The story of Peter Pan has clung like pixie dust to the imagination of children and adults alike for over 100 years. Since its initial release as a stage play in 1904, its been rebooted and re-imagined numerous times over the past decades. Sometimes successfully as with Pan (2015).
But the version most closely associated with the children's story Peter Pan and Wendy J.M Barrie penned in 1911 is the 1953 version by Walt Disney Productions. As Disney looks to give the story of the "boy who wouldn't grow up" the live-action treatment with Peter Pan and Wendy in 2022, lets look at all the ways the Disney version altered the original fairy tale.
PETER PAN WAS ORIGINALLY A VILLAIN
Peter Pan is a mischievous prankster in Disney's Peter Pan, who delights in being a rambunctious and plucky young teen. Captain Hook represents everything wrong with becoming an adult - apathy, greed, and antagonism against anything fun.
In one of J.M. Barrie's first drafts of his stage play, Peter Pan was a villain who kidnapped children from their beds while they slept. Captain Hook was only added later when Barrie needed a theatrical character to distract audiences while scenery was being changed.
PETER PAN DOESN'T STOP THE LOST BOYS FROM SHOOTING WENDY
In the Disney film, the lost boys see Wendy and her brothers flying to Neverland and mistake her for some sort of giant bird they can hunt, kill, and ostensibly eat. They shoot her down with an arrow before Peter can save her, and she plummets to the ground seemingly dead.
But the "Wendy bird" isn't dead, because in the novel an arrow hits an acorn button Peter had given to her (which she wears as a necklace), and she simply fainted upon impact from the arrow.
PETER DOESN'T SAVE TIGER LILY
Captain Hook uses Tiger Lily as bait for Peter in the Disney cartoon, resulting in their battle at Marooners' Rock. Peter doesn't fly away with Tiger Lily in his arms because in the novel he's seriously injured.
His wounds prevent him from flying and inspire the famous quote used in the 1991 film Hook "To die will be an awfully big adventure", but before he can expire a Never bird provides her nest for him to use as a boat to reach shore.
TINKER BELL COULD ONLY EXPERIENCE ONE EMOTION AT A TIME
One of the most amusing parts of the Disney film included Tinker Bell becoming sour about her hips being too wide to fit through a keyhole of one of Wendy's drawers. Her rage was considered not only trite but also adorable.
In the novel, Tinker Bell could only ever experience one emotion, so she expressed anger at virtually everything. She was not a very likable character in the original story, whereas thanks to Disney she became an icon of not only the film but Walt Disney Studios in general.
HOOK DOESN'T TRICK TINKER BELL
Towards the end of the Disney film, Captain Hook is desperate to find Peter Pan and the Lost Boys' secret hideout. He kidnaps Tinker Bell and places her in a lantern, promising to release her only when she tells him what he wants to hear.
Eventually he tricks her into revealing where they are, whereas in the novel he discovers their location by accident. He sits down on a giant mushroom and is surprised to discover it covers the chimney of the hideout.
HOOK DOESN'T SEND PETER PAN A BOMB
One of the more devious aspects of the Disney film involved Captain Hook sending Peter Pan a bomb. Tink is able to get the bomb (disguised as a gift from Wendy) out of his hands before it explodes, and she's wounded by its blast.
In the novel, Captain Hook tried to poison Peter, and Tink risked her life to save him by drinking it instead. Peter has to call on every child who is dreaming of Neverland to clap their hands to show they believe in fairies. Their outpouring of revives her and saves her life.
HOOK IS DEFINITELY EATEN BY THE CROCODILE AT THE END
At the end of the film, Captain Hook is shown desperately swimming away from the crocodile, with Smee in hot pursuit. Since it was intended for children, showing Hook get eaten by the crocodile would be too graphic.
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In the novel, he's explicitly eaten at the end of his duel with Peter Pan. There isn't any ambiguity about his death, leaving his fate open-ended enough for him to return and cause Peter Pan or the Lost Boys more trouble.
THE DARLINGS ARE DISTRAUGHT BY THEIR CHILDREN'S DISAPPEARANCE
The Darlings come across as rather conservative parents in the Disney film, especially Mr. Darling. When they go out for the evening, they're gone precisely the amount of time it takes for their children's mischievous adventures with Peter in Neverland.
In Barrie's story, the children are in Neverland much longer than their parents are out for the evening, resulting in the Darlings coming home to find their children missing. Wendy and her brothers return to find their parents beside themselves with grief over their whereabouts.
THE DARLINGS ADOPT THE LOST BOYS AT THE END
After a tearful and joyous reunion with their parents, Wendy, John, and Michael tell them all about Peter Pan and their adventures with the Lost Boys. It has such a profound effect on Mrs. Darling that she decides to adopt all of the Lost Boys at once.
She attempts to get Peter to become a part of their family as well, but he's staunch in his refusal. He wants to remain the "boy who never grows up" forever, and always be able to return to Neverland.
ALL THE WOMEN OF WENDY'S LINE FLY WITH PETER TO NEVERLAND
At the conclusion of most Peter Pan films, Peter flies off to return to Neverland and it isn't known if he'll visit Wendy again. Only Hook hinted at the closing pages of Barrie's story, in which Peter returns to visit Wendy's daughter.
In the novel, Peter promises to return once a year to take Wendy to Neverland He keeps his word for the first few years, but then he stops coming. When he does finally return, he finds Wendy all grown up with a daughter named Jane. Peter takes Jane to Neverland instead, until she becomes too old. In the final paragraph, it's revealed that her daughter Margaret flies to Neverland with Peter, just like her future daughter will, and so on.
