Peter Pan (1953)

Directors:

Clyde Geronimi
Wilfred Jackson

Writers:

J.M. Barrie (play)
Ted Sears (story) ...

Release Date:

5 February 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Music

Tagline:

Walt Disney's Immortal [Peter Pan]

Plot:

Wendy and her brothers are whisked away to the magical world of Neverland with the hero of their stories, Peter Pan.

Plot Keywords:

Peter Pan | Children | Captain Hook | Hero | Crocodile

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Bobby Driscoll	...	Peter Pan (voice)
Kathryn Beaumont	...	Wendy Darling (voice)
Hans Conried	...	Captain Hook / Mr. Darling (voice)
Bill Thompson	...	Mr. Smee / Other Pirates (voice)
Heather Angel	...	Mrs. Darling (voice)
Paul Collins	...	John Darling (voice)
Tommy Luske	...	Michael Darling (voice)
Candy Candido	...	Indian Chief (voice)
Tom Conway	...	Narrator (voice)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | West Germany:o.Al. | Portugal:M/4 | South Korea:All | USA:Approved (PCA #16065) | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Bobby Driscoll (as a voice actor) was the first male to play the title role on film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Peter Pan cuts the rigging, all the pirates fall into the lifeboat with Smee. There are about nine pirates falling into the boat, but when the fleeing Captain Hook passes them a few shots later, Smee has only four companions rowing the boat.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: All this has happened before, and it will all happen again. But this time it happened in London. It happened on a quiet street in Bloomsbury. That corner house over there is the home of the Darling family. And Peter Pan chose this particular house because there were people here who believed in him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Disneyland: From All of Us to All of You (#5.12)" (1958)

Soundtrack:

A Pirate's Life

Another Disney classic...how many are there now?

'Peter Pan' is undoubtedly one of the best of Disney's films. The story isn't too deep or meaningful, as, say, 'Bambi'. The power behind it is the familiarity. Every little kid yearns to haveadventures like Peter, so everyone identifies with the story. To tell the truth, the film is kind of episodic, like an extra-large TV cartoon special. The climax is fittingly climactic, but the final defeat of Hook isn't really powerful enough, which makes it disappointing after all the flashy swordplay. Speaking of Hook, he and Mr Smee are inevitably the scene-stealers, no matter how beloved Peter may be to children. The same way, in Hook/Smee scenes, if you throw in a hungry crocodile, the monstrous reptile will overshadow even Hook. Wendy really looks too old to be horrified about growing up, though, except for the sequences in which she fantasizes about Never Land with all the authenticity of a three-year-old. Never Land is beautiful, to say the least. The lush jungles and the mermaid lagoon is wonderfully brought to life, as is the eery Skull Island. This is the best showcase for the art direction. Also excellent is the detailed, meticulous design of the wooden hideout of the Lost Boys.

'Peter Pan' is one of my all-time favorites. It has humor, great animation, and the best part of it is a simplistic story that revolves around the desires of the child within all of us (I'm still twelve, so I never had to look too deep). A must-see for any animation fan, particularly Disney buffs, the young and the young-at-heart.

9/10