From Walt Disney Home Entertainment:
"All this has happened before and it will all happen again," begins Sir James M. Barrie's classic tale
'Peter Pan,' but it is Walt Disney and his creative team that took this famous flight of fantasy and
conceived a Never Land like there never was and never could be. Charting a course that followed "the
second star to the right and straight on till morning," the Disney storytellers and artists used the art of
animation to capture a landscape of fantasy and the atmosphere of imperishable youth. Originally
released in 1953, Disney's animated version of 'Peter Pan' remains one of the studio's most popular
classics and, like the title character itself, seems to never grow old. Today the film is just as potent in
stirring the hearts and imaginations of moviegoers of all ages as it was on its initial release.
The origins of the story of 'Peter Pan' date back to 1904 when Scotland-born novelist and playwright
Sir James M. Barrie opened the first production of his play at the Duke of York Theater in London. To
the author's amazement, the cynical drama critics were delighted with his fantasy and children and
adults alike were quick to literally shout their belief in fairies.
The Disney version of "Peter Pan" was essentially a straight forward account of Sir Barrie's original
plot with a few significant differences. For one, the title character is portrayed here as a young boy
(voiced by Bobby Driscoll) instead of the traditional stage approach of having a girl or young woman
in the lead. Such renowned actresses as Nina Boucicault, Maude Adams, Jean Arthur, Mary Martin,
and Sandy Duncan have all portrayed the role at one time or another on stage or television.
Another point of departure from the original play was Disney's decision to portray Tinker Bell as a
human-like female pixie instead of the fairy ball of light described in the source material. The
delightful impish character of Tinker Bell took on an expanded role in the Disney film and went on to
symbolize the magic of the studio with hosting duties on the long-running television series and at the
Disney theme parks.
A third and significant difference between the animated version and the stage play was the unrestricted
and graceful ways in which the animators could show the characters flying. Never before had the
illusion of flight been so realistically pictured. Other characters that were never possible on stage - splashing mermaids, a real dog in the role of
Nana, and Captain Hook's ever present nemesis -- the crocodile with the ticking clock, were presented
in Disney's PETER PAN for the first time.
Peter Pan Voice Cast
List
Bobby Driscoll
Kathryn Beaumont
Hans Conried
Bill Thompson
Heather Angel
Paul Collins
Tommy Luske
Candy Candido
Tom Conway
Roland Dupree
Don Barclay
... Peter Pan
... Wendy Darling
... Captain Hood/Mr. Darling
... Mr. Smee/Others Pirates
... Mrs. Darling
... John Darling
... Michael Darling
... Indian Chief
... Narrator
... Extra Voices
... Extra Voices
Peter Pan Platinum DVD Extras: Disc 1: Welcome to London:
- Audio Film Commentary from Roy Disney
- "Peter's Playful Prank" Story Book: Animated, read-along story book
with an original story of Peter Pan's further adventures in Never Land.
- Disney Song Selections:
