely been swept away, even the Lake District to which she captured in detail has become a tourist location that constantly does battle with its less than respectful and courteous visitor, however that should not detract from what is otherwise a beautiful and engaging story, one that really gets to grip with the jokes and the spirit of modern life, and to which still at its heart has the moral application of conservation and the natural world at its fingertips.
With tremendous voice artistry by Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley and Elizabeth Debecki as the three young sisters of the eponymous hero of the tale, and with the subtly of theatrical performance provided by Domhnall Gleeson, to which even the great Nathan Lane would approve, Peter Rabbit is a charming, refined, but utterly uproarious film which gladdens the heart no matter how old you are.
A film to behold, Peter Rabbit is a heroic tale that captures the imagination exquisitely.
Ian D. Hall