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 eter Pan is the boy who won't grow up. The very
spirit of youth, he travels from the enchanted isle of Never Land
to London just to hear Wendy Darling spin tales about him and his
adventures. While his ego may seem inflated at times, even his
arch-nemesis, Captain Hook, knows that Pan's no ordinary boy. He
can fly without wings and match Hook's cutlass with nothing more
than a dagger. He's also the undisputed leader of the Lost Boys,
and allows no break in the ranks, not even from his best girl,
Tinker Bell the pixie. When she disobeys an order, Peter
impetuously banishes her forever. Only after Wendy reminds him that
forever is a long time does he shorten the sentence to a week.
Either way, time makes little difference to him. Life is nothing
but fun, whimsy, and adventure when you never grow up. |
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Before voicing Peter Pan, actor Bobby Driscoll played lead roles in
several Disney films, including Johnny in "Song of the South"
(1946), Jeremiah Kincaid in "So Dear to My Heart" (1949), and Jim
Hawkins in "Treasure Island" (1950). He was Disney's first contract
child performer and later went on to win a Juvenile Academy
Award® for his role in "The Window" (1949). For "Peter Pan,"
Bobby filmed live-action reference of his character for the
animators (mainly for close-up scenes). Peter's graceful flying and
action references were provided by dancer Roland Dupree. |
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The casting of a male actor in the part of Peter Pan was especially
significant, since Sir James M. Barrie's original stage play
featured a woman in the boyish role. This became a theatrical
tradition that remained unbroken until Walt Disney's animated
feature was released.
Film: "Peter Pan" (1953)
Voice Artist: Bobby Driscoll
Live-Action Models: Bobby Driscoll, Roland Dupree |
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