Each week, THN takes a look back at one of the Walt Disney Animated Classics. The ones that the Walt Disney Company showed in cinemas, the ones they’re most proud of, the ones that still cost a bloody fortune no matter how old they are.
This week, a little later than planned, it’s off to (Never) Never Land with the eternal child that is Peter Pan.
Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske and Wilfred Jackson
1953/76 Minutes
In 1935, Disney first intended for J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, one of his favourite stories, to be his second film after SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. However, because the rights to the play had been bequeathed in perpetuity to Great Ormond Street Hospital, it was several years before he could come to an arrangement.
After that, the studio began story development and character designs in the late 1930s and early ’40s, and intended it to be his fourth film, but the project was held up again by technical issues and a little thing called the Second World War, which took up much of his time and resources. It wasn’t until 1947, as the studio’s financial health started to improve again, the actual production of Peter Pan commenced, even though Walt’s older brother Roy didn’t believe the movie would have much box office appeal. In fact it did rather well, making back $87 million dollars and impressing the critics.
Looking back now, the film has been criticised for its negative portrayal of Never Land’s Native American population, but the themes were present in the original play and, unfortunately, were prevalent at the time. As an adaptation it’s a little hit and miss, but then again that’s true of most adaptations from one medium to another.
SYNOPSIS: “All this has happened before, and will all happen again”, we are informed by the Narrator, who quickly and quietly introduces us to each member of the Darling family; practical and blustering father George, calm and kindly mother Mary, the intelligent but awkward lad John, cute-as-a-button toddler Michael, and our heroine, the blossoming Wendy. The childrens’ father is concerned that Wendy’s fairy tales of Lost Boys and pirates isn’t setting a good example for the children in their formative years. As he and Mother leave for an important company event, he threatens to move Wendy out of the nursery. That night, Peter arrives to retrieve his lost shadow, which Wendy sews back on for him. Learning that Wendy is to be moved out of the nursery – and therefore won’t be there to tell her stories – Peter basically kidnaps them. With a little help from Tinker Bell, a jealous firecracker of a pixie, the four of them fly to Neverland.
Despite Tinker Bell trying to have Wendy shot down, the Darlings meet up with the Lost Boys, Peter’s gang of underage renegades. Tinker Bell’s treachery is soon found out, and Peter banishes her “forever” (though she is eventually forgiven). John and Michael set off with the Lost Boys to find the island’s Indians, who instead capture them, believing them to be the ones responsible for kidnapping the chief’s daughter, Tiger Lily. Big Chief, the Indian chieftain and Tiger Lily’s father, warns them that if Tiger Lily is not back by sunset, the Lost Boys (along with John and Michael) will be burned at the stake.
Meanwhile, Peter takes Wendy to see the mermaids. Wendy is considering leaving when the mermaids try to drown her, but things change when the mermaids flee in terror at the sight of Hook. Peter and Wendy (who quickly spy on Hook) see that he and Smee have captured Tiger Lily, so that they might coerce her into revealing Peter’s hideout. Peter and Wendy free her, and Peter is honoured by the tribe, in a very, very un-PC sequence full of borderline racism, mother-in-law jokes and casual drug abuse.
See what I mean?
Meanwhile, Hook plots to take advantage of Tinker Bell’s jealousy of Wendy, tricking her into revealing the location of Peter’s lair. Promising “not to lay a finger, or a hook, on Peter Pan”, Hook locks the pixie in a lantern and sets off with his crew.
By this point, Wendy and her brothers have grown homesick and plan to return home, and invite Peter and the Lost Boys to return to London and be adopted by the Darling parents. The Lost Boys agree, but Peter is so set against growing up that he refuses, assuming all of them will return shortly. The pirates lie in wait and capture the Lost Boys and the Darlings as they exit, leaving behind a time bomb to kill Peter. Tinker Bell learns of the plot just in time to snatch the bomb from Peter as it explodes.
Showing a surprising amount of concern and affection for her, Peter rescues Tinker Bell from the rubble and together they confront the pirates, releasing the children before they can be forced to walk the plank. Peter engages Hook in single combat as the children fight off the crew, and finally succeeds in humiliating the captain. Hook and his crew flee, with the crocodile in hot pursuit. Peter gallantly commandeers the deserted ship, and with the aid of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust, flies it to London with the children aboard.
Lessons Learned:
1. You’re never too old to be young at heart.
2. Sometimes, all you need is a little faith.
3. Always read the fine print, even on a verbal contract.
THE HEROINE
Wendy Darling, voiced by Kathryn Beaumont, is pretty much a carbon copy of Alice. Considering they’re voiced by the same young woman that’s not surprising. And much like Alice, Wendy has to deal with abuse from pretty much every other female character in the movie, from Tinker Bell trying to have shot down to the Mermaids ‘innocently’ trying to drown her, but she does her best to take it in stride and, like the best mothers, is always there when the Boys need them.
THE HERO
Peter Pan himself, voiced by Bobby Driscoll, is a bit of a mixed bag. When he first appears, swathed in darkness, he borders on intimidating, and when his face is lit up by Tinker Bell, you’re left thinking, this is the hero?!
He’s a stalker, listening in on Wendy’s stories, he’s a serial kidnapper, he’s arrogant, manipulative and self centred, but he’s also remarkably talented and resourceful. Walt Disney himself wasn’t satisfied, thinking the boy cold and unlikeable. But then again, that is quite close to the original tale.
THE VILLAIN
Captain Hook, voiced by Hans Conried, has the potential to be a much better villain and a better character in general. On the one hand he’s perfect. Single-minded in his vendetta against Pan, Hook is just as cunning and manipulative as Peter, twisting Tinker Bell into helping him find the Lost Boys’ hideout. He’s a figure of menace, and a worthy addition to Disney’s ever-growing pantheon of villainy. He’s also surprisingly strong, able to cut chunks out of a solid wooden mast and pin open the jaws of a ravenous crocodile.
Unfortunately, this is cancelled out by Hook degenerating into a camp, screaming wreck at the sound of said crocodile. While a more serious adaptation would have understated the fear, Disney pushes it to a grotesque extreme, undoing all the hard work they put into the character.
SIDEKICKS/HENCHMEN
The one thing PETER PAN can claim is a generous dose of ancillary characters, ranging from the fairly stock-standard Lost Boys (a pair of Twins, the Fat Kid, the Little Kid, the Skinny Kid) to Hook’s crew of fairly standard pirate troops. The only other pirate to get any decent screen-time is Smee, a bumbling moron and the source of most of the slapstick.
But we can’t leave it without sparing a thought for Tinker Bell.
Not, as some have claimed, based upon Marilyn Monroe, but actress Margaret Kerry, Tinker Bell has gone on to become one of the defining icons of Disney itself; her trail of pixie dust over the Magic Kingdom at the start of countless movies, appearances in advertising, cameos in comics and games, not to mention an inexhaustible amount of merchandising. Okay, some of it may not exactly be safe for children, but it must be said that actually making Tinker Bell a person, albeit a tiny one, was a good move on the part of Disney.
PLOT
It’s a fairly standard adaptation of the story with plenty of derring-do. When it’s not degenerating into slapstick, the ongoing war between Hook and Peter is well realised, and the relatively simple story is well told.
LAUGHS
Mostly of the slapstick variety, and mostly at the expense of Hook and Smee. Peter and Wendy are played straight by comparison.
SCARES
A lot of the ‘scares’ in Peter Pan seem to be unintentional; Tinker Bell’s fury at Wendy is surprisingly vicious, and her dimming light in the aftermath of the hideout’s destruction is surprisingly affecting. Hook certainly has his moments, but Peter himself comes across as a bit intimidating when he first appears, leering out of the shadows, a sneering grin lit in gold.
MORAL/ EDUCATIONAL VALUE
Wendy acts as the moral compass of the film, for her brothers and the Lost Boys. From her we learn you sometimes have to put up with a lot of crap to be with someone you love, and that there is a time when you have to grow up and accept your place in the world. We learn little from Peter; his arrogance and swagger almost costs him his own life a few times. As for the Indians… well, it was in the play, and Native Americans were rarely seen as anything other than caricatures or villains back then, so we’ll take it with a large pinch of salt and carry on.
MUSIC/SONGS
Aside from a few overly mawkish numbers, a lot of the lineup is pretty nice, actually. Following the Leader is as tedious as I remember it, and the opening number goes on for too long (fun fact: The Second Star To The Right started out as a song intended for ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but was cut and reworded for PETER PAN). For me however, Wendy’s song, Your Mother and Mine really takes the crown.
This happens to be one of my favourite scenes in the whole film; there’s just something about the sight of the Pirates silently converging on Hangman’s Tree as Wendy is singing the Boys to sleep, the creeping menace counterplayed to Kathryn Beaumont’s lullaby, it’s quite affecting.
LEGACY
PETER PAN is still held in regard as one of the great Disney classics. As well as several theme parks and stage shows based on the original film, it got a mediocre sequel in 2002 and has spawned two successful spin-off franchises; the TINKER BELL movies (the sixth of which is due out early next year) and JAKE AND THE NEVER LAND PIRATES, both of which are still going strong. Never Land and its inhabitants feature in the Kingdom Hearts game series, and numerous others besides, and has likely influenced various other versions of the story and characters.
It also “inspired” 1991’s HOOK. I’ll leave you to make your own mind up about that. Personally, I’m tempted to knock a few points off.
FINAL SCORE: 38/53
Do join us for Part II tomorrow, when we’ll fondly revisit the timeless classic, LADY AND THE TRAMP.
Sources: Wikipedia, Disney Wiki, IMDb, youtube
