BACKGROUND
Peter Pan is one of those childhood stories that everyone seems to know, probably because it’s been around since the early 1900s!
But ask anyone who was born after 1953 what their first introduction to Neverland and that boy who just won’t grow up was, and they will likely tell you it was Disney’s Peter Pan. It certainly was for me, and I’ve always liked the movie.
Though Disney’s movie is unlikely to be the only version of the story that you’ll have seen, because there have been numerous other non-Disney adaptations of the tale. Films like Spielberg’s Hook (1991), starring Robin Williams as an adult Peter Pan returning to Neverland, or one of the more recent adaptations such as 2015’s Pan. Even if you didn’t like Disney’s version of the story, you can guarantee that you’ll like at least one other adaptation.
The original Peter Pan was actually a stage play, written by Scottish novelist and playwright James Matthew Barrie, or J. M. Barrie. The stage play was first performed in 1904, before being published as a children’s story in 1911, under the title “Peter Pan and Wendy”. Disney’s version of Peter Pan is not the most faithful retelling of the novel, but it is likely to be the most well-known.
PLOT
There are many differences between the original story and Disney’s animated movie. Some plot differences are that Tinker Bell never reveals Peter’s hideout in the book, Hook and Smee find it by chance; Peter is injured trying to save Tiger Lily and can’t fly for a while afterwards because of it, being saved by a “Neverbird” who gives him its nest to sail back home in; Hook tries to poison Peter’s medicine – something that Wendy “playing mother” has implemented at Peter’s camp, with Tinker Bell drinking it instead and almost dying – this is the big moment where the stage audience would be asked to clap if they believe in fairies to save her; and that Captain Hook is clearly eaten by the Crocodile in the novel, whereas Hook makes a lucky escape in Disney’s film!
Finally, the ending is very different between the two media. In the movie, Peter Pan returns the Darling children back to London, after minimal discussion, despite being annoyed about the idea originally. In the novel, however, Peter is so against the Darling children from going home that he goes to their house and shuts the nursery window, which had been left open by Mrs. Darling so that the children could come back whenever they wanted. Peter only relents when he sees how heartbroken Mrs. Darling is to have her children missing, because the events happen over a course of a number of days, not just one evening whilst the parents are at a party. The Lost Boys in the movie do not come to live with the Darling children, though they express an interest in doing so, but ultimately change their mind, however, in the novel, they are adopted by the family. Peter promises Wendy in the book that he will come back every year to take her back to Neverland, but after some time, he forgets, allowing Wendy to grow up. When he does return randomly one day, he sees Wendy is all grown up, and has a daughter, Jane. Jane instead goes to Neverland with Peter, and this starts a family tradition of the next daughter going to Neverland. This is an idea that Disney would explore in the direct-to-video sequel, Peter Pan: Return to Never Land (2002)[1].
But let’s get to the plot of Disney’s Peter Pan. The story begins in Bloomsbury, London, at the home of the Darlings, where George and Mary Darling are getting ready to go out to a party for the night. John and Michael, their sons, are playing games based on their sister’s, Wendy, bedtime stories about Peter Pan, the boy who wouldn’t grow up, and his adventures in Neverland. Nana, their pet dog and “nursemaid”, is tidying up after them and getting them all ready for bed. George cannot find his cufflinks or his shirt front, which are being used as part of John and Michael’s game. After George trips over various toys, and Nana, in the nursery, falling over and hitting his head, with the rest of the family not concerned about him at all, he angrily says that this will be Wendy’s last night in the nursery and that she needs to grow up, and stop filling the boys’ heads with these ridiculous stories of Peter Pan. Mary tells the children that their father is just upset, and that things will be better in the morning. The nursery window is reluctantly left open by their mother, at Wendy’s request, in case Peter Pan comes back to reclaim his shadow. Mary voices her concerns about potential intruders to George, especially as Nana has been put outside for the night, but he scoffs at these, saying they’ll be perfectly safe.
Sure enough, Peter Pan does return to the Darling nursery, with pixie Tinker Bell, to retrieve his shadow. The shadow is found in a drawer, with Tinker Bell ending up shut inside it. Peter and his shadow fight, toppling over pieces of furniture, which wakes up Wendy but the shadow is caught. Peter tries to reattach it with soap, but Wendy tells him she’ll sew it on for him instead. Peter then tells Wendy that he comes to the window often to hear her stories so he can tell them to the Lost Boys back home in Neverland, and that his shadow was caught by Nana one night. Wendy sadly tells Peter that this will be her last night in the nursery because she “has to grow up tomorrow”. Peter angrily refuses to let that happen, or else there’ll be no more stories about him! Peter says he’ll take Wendy to Neverland instead; she won’t be able to grow up there. Wendy is so overjoyed that she goes to kiss Peter – only for Tinker Bell to fly out of the drawer and tug her away from him. The boys then wake up and ask to go to Neverland too. Peter says they can all go, and tries to teach them how to fly there, but they don’t know how. With “faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust”, begrudgingly given by Tinker Bell, they fly off to Neverland, heading for the “second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning”.
Back in Neverland, we are introduced to Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, and the rest of his pirate crew. Hook is desperately searching for Peter Pan’s hideout across Neverland, so he can seek revenge on him for cutting off his left hand, and making him have a hook as a replacement. The hand was thrown to the Crocodile, who searches for Captain Hook, though luckily, the fact it swallowed an alarm clock allows them to know when it is around! Hook is alerted to Peter arriving back at Neverland, and signals for his crew to shoot cannonballs at him. Peter tells Wendy, John, and Michael to follow Tinker Bell to his hideout, whilst he distracts Hook, only Tinker Bell has no interest in showing them the way and rushes ahead. She tells the Lost Boys that a “Wendy bird” is approaching and that they must shoot it down. As Wendy comes into view, the Lost Boys fire arrows and all sorts at her; she tumbles down to the rocks below – to be saved by Peter at the very last moment. Peter finds out that Tinker Bell told the boys to do it and banishes her for a week; Tinker Bell furiously flies off.
After this, the boys, including John and Michael, go to hunt for “Indians” together. As they come to a clearing in the forest, they see clues that the tribe is about, but the Natives get to the boys first and capture them, taking them back to their camp. The Lost Boys assure John and Michael that this is just what they do, sometimes they are captured and sometimes the Natives are, but they always turn each other loose. Except this time, the Chief has said that the boys have kidnapped Princess Tiger Lily, and that if she is not returned by sunset, they’ll all be burnt at the stake, even Michael’s teddy bear!
At the same time, Peter has flown Wendy to Mermaid Lagoon to meet the mermaids. The mermaids are not friendly to Wendy, and are jealous of her friendship with Peter. They try to pull her into the water, “for a swim”, with Wendy threatening to hit them with a shell if they don’t back off. Peter tells her they were just having a bit of fun, but Wendy is not amused. Suddenly, they all see Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, and Tiger Lily rowing towards Skull Rock. Peter and Wendy go to see what’s happening. Hook orders Tiger Lily to tell him where Pan’s hideout is, or else she’ll drown when the tide comes in. Peter starts throwing his voice, to sound like a ghost to scare Hook, and to sound like Hook so Smee will untie Tiger Lily. Hook eventually sees that it is Peter making these noises, and fights him, only to lose and almost be eaten by the Crocodile. Hook swims away from the Crocodile, with Smee way ahead of him in the boat.
Peter rescues Tiger Lily, who’s entire face is almost submerged at this point, and takes her back to the Indian Camp. They hold a big celebration in Peter’s honour, dubbing him “Little Flying Eagle”. When Wendy sees Tiger Lily kissing Peter, she leaves the area and heads back to the hideout. Whilst this is happening, Tinker Bell has been captured by Smee and Hook, and tricked into telling them that Peter’s hideout is at Hangman’s Tree. Hook was pretending to be sympathetic of Tinker Bell’s troubles with Wendy, saying that he could take Wendy away with them, as the pirates are going to leave Neverland tomorrow. It’s all a lie and Tinker Bell is shut in a cage as soon as she talks.
Wendy tells John and Michael that they will be going home in the morning, back to their mother. It’s only been a day, yet the boys have forgotten who their mother is, leaving Wendy to remind them, which makes the Lost Boys sad about not having any parents. Wendy tells them they can all come back with them, as their parents will adopt them. Peter is angry with this plan, warning them that if they leave, they can never return. They go anyway, leaving Peter alone. As they depart Hangman’s Tree, Hook and his crew are waiting for them and take them all back to the ship. They are told that if they do not join up with the pirates, then they’ll have to walk the plank. The boys are about to join before Wendy tells them they shouldn’t do that as Peter will be here to save them soon. Hook laughs and tells the others that a bomb has been deposited at Peter’s hideout, to go off at 6pm. It has been disguised as a present from Wendy to Peter. Tinker Bell manages to break free and flies over to Peter, pushing the bomb away from him, which goes off as planned.
Everyone on the ship sees the blast, with them now believing Peter to be dead. Wendy is told to walk the plank and bravely does so. But there’s no splash… Peter survived the blast, along with Tinker Bell, and catches Wendy before she can enter the water. Peter reveals that he is still alive to the shocked crew, with Smee sneakily setting to leave in a row boat! The other pirates go after the boys, who have been freed by Peter, and Peter battles Hook. The pirates are defeated by the boys and they all fall into Smee’s boat. Hook and Peter continue their battle, with Hook demanding that Peter does not fly to make it fair. Hook seems to have gotten him but Peter jumps up and pulls the ship’s flag down over him. Hook is told to proclaim himself a cod fish, which he sadly does, but then tries to stab Peter when his back is turned. Peter jumps up, leaving Hook to fall into the waiting Crocodile’s mouth. Hook manages to get out and swims away again, trying to get to Smee and his boat. We don’t find out what happens after that!
Peter is proclaimed the captain of The Jolly Roger, and orders the crew to get ready to leave. Wendy asks where they are going, and Peter says they are going to London, to take them home. Tinker Bell covers the whole ship in pixie dust so it can fly to London. The Darling parents return home, to see that all the children are “still” in their beds – except Wendy, who is asleep on the window seat. Mrs. Darling wakes her up and she babbles about their adventures with Peter Pan. Wendy tells her father that she is ready to grow up now, but he says she can stay in the nursery. As he is about to go bed, he sees a pirate ship shape in the clouds, making him remember his childhood. Mr. and Mrs. Darling and Wendy hug, as they watch the shape disappear into the night sky.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Peter Pan is quite obviously the boy who won’t grow up. He is carefree, mischievous, and completely devoid of any responsibilities. He is so against becoming an adult that he even forbids others around him from growing up. Eventually, he learns that not everyone can be like him, nor do all the children want to stay in Neverland with him, as they have homes and families to go back to. Peter thinks of himself as a hero, whether that is by saving Tiger Lily, though so wrapped up in his defeat of Hook, he almost forgets that she’s even there, or by rescuing Wendy from being shot down by the Lost Boys. He is also quite arrogant and believes that every word he says is true and must be followed. In a very cynical way, he reminds me a bit of a cult leader, though unlike many cult leaders, he does learn the error of his ways and lets people leave! Peter is very loyal to those around him, though, and he just wants to show everyone how good life can be if you always stay young and laidback.
Milt Kahl was responsible for animating Peter Pan, and found it challenging to animate weightlessness as Peter spends much of his time either flying, or at least floating off the ground! Peter does this most during his numerous duals and battles with Captain Hook, so that must’ve made it even more difficult! Disney are credited with breaking the tradition of only women playing the role of Peter Pan, as had been the case with many other performances both on stage and screen, by giving American child actor Bobby Driscoll the chance to portray Peter Pan, both as a voice role and a live-action reference model. He was labelled the “resident juvenile actor” within the Disney Studios due to his previous performances in Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1949) and Treasure Island (1950). Driscoll died in 1968 at the age of 31, due to issues arising from substance abuse.
Wendy is the eldest Darling child. She is a good storyteller, telling her brothers tales of Peter Pan and his adventures, and is a caring figure; she looks after her brothers well. Wendy was brought to Neverland by Peter Pan to be the boys’ “mother”, so she fits that role quite well! She can be quite strict and stubborn at times, not allowing her brothers to think for themselves, like when they are being told to join Captain Hook’s crew and Wendy says “no”, or when they want to stay and Wendy tells them “No, they must go home to Mother”! But in the end, it’s quite clear she made these decisions because they were best for everyone! Wendy seems to have a crush on Peter throughout much of the movie, though he doesn’t seem to share her affections, and actually just likes the attention he gets from all the girls he meets, like Tiger Lily, or the mermaids, or Tinker Bell!
Kathryn Beaumont was selected for the role as Wendy. She was known to the Disney Studios as she voiced the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland (1951), their previous animated feature. She went straight from working on that film to working on Peter Pan. Like Driscoll, Beaumont provided both the voice and the live-action reference for the part of Wendy. The two would feature as their Peter Pan characters in The Walt Disney Christmas Show, which aired in 1951 and was used in part to promote Peter Pan.
John is the middle Darling child. He is clearly intelligent, well-spoken and well-mannered, taking a top hat and an umbrella along with him to Neverland, despite the fact all three of the Darling children go to Neverland in their nightwear! John becomes a leader of sorts within the Lost Boys, though during their hunt for “Indians”, he ends up getting them captured because he thinks he knows best! British actor Paul Collins voices the role of John Darling. He is most known for this performance, however, I did spot in his acting credits that he was in Evan Almighty (2007) as Congressman Stamp, though I do not know which character that is! Michael is the youngest Darling, only four years old, therefore, he is the one who needs the most looking after. Michael even takes his teddy bear all the way to Neverland. Because of his age, he is overlooked and ignored by many of the Lost Boys, but he has fun in Neverland anyway, loving all these adventures he gets to go on, and seeing all these places that Wendy told them about. Michael is voiced by Tommy Luske, in one of his few film roles. Luske was the son of Disney animator and director Hamilton “Ham” Luske.
Tinker Bell is the most iconic Disney character from Peter Pan, potentially being the most recognisable, probably because she’s used frequently within the Disney company and its numerous divisions! She has a huge personality, going from jealousy to anger to happiness within a short space of time. She despises Wendy at the start of the movie, due to her loyalty and love for Peter, but grows to like her by the end of the movie. Tinker Bell also saves Peter’s life by moving the bomb away from him, risking her own, let’s not forget. Marc Davis animated the character, giving her model-like looks and a huge personality that far exceeds her six-inch height! The animation of Tink was especially important as her movements and facial expressions are the only means of expressing her thoughts, given that her “voice” is just the sound of tinkling bells[2]. Previously, Tinker Bell was just a light in stage adaptations of Peter Pan, though she had become a fully realised character in the silent movie version, Peter Pan (1924), being played by actress Virginia Brown Faire. But it allowed Disney to have more creative license over what Tinker Bell would look like.
A recurring myth is that Tinker Bell’s appearance was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, but Disney debunked that by saying that Marilyn Monroe was not a star in Hollywood at the time that Peter Pan was in production, and that the animators wouldn’t have even known who she was! Margaret Kerry was the actual model for Tinker Bell. As Tinker Bell has no voice, her movements had to be pantomime-ish and overexaggerated to get across her feelings. Kerry was asked to perform the well-remembered, though now unsuitable, scene of Tinker Bell measuring her hips in the hand mirror she is standing on; this was almost like her “audition”, and she was asked to come back to do the rest of Tinker Bell’s scenes. Kerry also voices the red-haired mermaid in Peter Pan. Voice actress June Foray, known for her voices within the Looney Tunes franchise, as well as Lucifer in Cinderella (1950), voices another of the mermaids and the woman who orders Wendy to get firewood at the Indian camp.
Captain Hook is the nemesis of Peter Pan, and wants revenge on him for cutting off his hand. Hook is both elegant, well-spoken, with grand manners, but also evil and menacing when he wants to be. Captain Hook is one of my favourite Disney villains for this reason. He doesn’t tolerate fools within his crew, with many of them being thrown overboard when Hook gets angry. Hook is also charming when he wants to be, managing to coax Tinker Bell into telling him where Pan’s hideout is, after sympathising with her over her hatred of Wendy for taking Peter away from her. Hook is easily scared, though, by the Crocodile. The Crocodile was fed Hook’s hand when Peter cut it off, so now has a taste for him, putting Hook on edge most of the time! The pirates are alerted to the Crocodile’s arrival, thanks to a “tick”, after it swallowed an alarm clock. Frank Thomas was chosen by Walt Disney to animate Captain Hook, and had to reconcile the competing ideas from the directors that Hook be threatening, and from the story men that he be quite suave.
American actor and comedian Hans Conried was chosen to voice both the parts of Captain Hook and Mr. Darling, because in stage performances of Peter Pan the same actor would generally play both these roles. Conried was one of the best radio actors in the 1930s and 40s, so the team at Disney knew he would be able to vocally act the part as they wanted[3]. For Disney, Conried voiced the part of the Magic Mirror in some Disney television specials in the 1950s, and played the role of Thimblerig in Disney’s live-action Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955). He would also be the live-action reference, but not the voice, of King Stefan for Sleeping Beauty (1959).
Captain Hook’s first mate and sidekick is the bumbling, mocked, and often clumsy, Mr. Smee. He is very much the comic relief of the film, with the scene of him thinking he’s shaving Hook, when in fact he’s just shaved all the feathers off a seagull instead, being a personal highlight for me. Smee is voiced by Bill Thompson, who was known for his radio and voice roles. For Disney, Thompson also voiced the White Rabbit and the Dodo in Alice in Wonderland (1951); various characters in Lady and the Tramp (1955), including Jock; King Hubert in Sleeping Beauty (1959); and Uncle Waldo in The Aristocats (1970), which was his final film role.
These are the main characters of Peter Pan, though there are many more. Mr. George and Mrs. Mary Darling are the parents of Wendy, John, and Michael. They seem to be a typical couple in Victorian times, though why they thought it was a good idea to leave their children alone overnight while they go out to a party, I don’t know! George is quite stubborn and easily angered, whereas Mary is the peacemaker. Mary is voiced by Heather Angel, who also voices Alice’s sister in Alice in Wonderland (1951). They have Nana, their dog and nursemaid, but I don’t think she’s a great choice for this household position! Though she is quite cute, especially when Michael tries to get her to fly, but as she’s tied up outside, she just floats up, waving “goodbye” to them very awkwardly!
The Lost Boys are an eclectic mix of personalities, though they are all quite savage, with few manners, fighting each other often. Many of them seem to have had mothers before, judging by their reaction to Wendy talking about what mothers are like, and seem to want to go find families, but they change their mind at the last minute and return with Peter.
The most problematic of the supporting characters are, obviously, the Native American tribe. This is not purely a Disney problem, but goes back to the original play by J.M. Barrie. At the time of its release, back in Victorian times, the portrayal of Native Americans as savage and uneducated, lesser than the superior Europeans, would not have been controversial. In fact, it would’ve been quite comedic to the people of that time. However, in the years that followed, many stories, even those of Mary Poppins, would have chapters rewritten or removed altogether due to similar tropes which were considered offensive; Peter Pan did not receive this same treatment and carried on as normal.
This is probably because its copyright was gifted by Barrie to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. Even when the copyright expired in 1987, the British Government granted a special extension which allowed Great Ormond Street Hospital to receive royalties for any Peter Pan adaptations forever, meaning that the story has remained untouched. Later adaptations of the story would omit any reference to the “Indians”, such as Hook (1991), or would change the tribe to be so fantastical that it didn’t relate to Native Americans at all, such as in Pan (2015), or make them Amazons instead, like in Tim Carroll’s staging of Peter Pan for the Stratford Festival in 2010[4].
Whatever the reason, Disney’s 1953 movie does not shy away from these negative stereotypes, with there clearly not being much, if any, research into how Native American tribes looked, acted, or spoke, making these scenes awkward to sit through now, though these would not have been considered a problem in the 1950s. This change in attitudes led to Disney removing Peter Pan from children’s profiles on Disney+, with a warning about negative racial stereotypes being added to the start of the movie.
MUSIC
The biggest scene to feature the tribe is the celebration of Peter Pan after he saves Tiger Lily from drowning. This is followed by a song called “What Made the Red Man Red?”. It is quite a catchy song; however, the lyrics are problematic and particularly stereotypical, not to mention completely false. The song literally answers three questions that Michael and the Lost Boys ask the Chief, with “what made the Red Man red?” being the final one. It was clearly meant to be a witty song, but it has not aged well, though still features in the movie in its entirety. I always liked that song as a child, before I understood what the lyrics were, as I’m sure many did.
This song was written by Sammy Cahn and Sammy Fain. Cahn worked with many great performers with his potentially most well-known song, co-written with Julie Styne, being “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” in 1945. Fain worked on the scores of The Rescuers (1977) and Alice in Wonderland (1951), amongst other things. Then, there are “You Can Fly!”, the song where the children, Peter and Tink fly off to Neverland; “Your Mother and Mine”, which Wendy sings to the Lost Boys and her brothers to remind them of how wonderful mothers are – I love this song; and “The Elegant Captain Hook”, which I also really like. Another song this duo wrote together for Peter Pan was “The Second Star to the Right”, which features during the opening credits of the movie. The same melody came from a song titled “Beyond the Laughing Sky” which was written, but not used, for Alice in Wonderland (1951).
“Never Smile at a Crocodile” was a surprise hit, despite only the melody being used to announce that the Crocodile within the movie. The song had been written more than a decade before the release of Peter Pan, by Jack Lawrence and Frank Churchill. Churchill contributed to many Disney animated soundtracks, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Bambi (1942) and Dumbo (1941). For Dumbo, he won an Oscar for Best Score, alongside Oliver Wallace. Churchill died in 1942[5].
Two other songs in the soundtrack are “Following the Leader”, which featured on a Disney Sing-Along video that my family owned so I’ve overheard that song and now don’t like it so much; and “A Pirate’s Life”, which the pirate crew sing when we first see them. “Following the Leader” was written by Erdman Penner and Oliver Wallace, and “A Pirate’s Life” by Ted Sears, Winston Hibler and Oliver Wallace. Long-time Disney composer Oliver Wallace also composed the score for Peter Pan.
Though none of the movie’s soundtrack, except “Never Smile at a Crocodile”, which I don’t like and don’t think would’ve worked in the movie at all, became big hits, they did work well within the story. I really like the Peter Pan soundtrack, with it fitting with the magical and fantasy atmosphere of the film. I do like many of the songs, even “The Second Star to the Right”, despite its whispery choir sound, and a lot of the score, though many of the songs blend into the score, so I do not have any memorable instrumentals to mention.
PRODUCTION
When James Matthew Barrie graduated from Edinburgh University, he came to London “to make his fortune”. For the story of Peter Pan, he used his own home in Grenville Street as inspiration for the Darlings’ house, and in 1987, he met and befriended the Llewelyn Davies family, who had five boys. Those boys provided Barrie with ample inspiration for his character, Peter Pan. Peter first appeared in a chapter of the book “The Little White Bird” published in 1902. Barrie then wrote the stage play of the character. The film Finding Neverland (2004), starring Johnny Depp as Barrie, tells the story of how Barrie came to write the Peter Pan play, and is based on the 1998 play by Allan Knee, The Man Who Was Peter Pan.
The first production of the play took place at The Duke of York’s Theatre in London on 27th December 1904 and was a huge success. The play was then published as a book, titled “Peter and Wendy”, published in 1911, which was an instant bestseller and has never gone out of print. In 1929, Barrie gifted the copyright of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital and requested that the amount raised for the hospital from these royalties never be revealed[6].
The seed for the idea of adapting Peter Pan within the Disney Studios was first planted in 1913, when a touring company came to Marceline, Missouri, to present a performance of Peter Pan, which was seen by Walt Disney, and his brother, Roy. He loved the story and never forgot it, even being allowed to play Peter Pan in a school play a little while later. He got to fly on ropes, however, in one performance, they gave way and Walt flew into the audience! Walt then saw the silent film version of Peter Pan in 1924, with its many innovations, such as a live actress playing Tinker Bell and state-of-the-art special effects for the day, though it annoyed Walt that it was clear that the actors were flying on wires, and that a person in a dog suit or a crocodile suit played Nana and the Crocodile.
In the late 1930s, Disney began to properly develop Peter Pan, around the same time as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). It was decided that animation, not live-action, which had been considered, would be the best medium to adapt the play as their imagination was unlimited and they would be free to show things that couldn’t be done properly on stage or screen, like flight[7]. In 1939, the rights to adapt Peter Pan were acquired from Great Ormond Street Hospital. Walt had been trying to purchase the rights since 1937, after Barrie’s death, expecting high prices or high competition for them. Maude Adams, who performed the role of Peter Pan on stage, including in the version that Walt had seen as a child, was asked by Walt Disney to review a scene that was being developed. Adams refused to be involved, saying she didn’t want to see the movie, as it would be “a ghost” of the version she had worked on. Adams died in 1953, the same year as the film’s release[8].
At one time, Disney had planned to adapt Peter Pan to be their second Disney animated feature film release, however, Walt wanted to wait until animation technologies were updated sufficiently to do the story justice. The movie began to be storyboarded in the 1940s, with early-stage drawings showing Nana going with the children to Neverland. It was going to be darker and more sinister than the play or previous Disney films, with lots of skeletons within the Skull Rock scene being drawn, for instance. There would also have been more fight scenes, such as between the Natives and the pirates. This was detailed in a deleted scene, “Alternate Arrival”, to take place when the children and Nana arrive in Neverland. It would have also featured Captain Hook being close to capturing all them at Peter’s hideout. Another early idea was for a goodbye scene between the children and Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, which we don’t see in the final film. Peter would have given the Lost Boys permission to return with the others, but they decide not to. Wendy says goodbye to Peter, telling him not to grow up and to keep Neverland forever, before Tinker Bell sprinkles all of them with pixie dust to fly the rest of the way home[9].
Concept art in watercolours were completed by British artist David Hall, as part of the initial development. Hall had done the same for Alice in Wonderland (1951) in 1948. By 1941, a basic story structure was in place, however, World War II stopped any further development on the movie. After the war, Walt Disney brought Peter Pan back into development, with further concept art coming from Mary Blair, who had also contributed to concept art for Cinderella (1950) and Alice in Wonderland (1951)[10].
RECEPTION
After nearly two decades of work, numerous story treatments, and around 1000 drawings, Peter Pan was first released on 5th February 1953 in theatres. It quickly became a favourite with audiences, and considered a beloved classic[11]. It was released alongside Bear Country, the latest of the True-Life documentary films from Disney. Some critics did object to the movie not being “loyal enough” to the play, with the big audience participation part of saving Tinker Bell being particularly missed. Walt Disney had taken this out of the movie as he felt movie audiences would not react in the same way as in the theatre. I think Walt was definitely right there! But the animation was praised, with some funny sequences also being highlighted, such as those with the Crocodile and Hook, as well as Mr. Smee shaving Captain Hook[12]. Others liked the music, though none of the songs were big hits. Tinker Bell and Captain Hook as characters were also enjoyed by many in particular.
Peter Pan became one of Disney’s biggest hits in its initial release, alongside Cinderella (1950), which both helped the Walt Disney Studios to recover economically from the problems of the 1940s, with World War II and the Disney animators’ strike. Peter Pan continued to be popular in its theatrical re-releases, with the movie making more than $145 million during its first six re-releases; Peter Pan took around three years and $4 million to make. It was first released on video in September 1990 and climbed to No. 1 quickly, remaining in Billboard’s Top 10 best-selling videos for some time. Peter Pan was even entered in competition at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival in April of that year. It did not win any awards, but many festival-goers loved it[13].
LEGACY
Peter Pan has been featured in the Disney theme parks for as long as the parks have existed. Peter Pan’s Flight, a rail-suspended dark ride taking guests through scenes from the movie, was an opening day attraction at Disneyland, opening on 17th July 1955. It was later redesigned in 1983, as very few characters appeared in the original version, not even Peter Pan or any of the Darling children! Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort has a version of Peter Pan’s Flight which, contrary to belief, was not an opening day attraction, but opened two days after the official opening of the park, on 3rd October 1971. In 2014, its queue was updated to take guests into the nursery, and included interactive murals.
The next one to open was at Tokyo Disneyland, opening with the park on 15th April 1983. It was very similar to the Magic Kingdom version, but new digital effects were added in to the ride in 2016. Disneyland Paris also has a Peter Pan’s Flight, which opened on the same day as the park as well, on 12th April 1992. The newest version was another opening day attraction but this time for Shanghai Disneyland, on 16th June 2016. It is the only version to feature 4-person ride vehicles instead of the usual 2-person. The ride vehicles can also stop and change speed, with Shanghai’s Peter Pan’s Flight making the most of new technologies by enhancing original scenes and creating new ones. All of these versions of Peter Pan’s Flight run under that name and feature in the Fantasyland area, but they have slightly different rides, queues, and ride exteriors. The only Disney theme park not to have a Peter Pan’s Flight is Hong Kong Disneyland.
As well as this very popular ride, which frequently sees lines of over an hour at the Disney Parks, Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook and Mr. Smee appear frequently in the parks, whether that is within stage shows, parades, or traditional meet-and-greets, with Captain Hook being particularly present at Halloween events. Some meet-and-greets may be daily, others are more spontaneous. These four Peter Pan characters all feature in Walt Disney World’s Festival of Fantasy Parade, along with Tinker Bell, who used to have her own meet-and-greet at Walt Disney World, first at Pixie Hollow and then at Town Square Theater, however, both of these experiences are now defunct. Tinker Bell does still meet at Pixie Hollow at Disneyland, and at Fairy Tale Forest at Hong Kong Disneyland. At Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, there are hotel rooms themed to Tinker Bell and Pixie Hollow and, at Tokyo DisneySea, the much-anticipated expansion called Fantasy Springs opened in June 2024 with a whole area themed to Peter Pan‘s Never Land, as well as areas themed to Frozen (2013) and Tangled (2010). Never Land features a recreation of Captain Hook’s ship as well as Skull Rock, and has a Pixie Hollow area. At Pixie Hollow, there is a children’s ride called Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies. There is also a 3D ride named Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, which takes guests on an adventure to rescue John from Captain Hook. Similar to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, this ride uses both screens and ride vehicle movements. There is also a quick-service named Lookout Cookout.
I have a particular memory around Captain Hook and Mr. Smee in the long-forgotten nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom, SpectroMagic, which ran from 1991-1999, and again from 2001-2010. Every character would be lit up with various coloured lightbulbs being placed all over their costumes. Captain Hook featured on the villains’ float, shaped like a ship, and Mr. Smee walked around with other characters just ahead of the float. Mr. Smee would walk over to guests lining Main Street, U.S.A. and suddenly, his costume would light up! It was quite a shock to anyone not expecting it!
I’ve mentioned Tinker Bell and Pixie Hollow, but that is unlikely to make sense to anyone that is not aware of the Disney Fairies spin-off from Peter Pan, first being a series of children’s books, before spanning into its very own film series. Plans were made for Tinker Bell to have her own franchise in the early 2000s, with the first movie being released direct-to-video in 2008, simply titled Tinker Bell. Actress Mae Whitman became the first person to provide a voice for Tinker Bell. She reprised the role in the following five direct-to-video sequels and two shorts, with the Disney Fairies film franchise running from 2008 to 2015. A seventh and eighth film were in the works, but were cancelled in 2018, when the DisneyToon Studios who produced the movies was closed permanently in June 2018. Along with being given a voice for the first time, Tinker Bell was also given the talent of “tinkering” and inventing gadgets, along with the home of Pixie Hollow, within Neverland, with a group of other fairy friends. Tinker Bell discovered she has a sister called Periwinkle in the movie, Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings (2012). If this wasn’t enough, there have been talks of a live-action film based on this franchise, with the first film planned to be called Tink. Reese Witherspoon is currently attached to the project, though no further news on it has been given since 2021.
Tinker Bell is so popular as a character that she has ended up representing the magic of Disney, with her sprinkling pixie dust in the opening of some Disney television shows, including those starring Walt Disney; featuring at the start of home movie releases; and flying from the castle during various Disney Parks’ fireworks shows. She even appears at the end of the Soarin’ Around the World attraction[14].
In terms of Peter Pan returning to the screen after the first movie, there was a sequel, titled Peter Pan: Return to Never Land, released in 2002. It follows Jane being kidnapped by Captain Hook, thinking she is Wendy, when in fact Jane is her daughter, and taken to Never Land. She never believed her mother’s stories of this place, so when Peter rescues her from Hook, him, the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell have to try and make her believe in them, Never Land, and in fairies, and find a way to get Jane home.
There was also a television series which aired on Disney Junior between 2011 and 2016, Jake and the Never Land Pirates. It focused on a group of young pirates competing against Captain Hook and his crew in Never Land, set many years after the original Peter Pan film. Though Hook and Smee were the only main characters of the series from the movie, many of the original characters had either recurring or guest roles on the series.
A live-action remake of Peter Pan, called Peter Pan & Wendy was released directly to Disney+ on 28th April 2023. It stars newcomers Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson as Peter Pan and Wendy, respectively, as well as Jude Law and Jim Gaffigan as Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. Recurring Disney actor Alan Tudyk makes an appearance as Mr. Darling. This remake made some changes to the original story, taking into account modern attitudes on women and inclusivity. Some of the “Lost Boys” are girls, and Wendy plays a more active role in the storyline. The girls in this movie are not fighting over Peter Pan and getting into jealous rages as they do in the original movie! They have more of a brotherly relationship with him. The remake also makes Peter Pan more accountable for his decisions, i.e., keeping the Lost Boys away from their homes and families, and learning not to always see himself as the hero. The ending is more similar to the original play, as the Lost Boys are taken back home with the Darling children, with only Peter returning to Neverland. Captain Hook was, unfortunately for me, given a backstory, where him and Peter were best friends and the first children to come to Neverland. Hook was banished by Peter after saying he missed his mother, but when he tried to sail home, he got lost at sea and was taken in by a pirate crew. Very sentimental…
The biggest addition to this movie is the fact that the Native American tribe is presented more realistically, with people of Native American descent portraying these roles[15]. Princess Tiger Lily is a much stronger personality in Peter Pan & Wendy, being more of a leader to her tribe and a confidante of sorts to Wendy, instead of being an almost silent damsel in distress as she is in the Disney animated film. Two Native consultants also worked on the project throughout its development and production. Tiger Lily is played by Alyssa Wapanatâhk, who is of Cree descent[16]. This remake received mostly positive reviews. I have not seen it, and won’t, but it doesn’t sound too bad as Disney live-action films go, though that’s probably because I’ve seen many different adaptations of Peter Pan before, so it doesn’t feel like an inherently “Disney story”.
Finally, Peter Pan and Captain Hook make appearances within the ABC series Once Upon a Time. Captain Hook is a main character, featuring from Series 2 to the conclusion of the show. He became the love interest of Snow White’s daughter, Emma Swann, who is the main protagonist of the whole series. Captain Hook receives a new storyline, with his hand being taken by Rumpelstiltskin as revenge for falling in love with his wife. Hook ends up in Neverland when searching for Rumpelstiltskin. Colin O’Donoghue played the part of Captain Hook very well, in my opinion. Peter Pan, played by both Robbie Kay and Stephen Lord, appeared in Season 3 (2013-14) and returned again for Season 5 (2015-2016). Pan’s storyline is drastically altered from the original movie, with him being a trickster, stealing children from their homes, and a definite villain, but to avoid spoiling it for anyone that hasn’t had the chance to see Once Upon a Time yet, I’ll say no more – only that Robbie Kay played this evil twist on Peter Pan exceptionally well. Peter Pan and its characters have also featured in Disney on Ice and within multiple video games.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The fact that Peter Pan has been such a popular story to adapt, both within Disney and at other studios, shows the continued appeal of the story. It is about the wonders of childhood, yet also about accepting the responsibilities of growing up. Although we have to grow up and become adults eventually, we should never forget how to be creative and how to have fun, like children are seemingly always able to do.
Even though Disney’s animated Peter Pan has had its fair share of controversy in recent years, it still provides fun and entertainment, as well as the strong message that Walt Disney himself believed in wholeheartedly. After all, Disneyland was made to be a theme park where adults and children could have fun together, where adults could go back to their childhoods and remember what it was like to be young and carefree.
Because of this, the story of Peter Pan fits in very well with the ideology of the Disney company, and it will forever be closely aligned to their belief in magic and imagination.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Elisa Guimaräes, ‘Disney’s Animated ‘Peter Pan’ Is Way Different From the Original Children’s Novel’, Collider.com, 30th April 2023.
[2] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016), ‘The World’s Favorite Fairy’, pp. 80-81.
[3] Credit: Disney, You Can Fly – The Making of Walt Disney’s Masterpiece Peter Pan (1998).
[4] Credit: Sarah Laskow, ‘The Racist History of Peter Pan’s Indian Tribe’, Smithsonian Magazine (online), 2nd December 2014.
[5] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Tales of Walt’s Peter Pan’, MousePlanet.com, 27th July 2016.
[6] Credit: Author Unknown, ‘The history of Peter Pan and Great Ormond Street’, GOSH.org, date unknown.
[7] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘In His Own Words: Walt Disney on Peter Pan’, CartoonResearch.com, 24th February 2023.
[8] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Tales of Walt’s Peter Pan’, MousePlanet.com, 27th July 2016.
[9] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scenes”, from Peter Pan (1953) 65th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray (2018).
[10] Credit: Disney, You Can Fly – The Making of Walt Disney’s Masterpiece Peter Pan (1998).
[11] Credit: Disney, You Can Fly – The Making of Walt Disney’s Masterpiece Peter Pan (1998).
[12] Credit: Bosley Crowther, ‘THE SCREEN: DISNEY’S ‘PETER PAN’ BOWS; Full-Length Color Cartoon, an Adaptation of Barrie Play, Is Feature at the Roxy’, The New York Times (online), 12th February 1953.
[13] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Tales of Walt’s Peter Pan’, MousePlanet.com, 27th July 2016.
[14] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016), ‘The World’s Favorite Fairy’, pp. 80-81.
[15] Credit: Lucy-Jo Finnighan, ‘5 differences between Peter Pan & Wendy 2023 and Peter Pan 1953’, Dexerto.com, 28th April 2023.
[16] Credit: Cady Lang, ‘How a New Peter Pan Adaptation Confronts Its Racist Origins’, TIME (online), 28th April 2023.
The Disney Purist 