Fun Facts About Peter Pan You Might Not Know
Follow the second star to the right as we fly over to Neverland to meet the boy who wouldn’t grow up. Here are some fun facts about Peter Pan.
Walt Disney loved the story since childhood.
When Walt Disney was a child, he played the role of Peter Pan in a school play. His brother, Roy, used rope to lift him into the air to appear as though he was flying. These early childhood memories inspired Disney to one day animate the story of Peter Pan and his adventures in Neverland.
Walt originally planned on creating a Peter Pan animated feature immediately after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, he did not receive the rights to the story until four years later. In the 1930s, the studio began working on the character designs and story development. Unfortunately, the production was put on hold until World War II was over. The film was finally completed and released in 1953.
Characters that look like cast and crew members.
Some of the characters in the animated film were modeled after voice actors and animators who worked on the film. Both Bobby Driscol, who voiced Peter Pan and Kathryn Beaumont, who voice Wendy Darling, greatly inspired the design of their respective characters.
This seems fitting enough, because both actors were children at the time and were around the same age as the characters they voiced. Disney animators Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston also made cameos in the film. Kimball based the appearance of the Lost Boy in the Bear Costume after himself, while Smee’s appearance is based on Johnston’s own likeness.
Are Mr.Darling and Captain Hook’s voices the same?
Yes, in fact, they are. Captain Hook and George Darling are voiced by the same actor. Hans Conreid provided the voice for both that codfish pirate and the easily irritated father of the Darling children. Coincidence? Well, both characters are ill-tempered and despise Peter Pan and his fanciful tales. Maybe the two characters are more alike than we think.
Think Tink.
Prior to 1953, Tinker Bell, for the most part, has been presented to audiences as a ball of light that made jingling bell noises. Except for in the silent film adaptation of Peter Pan in 1924, when she was played by actress Virginia Brown Faire.
Determined to bring the fairy into the animated world and give her a physical form, animator Marc Davis had the actress who voiced one of the mermaids, Margaret Kerry, come into the studio to be a reference model. And contrary to what you might think, the sounds that Tinker Bell made in the animated movie weren’t actually created by bells or chimes but pieces of aluminum strung together.
Nana in Neverland?
Nana was the Saint Bernard nursemaid who belonged to the Darling children in the film. In the original script, she was to act as the narrator and travel to Neverland with the children and Peter Pan. There was even supposed to be a comical scene of her chasing Tinker Bell around. Instead, she was left behind on the Darlings adventure, and given memorable moments at the beginning and end of the film.
Those were some fun facts about Peter Pan you might not have known about. Think happy thoughts and let MickeyTravels plan your next trip to Disney for FREE! Get your quote below!
“My name is Victoria Prisco and I’m a writer from New York. Ever since I was little, I have been completely enchanted by the magic of Disney. And I’m still looking for that rabbit hole to Wonderland.”