Characters of Peter Pan
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The works of J. M. Barrie about Peter Pan feature many memorable characters. The numerous adaptations and sequels to those stories feature many of the same characters, and introduce new ones. Most of these strive for continuity with Barrie's work, developing a fairly consistent cast of characters living in Neverland and the real-world settings of Barrie's stories.
This article covers the characters appearing in the canonical works of Barrie, the major motion pictures based on them, and the major prequels/sequels (authorized and not):
- The Little White Bird or Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (novel) - PPKG
- Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (play) - PLAY
- Peter and Wendy (novel) - P&W
- Peter Pan (1924 film) - 1924
- Peter Pan (1953 film) - 1953
- Hook (film) - HOOK
- Return to Never Land (film) - RNL
- Peter Pan (2003 film) - 2003
- Peter Pan in Scarlet (novel) - PPS
- Peter and the Starcatchers (novel) - P&SC
- Peter and the Shadow Thieves (novel) - P&ST
- Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (novel) - P&SR
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[edit] Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a boy who refuses to grow up. He can fly, and has an apparently unique connection to the magical realm of Neverland.
[edit] Wendy Darling
Wendy Darling is a girl who befriended Peter Pan, and whom he took with him to Neverland to be a mother for himself and the Lost Boys.
[edit] Captain Hook
Captain Hook is a pirate, and Peter Pan's greatest adversary. He swears revenge on Peter for cutting off his hand and feeding it to a giant crocodile.
[edit] Tinker Bell
Tinker Bell is a fairy, and a companion to Peter Pan at the time of his adventures with Wendy Darling.
[edit] The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys are a gang of boys who fell out of their prams and were not claimed by their parents, so they were sent to Neverland.
[edit] John Darling
John Darling is the second youngest of the Darling children. In some of the adaptations, such as Disney's Peter Pan, he wears glasses and a long nightshirt and top hat. When Peter Pan can't lead the Lost Boys, he acts as their leader.
[edit] Michael Darling
Michael Nicholas Darling is the youngest of the three children in the Darling family. His age is not specified, but Barrie states in Peter and Wendy that he still wears pinafores, and on his next birthday he'll start wearing shirts. In Disney's film he wears footy pajamas, and carries a small teddy bear with him, even in the dream world of Neverland.
He is quite sensitive. He looks up to his older sister Wendy and he sometimes bickers with John, his older brother.
In an early draft of the play, the character's name was "Alexander" or "Alex", but was renamed after Michael Llewelyn Davies, who was born during the play's development.
In the Disney adaptation he always carries a teddy bear simply known as "Bear."
[edit] George and Mary Darling
George Darling is the husband of Mary Darling and the father of Wendy, Michael, and John. He is also a bank/office worker, and can be quite loud and boisterous, as well as pompous and self-important. He seeks to attract attention, from his co-workers to his wife and children. However, deep inside, he is actually a kind-hearted person that just wants what's best for his family, especially his kids. In the Disney variant, he believes the stories (told by his daughter in this version and not by his wife) to be a "lot of silly stories" and "poppycock", though he could be stressing from finding out that he might lose his job.
In the Disney adaptation of the story, he was modeled after and voiced by Hans Conried, who is also the model and voice for the villainous Captain Hook.
In the book Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, it states that he and Molly were childhood friends in their neighborhood of Kensington Gardens, and it is hinted in that story that (before he met his future wife, Mary) he had a crush on her.
He is named after George Llewelyn Davies.
Mary Darling is the wife of George Darling and the mother of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling, who travel with Peter to Neverland. She shares a first name with Barrie's wife.
Mrs. Darling (as she is commonly referred) is a loving wife and mother, but not demonstratively so. She is said to have a kiss that she holds in the right corner of her mouth, which is reserved for one person, who is neither her husband nor any of her three children.
In the Disney version of the tale, she is voiced by Heather Angel.
[edit] Nana
Nana is the nurse of Wendy, John, and Michael, hired by the Darlings to look after the children on his modest income. Although George Darling is somewhat embarrassed to have a dog in his employ, Nana is good at her job.
Nana 2 is a saint bernard owned by Jane's family in Return to Never Land. Although it's hinted that she believes she's in charge of Jane, there's no indication that she has any actual authority, but is just a pet.
[edit] Pirates
[edit] Smee
Smee is Captain Hook's right-hand man in J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and the novel Peter and Wendy. He seems an oddly genial man for a pirate; Barrie describes him as "a man who stabbed without offence" – and is shown in the multiple movies as a rather stupidly entertaining man interested in loot rather than Hook's more evil pleasures.
Like the other men of Neverland, Smee is ignorant of what a mother is. Early on, Wendy considers that if she was to have a pirate for a pet, she would choose Smee. When captured by Hook, every child in the brig loves Smee - he cannot lay a fist on them and does their darning - despite his belief that they fear him. Hook contemplates that Smee has good form without knowing it, which is of course the best form of all. He almost tears into Smee for this but knows that clawing a man for having good form is very bad form. It is possible that Smee is an Anti-Villain, for indeed, he offers to save Wendy from the plank, if only she promises to be his mother - an offer she refuses, J M Barrie using the words "Not even for Smee".
Smee's position on the Jolly Roger is presented inconsistently. In Peter and Wendy he is identified as the ship's bo'sun. In most Disney storybooks Smee is said to be first mate (the position held by Starkey in the novel), while some refer to him as the cook; in the Disney film he refers to both the first mate and the cook in the third person. However, he consistently acts as Captain Hook's "left hand man" (though with varying degrees of personal loyalty).
In the Disney film, Peter Pan, Smee is voiced by Bill Thompson. In Return to Neverland and other Disney productions, he is voiced by Jeff Bennett. Kazuo Kumakura does his Japanese voice. In the 1991 Steven Spielberg film Hook, Smee is portrayed by actor Bob Hoskins. Disney's version of Smee appears in House of Mouse and the Kingdom Hearts videogames. Smee also appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as a meetable character.
In J. V. Hart's Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth, "Smee" is said to be short for the name "Bartholomew Quigley Smeethington".
In Hook, Smee is more concerned with himself than his loyalty to Captain Hook, and can be seen trying to escape the ship with assorted treasure near the end of the movie. He is also apparently popular with some of the adult women in Neverland.
Smee is also an important character in the novel Peter and the Starcatchers and Peter and the Shadow Thieves, both written by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry. He is loyal to the Black Stache, the name held by Captain Hook before he lost his hand.
[edit] Other pirates
Starkey
Slank
Alf
[edit] Indians
[edit] Tiger Lily
Tiger Lily is the princess of the Piccaninny Tribe of "Indians" (Native Americans) living on the island of Neverland. She is apparently old enough to be married, but she refuses any suitors because she desires Peter Pan over all. She is jealous of Wendy and Tinker Bell. Tiger Lily is nearly killed by Captain Hook when she is seen boarding the Jolly Roger with a knife in her mouth, but Peter saves her. In the earlier versions of Peter Pan, it is assumed that she disapproves of Wendy and even Tinker bell at one point because of her envy.
In the Disney version Tiger Lily is kidnapped by Captain Hook and Smee. Hook threatens to kill her if she does not tell him Peter's hiding place. She remains silent, as she does through the whole movie, because she will not betray Peter. She also doesn't tell because she knows Hook will leave her there anyway to drown. She is saved by Peter and he takes her to her tribe. At her tribe, there is a celebration of her return and Peter is granted as a chief. While the dance goes on, Tiger Lily shows her affection towards Peter. At first, Peter watches Tiger Lily dance, then Tiger Lily jumps down and gives Peter a Indian kiss. This turns Peter bright red. Then they dance together, which makes Wendy very jealous.
[edit] Tribes
Piccanniny tribe: the "Indians" who appeared in Barrie's original play were based on the native peoples of North America.
Mollusk tribe
Scorpion tribe
[edit] Jane
Jane (her last name is not given) is the daughter of Wendy Darling, approximately 12 years old. Living in London during the Blitz, she has grown up too quickly and become cynical. She is mistaken for her mother by Captain Hook, who kidnaps her in a scheme to get Peter. Unlike her mother, she is not interested in playing "mother" for the Lost Boys.
[edit] Jane's family
Wendy is Jane's mother. She is Wendy Darling, grown up, and entertains her children with stories about her adventures with Peter Pan.
Danny (Daniel) is Jane's little brother, who first appears at the beginning of Return to Never Land as an infant, and is a pre-schooler in most of the scenes he appears in. He believes entirely in his mother's stories about Peter Pan.
Edward is the husband of the adult Wendy, and the father of Jane and Danny. He is called to serve in the British military at the beginning of Return to Never Land, and returns at the end of the film.
[edit] The Bannings
Peter Banning is Peter Pan, grown up. When he fell in love with Moira, he abandoned his eternal youth. He was adopted by an American couple named Banning, and forgot about his life as Peter Pan. He appears in Hook, played by Robin Williams.
Jack Banning is the son of Peter and Moira Banning.
Maggie Banning is the daughter of Peter and Moira Banning.
Moira Banning is the granddaughter of Wendy Darling and the wife of Peter Banning.
[edit] Molly Aster
Molly Aster is one of the main characters of the three Starcatchers novels. She has striking green eyes and gold hair. She is the daughter of famous Starcatcher Leonard Aster and his wife, Louise Aster, and is therefore a Starcatcher by blood and very wealthy. She is very headstrong and stubborn. She constantly squabbles with friends and even her father, whom she respects and admires. She is also very brave and thoughtful, and seems to have a good grasp on her inherited Starcatcher powers. She wears a locket filled with Stardust at all times.
She has a romantic attraction to both Peter and young George Darling. She and Peter catch each others' eye almost immediately after boarding the ship The Never Land in P&SC. But his decision to stay on Mollusk Island at the end of P&SC and the arrival of George in P&ST, combined with the fact that she is growing older while he is not, complicates her feelings for him. In P&SR, she and Peter have many arguments, though they part on good terms (with their mutual first kiss) and she makes him promise to visit her. Her feelings toward her childhood friend George grow warmer after she calls on him for help in P&ST. She responds to George's maturity compared to Peter, and treats him with greater respect.
Her relationships with Peter, George Darling, Tinker Bell, and the mermaids are all consistent with her being Wendy's mother, a conclusion hinted at but not confirmed by the authors.[1] She is called "Molly" rather than "Mary", however "Molly" is a traditional nickname for girls named "Mary".[2]
[edit] Other characters
Mermaids look typicially as you would imagine, a fish tail for legs and a shell bikini and shells in their hair. They are jealous of Wendy as Peter likes her better than them.
Crocodile
Ravello
Fireflyer
Leonard and Louise Aster
Lord Ombra
Captain Nerezza
King Zarboff III
[edit] Other fairies
[edit] References
- ^ [1] B&N interview with Barry and Pearson]
- ^ Genealogy research: English Common Law, cousins explained, more
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