Tinkerbell's Sad Fate From The Book Is Forgotten (Again) In Peter Pan & Wendy

Plenty of fairytales (princesses especially) had creepy endings that Disney avoided, "Peter Pan" included. In J.M. Barrie's story, Wendy, Michael, and John Darling return home with the Lost Boys, whom Mr. and Mrs. Darling adopt, as in Lowery's latest adaptation. As time passes, they all begin to grow up and forget their adventure, with Wendy and Michael being the only ones determined to remember. The issue, however, is that Peter also forgets as time goes on as well. Returning every year to take Wendy away, it's revealed that his old adventures and those involved were forgotten in place of new ones, along with those involved.

In Barrie's book, it's revealed that Pan forgets his supposed nemesis Captain Hook because "I forget them after I kill them." Tinkerbell is given the same treatment, though, because when Wendy expresses her excitement to reunite with the fairy, the name doesn't ring a bell for Peter. "There are such a lot of them," he says. "I expect she is no more." Wendy, while shocked at the news, is pretty accepting of it. "I expect he was right, for fairies don't live long, but they are so little that a short time seems a good while to them." 

So there we have it, kids. Disney can kill a lion and turn a man into a widow in the first five minutes of a film, but a fairy fading out like "Back to the Future?" Never.