As the story begins in 1903 England, Barrie, an author and playwright, becomes enchanted with four young boys and their mother in a world of make believe. Having just realized his latest play bombed, he strives for a fresh imaginative approach. As he makes believe with the boys, playing games of Pirates and Indians, Peter Pan begins to take shape. Even the boys' grandmother played by Julie Christe influences the story when she waves an umbrella with a hook on the handle at the grandkids. This becomes the hook on the famous character Captain Hook. His manager and producer (Dustin Hoffman) is terrific. He questions this new approach with fairies, pirates, and a man-eating crocodile. When Barrie insists on dressing up an actor in a dogs suit, his manager thinks he has gone mad.

Johnny Depp does an excellent bit of acting. Thanks to his friends Peter, Jack, George and Michael, Barrie invents the story of Peter Pan. Kate Winslet is good in her role, albeit small. Freddie Highmore plays Peter, the youngest son who becomes the main character, Peter Pan. Most films start off strong and taper off. This film kept getting stronger as it went along.