Peter Pan and the Pirates

Peter Pan & the Pirates is an American animated television series based on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan that originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company from September 8, 1990 to September 10, 1991. Repeats continued to air until September 11, 1992. A repeat of the series' Christmas episode was aired on December 25, 1993. The series was then on Fox in re-run form on weekday mornings from November 4, 1996 to March 28, 1997. Reruns were then shown on Fox Family in 1998.

Plot

The television show focuses as much on the pirates as it does on Peter Pan. Captain Hook and Mr. Smee traditionally are the only pirates who receive any attention in the story, but here, the other crew members of the Jolly Roger (Robert Mullins, Alf Mason, Gentleman Jim Starkey, Billy Jukes, and Cookson) are given distinct personalities and character development. A real force to be reckoned with, Hook is a powerful, temperamental, cultured, intelligent, and charming pirate with an insatiable thirst for vengeance.

Some attention was also given to the Native American characters (no longer called Redskins). They and their customs were often featured in the storyline.

One episode featured Wendy's daughter Jane (who appears at the end of the original play Peter Pan and at the end of the original book Peter and Wendy). Jane, from the future, visits the Neverland. At the end of the episode, Wendy is a little sad because she knows that this visit from her daughter means that one day Wendy will leave the Neverland and grow up.

Production

The on-screen title was given as Fox's Peter Pan & the Pirates to emphasize the fact that this was an independent production by Fox's animation division, unrelated to the Disney feature or other previous media incarnations of the Peter Pan property.

Characters

Main characters

• Peter Pan (voiced by Jason Marsden) — The series titular and main protagonist. He has dark brown hair worn in a ponytail. The Peter in this version wears attire that's also dark brown, which is what distinguishes him from the other versions. He's always up for a challenge and game for adventure no matter how perilous. He especially enjoys his confrontations with Captain Hook. Despite his cockiness, recklessness, headstrongness, and selfishness sometimes, he still always manages to come through in the end. In "Slightly in Stone," he even abandons his trapped boot in order to return in time with the golden acorn needed to save Slightly from remaining stone forever.
• Wendy Darling (voiced by Christina Lange) — A girl who wears a pink dress, has short, black hair, wears a crown made of flowers and is the sister of John and Michael Darling. She's the oldest of the darling siblings.
• John Darling (voiced by Jack Lynch) — The middle Darling sibling; Wendy and Michael's brother. He has light brown hair and wears a brown bowler hat or derby.
• Michael Darling (voiced by Whitby Hertford) — Wendy and Michael's brother and the youngest of the Darling siblings. He, too, has brown, curly hair and wears azure, overall-like, footy pajamas.
• Tinker Bell (voiced by Debi Derryberry) — A red-headed fairy and Peter Pan's sidekick. She's often the more practical of the two and is, at times, there for him and the others to get them out of jams if and whenever she can.
• Lost Boys
  • Slightly (voiced by Scott Menville) — A blond lost boy who wears a cap in the shape of a parrot's head. He constantly uses the word "slightly" in his sentences.
  • Nibs (voiced by Adam Carl) - A blond lost boy with a cap shaped like a lion's head with the face cut out.
  • Twins (voiced by Michael Bacall and Aaron Lohr) — Two lost boys who aren't all that identical, aside from both wearing caps in the shape of a leopards' head with cut-outs in the front for their faces. Individually, they're known as the Tall Twin and Short Twin, their heights being one distinction. Another is their complexions and hair hues, with Tall Twin having darker skin and black hair, and Short Twin having lighter skin and red hair. Their different features would make them fraternal. They're so in synchrony that they accomplish more when they work together and often finish each other's sentences.
  • Curly (voiced by Josh Keaton) - A hispanic lost boy with a cap shaped like a tiger's head with the face cut out.
  • Tootles (voiced by Chris M. Allport) — The youngest of the lost boys who wears a cap in the shape of a panda's head with face cut-out and has a black blotch around one eye.

Villains

• Captain Hook (voiced by Tim Curry) — The series' main antagonist who is Peter Pan's arch-nemesis. As his name implies, James Hook is the head of his pirate crew. Although he's well-known for his ruthless and nefarious nature more often than not, the Hook in this version is more complex and in many ways closer to the portrayal in Barrie's book. Rather than the traditional long black wig and handlebar moustache, this Hook is clean-shaven and wears a white powdered wig.
  • Smee (voiced by Ed Gilbert) — Captain Hook's first mate, who speaks with an Irish accent. His weapon is named Johnny Corkscrew.
  • Robert Mullins (voiced by Jack Angel) — A member of Captain Hook's crew who hails from Brooklyn. He is deeply superstitious and prone to landsickness.
  • Cookson (voiced by Jack Angel) — The ship's chef.
  • Alf Mason (voiced by Tony Jay) — A member of Hook's crew who serves a carpenter and a strongman. He wields a mallet.
  • Ignatious Starkey (voiced by David Shaughnessy) — A member of Hook's crew who is believed to be the first mate.
  • Billy Jukes (voiced by Eugene Williams) — The ship's gunner and the youngest pirate, who is of Old World/Indian descent.
• The Ice King — A villain with control over ice, as his name implies.

Other characters

• Great Big Little Panther (voiced by Michael Wise) — The Indian chief and father of Tiger Lily and Hard-To-Hit.
  • Tiger Lily (voiced by Cree Summer) — The daughter of Great Big Little Panther and sister of Hard-To-Hit. She and her brother sometimes tag along with and aid their friends Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, The Darling Siblings and The Lost Boys on their many adventures.
  • Hard-to-Hit (voiced by Aaron Lohr) — Great Big Little Panther's son and Tiger Lily's brother.
• Girl from the Moon (voiced by Kath Soucie) — A blond girl in a turquoise dress who is responsible for bringing the night by replacing the sun that appears during the day with the moon at the normal time.
• Jane — Wendy's daughter from the future. She appears in "The Lost Memories of Peter Pan".

Episodes

1. The Coldest Cut of All -
2. Living Pictures -
3. River of Night -
4. Slightly in Stone -
5. The Rake -
6. Peter on Trial -
7. The Wind and the Panther -
8. Treasure Hunt -
9. The Plucking of Short Tom -
10. The Dream -
11. The Demise of Hook -
12. Pirate Boys, Lost Men -
13. After the Laughter -
14. Stupid Smee -
15. The Play's the Thing -
16. Hook's Mother's Picture -
17. Wee Problem -
18. Knights of Neverland -
19. Pirate Shadows -
20. Now Day Party -
21. When Games Become Deadly -
22. Eternal Youth -
23. The Footrace -
24. Nibs and the Mermaids -
25. All Hallow's Eve -
26. Billy Jukes, Lost Boy -
27. The Phantom Shaman -
28. Tootles and the Dragon -
29. First Encounter -
30. Slightly Duped -
31. Professor Smee -
32. Evicted! -
33. The Girl Who Lives in the Moon -
34. Hook's Christmas -
35. Tootles the Bold -
36. The Hook and the Hat -
37. The Ages of Pan Pt. 1 -
38. The Ages of Pan Pt. 2 -
39. The Ruby -
40. Friday the Thirteenth -
41. Immortal Pan -
42. The Lost Memories of Peter Pan -
43. Dr. Livingstone and Captain Hook -
44. Vanity, Thy Name is Mermaid -
45. The Great Race -
46. Curly's Laugh -
47. Mardi Gras -
48. The Never Ark -
49. The Croc and the Clock -
50. Three Wishes -
51. A Hole in the Wall -
52. Hook the Faithful Son -
53. Wendy and the Croc -
54. Elementary, My Dear Pan -
55. Frau Brumhandel -
56. Play Ball -
57. Jules Verne Night -
58. The Pirate Who Came to Dinner -
59. The Neverscroll -
60. Peter in Wonderland -
61. A Day at the Fair -
62. Count De Chauvin -
63. Seven League Boots -
64. Invisible Tootles -
65. The Letter -

Cast

Crew

• Michael Bell — Voice Director
• Lee Dannacher — Voice Director
• Tony Pastor — Voice Director

Video game

A video game titled Peter Pan and the Pirates was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by third party publisher THQ. The game was generally received poorly by critics.

In this single player side-scrolling action game, the player controlled Peter Pan, who could collect bags of fairy dust to fly and wielded a sword that boasted a short range. The player started out in the forest and was required to destroy all the pirates in each level to advance to the next, with the final goal of reaching the pirate ship and battling Captain Hook.

VHS and DVD releases

In 1992, select episodes from the series were released on video. They have long been out of print. Titles of these included:

• Ghost Ship
• Demise of Hook
• Hook's Deadly Game, Part 1
• Hook's Deadly Game, Part 2

In 2004, select episodes were released on a single DVD for the UK market. This is now also out of print. Episodes released included:

• Coldest Cut Of All
• Wee Problem
• River Of The Night
• Treasure Hunt
• The Girl Who Lives On The Moon

External links

• Peter Pan & the Pirates at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates at the Internet Movie Database
• Peter Pan and the Pirates at TV.com