Date: 1953
List of Characters: Peter Pan,Wendy Darling, Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, John Darling, Michael Darling, The Lost Boys
Ranking in Animated Features: #14
Interesting Trivia:
Though the film was extremely successful, Walt Disney himself was dissatisfied with the finished product, feeling that the character of Peter Pan was cold and unlikable. However, experts on J.M. Barrie praise this as a success, as they insist that Pan was originally written to be a heartless sociopath.
In the originally-planned version, Nana traveled with the children to Neverland. It also had a much darker ending.
Bobby Driscoll (as a voice actor) was the first male to play Peter Pan on film as the character was traditionally played by a women.
The melody for "The Second Star to the Right" was originally written for Alice in Wonderland (1951) for a song that was to be called "Beyond the Laughing Sky".
One of the early concepts of the film involved it being narrated from Nana's point of view.
Tiger Lily never speaks, though she nearly yells "Help!" as the water rises over her head at Skull Rock.
The fact that George Darling recognises the shape of the cloud in the form of a ship from his childhood suggest that he once had an adventure with Peter Pan when he was a child. This is further suggested by the film's opening narration, stating "All this has happened before..."
JRR Tolkein was a Peter Pan fan. Neverland and the Lost Boys had a definite impact on Middle-earth; Peter Pan himself particularly influenced the elves.
What I like about the film:
Story: I have loved the story of Peter Pan since I was a child, there is something about the spirit and adventure of the film that has really resonated with me and millions of others over the years. Peter Pan is a story anyone can enjoy and don't think it will matter how old I get this story of childhood and the essence of youth is one I will treasure always. I think the story is not only a fun-filled adventure about pirates, mermaids and lost boys but it is about the importance of family as shown through Wendy, Michael and John- they all realise in the end that family is the most important thing.
Visuals: I love the aesthetic of Peter Pan so much. The locations are all so beautiful- both London and Neverland. This film is such a feast for the eyes as the settings are so rich and really Neverland is a character in itself throughout the film as it captures the essence of escape and eternity. The visuals in the 'you can fly' sequence are just stunning and I would say that the appearance of that sequence is probably my favourite in all Disney's films. The framing, colour and location during that scene all tie together so wonderfully and create a real sense of magic and thrill.
Villain: Captain Hook is brilliant. He is the classic slapstick villain and he works so well in this film as the antagonist. Although he has several comedic gags and slapstick moments there are times in the film where Hook is merciless and despicable. I always remember the moment where the pirate is singing up in the crow's nest and Hook shoots him without a second thought. Not many Disney films are this unforgiving and cold blooded enough to outright murder someone for a mediocre reason which is why I think Hook is quite an underrated villain.
What I dislike about the film:
Songs: Normally I love the songs/ soundtrack in a Disney film but Peter Pan is the one film that I hardly ever find myself singing along to, one, because I don't really like the songs themselves and two, because there aren't many songs on the soundtrack either. Admittedly I do really enjoy 'second star to the right' and 'you can fly' but the others I really don't seem to enjoy.
Not enough narrative development: I feel like the story in this film lacks quite a bit. I have read Peter Pan and the film misses out several moments and scenes that I really enjoyed. Not only that but I feel like some characters in this film e.g. the lost boys and Tinkerbell are shown but not developed as much as they had potential to be. I get particularly annoyed about the lost boys because I think they have such a huge potential to be a big part of the film and for the group that is lead by Peter I felt that their relationship with him was really explained/ explored.
My Favourites
Character: Michael- he is so adorable and weirdly I feel like I can relate to him.
Song: 'Second Star to the Right'
Moment: Peter and the children in the nursery
Location: Neverland (of course!)
Quote: Peter Pan is absolutely rife with quotes so this is really hard. "All it takes is faith and trust, and a little bit of pixie dust. Now think of the happiest things it's the same as having wings".
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