Peter Pan

Release Date: February 5, 1953

This was one of my most favorite childhood movies! I remember getting the Disney Sing-Along video for my 4th birthday, thinking it was the actual Peter Pan movie. There is a picture of me with the biggest surprised smile on my face because I LOVED Peter Pan! Walt Disney loved the story as well. In fact, Peter Pan was the first stage production he saw as a young boy and it made a lifelong impact on him.

Originally, the plan was for Peter Pan to be Walt's second animated feature. But first there was a delay acquiring the rights to the story, and then World War II delayed it even more. After the war, production started again in earnest. After going through multiple drafts it was finally ready and it achieved instant commercial success.

A few things made Walt's version of Peter Pan different from other productions. On the stage, Tinkerbell is usually nothing more than a flickering light. Disney animators gave her defined features and a personality that has endeared fans for generations. She became a mascot for the Disneyland television show, and today she continues to delight audiences as she flies above the Disney castle during fireworks shows. Her enduring legacy today exists because of the decision to make her a more defined character in the 1953 film.

Other changes were made for the Disney film, such as Peter Pan being played by a boy instead of a girl, which had been the standard for the play. Yet other standard features of the plays were kept in the film, such as having Mr. Darling and Captain Hook played by the same voice actor. But at the end of the day, there is something uniquely Disney about this particular adaptation of the play by J. M. Barrie.

The most magical scene in the movie for me is when Peter Pan teaches the Darling children how to fly. Their flight through the nursery first and then through London is so iconic, especially when they lift off from the clock tower and head to Neverland. I love the reprise at the end of the movie when Tinkerbell spreads her pixie dust onto the pirate ship and it lifts into the sky for the return trip to London.

Captain Hook is a fantastic villain and earns his place in the ranks of iconic Disney villains. The way he ruthlessly kills his own crew by shooting them or throwing them overboard shows how high the stakes are as he threatens Tiger Lily and Peter Pan. It also makes it that much more delightful when Peter Pan taunts and outwits him.

I love the comedy in this film. The slapstick comedy between Captain Hook and Mr. Smee is delightful. Some examples include Smee thinking he shaved off Captain Hook's head, hitting the Captain instead of the crocodile, and hitting the Captain's head with a hammer. Why Hook keeps Smee around is a mystery, but the two together on screen always makes for great comedy!

The movie has its tender moments as well, especially when Wendy sings Your Mother and Mine. Fun fact--this is the song I danced to with my own mother at my wedding. As Wendy sings about how special mothers are, all of the boys long for their mothers. Above ground, as the pirates listen, all pirates except Captain Hook are crying as they remember mothers of their own.

This movie has been criticized for its portrayal of Native Americans. They are stereotyped and exaggerated in the movie. I won't excuse this, but as I've said before about other films, the movie is a product of its time. For that matter, so is the play it was based on. I am grateful we know better now and can learn from mistakes of the past.

At the end of the day, this is a movie that I love! I loved it in my childhood, and I still love to watch it to this day. This movie holds all the charm and magic of a Disney classic, and it continues to enchant audiences of every generation. This movie continues to prove that with faith, trust, and a little pixie dust, anything is possible!