The DVD

Video:
Finding Neverland is presented in an anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer that varies in quality throughout the film. When this transfer is good, it is really good, but unfortunately does not stay consistently so for the entirety of the film. Most of the time, detail is incredibly sharp, blacks are deep, flesh tones are accurate, and colors are vibrant and bright. There are times, however, when this transfer shows signs of graininess, a bit of murkiness, some slight shimmering, and even a bit of softness in places. A few instances of dirt and spots on the print show up, though they are barely negligible. Edge enhancement is also present, but not very significant, and luckily there are no signs of pixelation or other digital artifacts. The fantasy sequences are where this transfer really shines. Colors come across beautifully and shadows and lighting are expertly displayed. This transfer, nonetheless, does a rather fine job of showing off the film's beautiful cinematography. If it could only have been a bit more consistent, this transfer could have been a spectacular visual presentation.

Sound:
The audio on this disc is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format that faces the same issue as the film's transfer. When this track is good, it is great, but it has trouble maintaining that high quality throughout the entire film. Dialogue is clear, crisp, and always discernable. Spatial separation across the front channels is excellent. And Jan A.P. Kaczmarek's Academy Award®-winning score is both incredibly enveloping and intricate. The surround channels not only help to push this score throughout the film, but also become surprisingly active during a few key scenes. The fantasy sequences, in particular, really give this track a chance to show its muscle with some very nice surround effects and even a little bit of powerful low-end. The inconsistency, however, that keeps this track from being even better comes from a fair amount of level fluctuation. The biggest discrepancy comes in the center channel as dialogue changes levels more than a few times. It never becomes such a problem that speech is inaudible, or even hard to hear, but it is certainly a noticeable difference. Just as is the case with the visuals, if not for the slight inconsistencies in this track, it could have made for an excellent audio presentation.

Extras:
While the amount of extra material packed into this disc is impressive, the actual features are not quite as enriching and insightful as I would have hoped.

The first, and best, extra feature is an audio commentary with Director Marc Forster, Producer Richard Gladstein, and Writer David Magee. The trio seems to get along swimmingly as they tell about many aspects of the production. They tell a few interesting anecdotes from shooting, explain how certain scenes were created, and of course bestow lavish praise on the talented cast. They also talk about how closely the film is based on Allan Knee's play "The Man Who Knew Peter Pan." While it would have been great to hear more about how closely the film is based on the true story of J.M. Barrie, the three participants are very chatty and charismatic, making for a very entertaining and insightful commentary.

Also included on this disc is a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette called "The Magic of Finding Neverland," which has the potential to be a great look inside the making of the film, but really comes across as more of your typical EPK fluff. There are interviews with most of the principles, clips from the film, and some behind-the-scenes shots, but mostly this is more of a promotional featurette rather than something that really adds anything to the film itself.

The next two features suffer from the same EPK-style shallowness. "Creating Neverland" is a very short look at how the fantasy sequences were created for the film. It probably has the most interesting behind-the-scenes visuals of all the extra features, but its brief runtime doesn't allow for much depth. "On the Red Carpet," however, is almost a complete waste of time. The short featurette simply shows the cast and crew arriving at the film's foreign premiere. There are a few brief interviews with some of the stars (and, for some strange reason, Hillary Clinton), but this is mostly just a chance to watch the filmmakers and actors pose for the camera.

We also have three deleted scenes (with optional commentary by Forster, Producer Richard Gladstein, and Writer David Magee) that run almost three minutes long. Though brief, these excised scenes are interesting to watch with or without Forster telling us why they didn't end up in the final version of the film.

There are also just over 5-minutes of outtakes included on this disc. Most outtakes reels end up being not all that funny or full of in-jokes, but these clips have a few truly comical moments in them. There are flubs from most of the cast, including the hilarious plan Depp and Forster conceived to lighten the mood during the tense dinner sequence. Despite its frivolity, this is one of the more enjoyable features on the disc.

Finally, we have three trailers for Dear Frankie, National Treasure, and Miramax's 25th Anniversary.

Final Thoughts:
There have been so many stage and screen versions of "Peter Pan" over the years that the character has become indelibly ingrained in our cultural milieu. We'd all love to be Peter Pan and fly off to a land where nothing matters except having fun and being young. The impression we get from Finding Neverland is that playwright J.M. Barrie lived in his own personal Neverland for much of his life, and in it he found creativity, inspiration, and companionship. These are the qualities that come across so beautifully, and powerfully, in Marc Forster's film, and they are precisely the reason it's a film worth watching more than once. With a very nice audio-visual presentation and an insightful commentary track, the only thing that keeps this disc from being highly recommended is the lack of depth in most of the extra features. The quality of the film itself, however, is reason enough for this disc to be a worthy addition to your collection.