A new video essay from YouTube channel The Film Theorists claims to have “definitively located” the geographic location of Peter Pan’s Neverland … and they’re about as right as one could be when trying to find a magical, fictional place? It’s weird, and also very, very cool.
Beginning with the seemingly scant bits of knowledge culled from J.M. Barrie’s book and the 1953 animated film—fly to the “second star to the right, and straight on till morning”—the video then draws upon the location of London landmarks seen in the film—the Elizabeth Tower Clock, the Boudican Rebellion statue, and the Westminster Bridge—as well as the direction the characters fly in relation to those monuments.
Next, the essay uses the film’s illustration of Neverland itself to determine what kind of island it is and where it might be located based on its wildlife and environmental needs. What’s truly impressive, however, is how Captain Hook’s history with Blackbeard the Pirate actually aligns with this particular area of the world, which, the essay reveals, is also where early explorers thought to find the Fountain of Youth. Neverland, you’ll recall, is a place where you never grow old.
So, where is it? Just east of Belize on the Turneffe Atoll, which looks absolutely beautiful. Better yet? It’s tourist friendly. Just watch out for those crocodiles.