Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1950s
    Movies - 1950s Movies - P 3 Mins Read

    Peter Pan (1953)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Sir James M. Barrie’s book Peter Pan was a long-time favourite of Walt Disney’s, and the pioneering animator worked for years to bring it to Technicolor life. The oft-performed play had already been brought to the big screen once before, but Disney’s version was a lively new vision.

    In turn-of-the-century London lives a well-to-do family called the Darlings. Wendy, eldest of the Darling children, is a girl with a fanciful imagination, telling stories of the magical scamp Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up.

    peterpan1953Mr Darling disapproves of his daughter’s tall tales, insisting that the growing girl move out of the nursery she shares with younger brothers John and Michael.

    On their last night together, the children get a visit from Peter Pan, who has come to find his missing shadow.

    After Wendy helps Peter sew his mischievous shadow back on, the grateful boy offers to take Wendy, John and Michael on a trip to Never Never land, despite protests from Peter’s jealous fairy friend Tinkerbell.

    With a sprinkling of pixie dust, Peter and the children fly out above the London skyline, toward the second star to the right, and straight on ’til morning.

    In Never Never land, nasty pirate Captain Hook is up to his old tricks, capturing Indian princess Tiger Lily and terrorising Peter’s gang of perpetually-young hoodlums, the Lost Boys.

    Peter flies to the rescue, doing battle with the criminal Captain. Wendy, John and Michael do their best to help, but the three end up captured themselves, forcing a showdown between Peter and Hook, with a hungry crocodile anxiously awaiting the loser.

    It is difficult to find fault with Peter Pan. Disney spared no expense on the $4 million film (and for the jaded, that was a massive budget back in 1953). Sequences were shot with costumed live-action actors to serve as a reference for animators.

    And in another bold move, Peter was voiced by a boy – Disney child star Bobby Driscoll – rather than the traditional approach of having a woman play the part (as Mary Martin had done on stage).

    Musical highlights included You Can Fly, You Can Fly, The Elegant Captain Hook and Never Smile at a Crocodile. The high budget paid off with instant success, and regular re-issues have assured Peter Pan a place among Disney’s classic animated works.

    Peter Pan
    Bobby Driscoll
    Wendy

    Kathryn Beaumont
    John

    Paul Collins
    Michael

    Tommy Luske
    Captain Hook

    Hans Conried
    Mr Smee

    Bill Thompson
    Mr Darling

    Hans Conried
    Mrs Darling

    Heather Angel
    Indian Chief

    Candy Candido
    Narrator

    Tom Conway

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Jungle Book, The (1967)
      Jungle Book, The (1967)
      Mowgli, a young orphan boy, is found abandoned in the jungle and is raised by a pack of wolves in…
    • Sleeping Beauty (1959)
      Sleeping Beauty (1959)
      Based on Charles Perrault's enduring fairy tale, this was Disney's most expensive cartoon to date, costing $6 million and taking…
    • 101 Dalmatians (1961)
      101 Dalmatians (1961)
      This full-length cartoon from the Walt Disney studios is a beautifully animated version of Dodie Smith's classic children's tale. The…
    • Shaggy Dog, The (1959)
      Shaggy Dog, The (1959)
      Walt Disney saw his studio's future in 1959, and the future was goofy (with a lower-case 'g'). Disney had been…
    • Alice In Wonderland (1951)
      Alice In Wonderland (1951)
      Having acquired the rights to the Tenniel drawings in the 1930s, Walt Disney hoped to star Mary Pickford in the…
    • Plague of the Zombies, The (1966)
      Plague of the Zombies, The (1966)
      Respected doctor Sir James Forbes (André Morell) comes to a Cornish village with his daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare) after a…
    • Touch and Go (1955)
      Touch and Go (1955)
      A light-hearted and entertaining Ealing comedy telling the story of the problems that beset an ordinary English family when father…
    • Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The (1992)
      Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The (1992)
      Disney moved in on the quick-buck slasher market with this disarmingly tacky rip-off of Fatal Attraction (1987) and every crazed-nanny flick…

    Disney
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticlePerformance (1970)
    Next Article Petticoat Pirates (1961)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Go!!
      1 9 6 4 – 1 9 6 7 (Australia) 222 x 55 minute episodes […]
    • Bob Morrison Show, The
      1 9 9 4 (Australia) 26 x 30 minute episodes Who could have ever […]
    • Watch House, The
      1 9 8 8 (UK) 3 x 30 minute episodes This three-part BBC-1 […]
    • King Crimson
      Formed in 1969 and led by charismatic guitarist Robert Fripp, […]
    • How to Marry a Millionaire
      1 9 5 7 – 1 9 5 9 (USA) 52 x 30 minute episodes Three […]
    • Rich Kids, The
      Glen Matlock left The Sex Pistols because he was tired of […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.