Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Benjamin are small
rabbits who are loved by Bea, a local woman who treats them as her children. They
frequently invade Mr. McGregor’s garden. He hates them – and hopes to kill
them. He does catch Peter, but dies of a heart attack before he can kill Peter.
The McGregor estate is inherited by Thomas, who soon takes up his relative’s
oppositional attitude towards the rabbits. Worse, Thomas and Bea start to fall
in love; Peter is used to fighting the McGregors for vegetables, but now he
fears losing his place in Bea’s life.
** SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY **
The Adoption
Connection
Peter’s mother died, and his father was killed and eaten by
Mr. McGregor. Peter keeps his dad’s jacket as a memento – and it’s in the
course of reclaiming his dad’s jacket that Peter is captured by Mr. McGregor.
Peter’s triplet sisters struggle to find their own identity.
Bea has come to develop a parental relationship with Peter
and his siblings. Peter feels that that relationship is threatened when Bea
starts to fall in love with Peter’s new enemy Thomas – and in fact, Bea does
put Peter outside at one point, to discipline him for unintentionally damaging one
of her paintings.
Eventually, Bea, Thomas, Peter and his siblings do appear to
form a family unit.
Peter understands that he has unresolved grief regarding the
loss of his parents, and sees that that grief makes him more sensitive to the
thought of losing his place in Bea’s life.
Thomas, the main antagonist, was raised in a group home
after his parents died. He is playing a crosswords game, and the words he unintentionally
makes are “alone,” “numb,” “abandon,” and “mommy.”
Strong Points
Peter has a close relationship with his siblings and cousin.
Bea has noticed that the rabbits are without parents, and so she has taken care
of them.
Peter does develop surprisingly good insight into how the
loss of his parents continues to impact him.
Challenges
Mr. McGregor is cruel, and tells Peter, “I’m gonna put you
in a pie, like I did your dad.”
Peter remembers seeing his father killed by the farmer.
Peter tells his siblings, “Dad and mom are still in our
hearts,” but then turns to his cousin Benjamin and says, “Less in yours; you’re
just a cousin by marriage.” In a film that depends so much on Peter’s
acceptance into Bea’s family, it’s a pretty insensitive line.
Peter seems to revel in a character’s sudden death, and seems
unbothered when he seems to have killed a second person.
Thomas tries to drown Benjamin.
Peter and his friends try to exploit Thomas’ food allergies,
and nearly kill him.
Bea misjudges Peter, and sends him away from her, out into
the rain. This rejection could be very troubling for kids who fear being
rejected from yet another home.
Thomas tries to kill Peter – and in fact, intends to use
dynamite to blow up the rabbits’ burrow. When Bea discovers that Thomas had
intended to do this, she breaks up with him. And then Peter starts to feel
guilty – because it was Peter who had detonated the dynamite, to prove that Thomas
was intending to use it. Peter convinces Thomas to come back, and Thomas, Bea,
and the rabbits form a family. I’m concerned though. A new adult came into
Peter’s life, intended to abuse (and kill) him, and yet Peter feels remorse and
responsibility for the adult’s actions – and the film portrays Peter’s remorse
as good. Kids who have been abused do sometimes feel responsible for the abuse
they suffered, and they need to know that it wasn’t their fault. This film
could confuse that issue. It’s also concerning that the film’s “happy ending”
is that the abusive, violent Thomas does become the father figure of Peter’s
family because Peter took responsibility for Thomas’ actions. It is helpful for
kids who’ve experienced loss to open their hearts and to be able to make room
for new people – but not dangerous, murderous people.
Recommendations
Peter Rabbit has some elements that suggest the potential to
be quite helpful to foster and adoptive families – Peter has experienced
parental loss, has a new family, understands how his unresolved loss impacts
him, and sticks closely to his siblings. However, there are some trigger
potentials – scenes of violence, a cruel retelling of the death of Peter’s
father, Peter’s fears of losing his relationship with his new mother figure,
and Bea’s misjudgment and seeming rejection of Peter could all be hard for some
viewers. I’m most concerned, though, by the fact that the film’s happy ending
depends on Peter taking some responsibility for the violence he experiences
from an adult in his life – and that the happy ending features that violent
(and even murderous) adult becoming Peter’s father. I’d recommend skipping this
one for young children. Kids 13 and up would probably be able to get past the
film’s challenges, but kids that old might not be interested in a film about
Peter Rabbit.
Questions for
Discussion
Why was Peter scared of Bea falling in love with Thomas? Do
you think Bea would ever stop loving Peter?
How did Peter feel when Bea sent him outside? Was she wrong
to do it? What could she have done differently?
Peter’s jacket is important to him because it used to belong
to his dad. What are your most treasured belongings?
Whose fault was it that Thomas tried to use dynamite to blow
up Peter’s home? What would you tell Peter if he said that it was his own
fault?
What are your favorite vegetables?
Other Ideas
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