Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film based on the play Peter pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. It was released on February 5, 1953 being the final Disney animated feature to be released by RKO Pictures. Peter Pan was directed by the trio Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske.
The plot is set in Bloomsbury, London where George and Mary Darling find their plans of attending a party being thrashed by John and Michael enacting a story about Peter Pan and the pirates narrated to them by their elder sister Wendy. They are visited by a pixie named Tinker Bell and Peter Pan in the nursery the same night and are taken by them to the island of Never Land.
Captain Hook, of the ship of pirates, plans revenge on Peter Pan but the crocodile scares him away. The children save themselves from the evil plans of Tinker Bell and meet up with the lost boys. They set off together to find the island’s Indians who capture them believing them to have abducted the chief’s daughter Tiger Lily. Meanwhile, Peter and Wendy locate Tiger Lily and rescue her from the pirates earning the trust of the tribe. The pirates capture the Lost Boys and the children and leave a time bomb behind to kill Peter. However, Tinker bell learns of this and comes to the rescue of Peter. Together they fight the pirates and deliver the children safely back to London.
Wendy sleeps at the open window when her parents return form the party and narrates to them the adventures encountered with great excitement. The parents see something of the sort of a pirate ship in the clouds and soften on Wendy and her staying in the nursery.
The film has been successful and greatly appreciated. It has been cited as his favorite film of all time, by Michael Jackson. Peter Pan was also entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.
