Peter Pan Disney Animated Classic

Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Yellow Loop. Today we are sharing ideas for Disney movie nights.

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Peter Pan is a 1953 animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.  It is the 14th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series (up to 55 films now) and was originally released on February 5, 1953. It is also the second Disney animated film starring Kathryn Beaumont, Heather Angel, and Bill Thompson after their roles in Alice in Wonderland.

Peter Pan is my favorite Disney movie of all time and a Disney classic.  This movie is one of the reasons that I always wanted to see London.  It has has wonderful scenery, brought to life by Disney’s classic animation style.  It also has great voices, story, and some of my favorite Disney Characters (mentioned above).

The movie starts off over a house in London, where the Darling family lives.  The three children of the family:  Wendy, Michael, and John, are obsessed with stories of Peter Pan, and spend all of their time listening to or acting out stories about him. Their father feels that their obsession has gone too far and tells Wendy that she will have to move out of the room she shares with her brothers into her own room.   The father also tells Wendy that she will have to grow up.

That night, on the last night before Wendy grows up, Peter Pan comes into the Darling children’s bedroom.   Wendy wakes up to see Peter Pan staring at her and realizes that she found his shadow recently.  Peter had left the shadow there in the past by looking in their windows to listen to Wendy’s stories about him.  Michael and John eventually wake up, and John reveals to Peter that Wendy will have to grow up next morning. This makes Peter decide that he needs to take them to Neverland, a magical place where people never grow up.  This makes his Pixie friend Tinkerbell jealous, and Tinkerbell decides to try to kill Wendy.   I should mention here that, though I love this movie, Tinkerbell is not an admirable character!

Once they arrive at Neverland, five other girls try to kill Wendy, while Captain Hook devises a plan to kill Peter Pan. Captain Hook has a grudge against Peter Pan, because of a fight in which Peter cut off his hand. The worst part to Captain Hook, was when Peter threw it to a crocodile named Tick-Tock (he swallowed a clock) who has been in hot pursuit of Captain Hook ever since.

Captain Hook eventually captures Tinkerbell and convinces her to tell him Peter’s secret hideout under the pretense that he will kill Wendy for her.  Meanwhile, Wendy decides to go back home to London with all the rest of the children on the island.  They eventually leave Peter Pan, and Hook uses that time to put a bomb inside Peter Pan’s hideout.  Peter Pan escapes the bomb and finds out that Hook has captured Wendy and all the children.  Peter then goes to fight Hook and save the others and eventually saves them all.

Peter then has Tinkerbell sprinkle the pirate ship with pixie-dust and they (Peter, Tinkerbell, and the Darling children) fly in it back to London.  Peter drops off the Darling kids and goes back to Neverland.  Once the kids get back inside the father has decided that he acted rashly and that Wendy doesn’t have to grow up or get her own room.

The famous songs from the film are “The Second Star to the Right”, “You Can Fly!”, “A Pirate’s Life”, What Made the Red Man Red?”, “Your Mother and Mine”, “The Elegant Captain Hook” and “Never Smile at a Crocodile”.
Peter Pan was first released in theaters on February 5, 1953. The film was a commercial success and was also the highest-grossing film of 1953.  It was re-released several times and it also played in select Cinemark Theatres from February 16–18, 2013.  The movie has earned a lifetime gross of over $87 million.

Peter Pan’s Flight is a popular ride found at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland.  Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook and Mr. Smee can be found in the parades, as well as meet-and-greets throughout the theme parks.

Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee,  are featured in a scene during Disneyland’s version of Fantasmic!

For more Disney movie night ideas,
check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!

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Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Yellow | Disney Movie Night – Classics Loop:

• 1st Stop – Home is Where the Mouse Is | The Jungle Book
• 2nd Stop – Family Travel Escapades | Peter Pan
• 3rd Stop – Saving Up for Disney | Snow White
• 4th Stop – My Pixie Dust Diary | Mary Poppins