Fox's Peter Pan & the Pirates
Fox's Peter Pan & the Pirates is an American animated television series based on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan that aired on Fox from September 8, 1990 to September 10, 1991. 65 episodes were produced.
The show was one of Fox's first forays into programming for children.
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 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. The people and their customs were often featured in the storyline.
One episode featured Wendy's daughter Jane. Jane, from the future, visits the Neverland. At the end of the episode, Wendy is a little sad, because she knows that the existence of her daughter means that one day Wendy will leave Neverland and grow up.
Characters
Main
Peter Pan - the titular protagonist of the series. He has dark brown hair worn in a ponytail and wears a brown costume. He is always up for a challenge and adventure no matter how perilous. He takes no notice of the bad consequences or mistakes and is no wiser after the event. He can't read and forgets nearly everything. His favourite activity is his confrontations with Captain Hook. Even though he may be naive, stubborn and always up for fun and games, he knows and recognizes the danger and cares for his friends.Tinker Bell - a red-headed fairy and Peter Pan's sidekick. She is often the more practical of the two and is there for him and the others to get them out of jams if and whenever she can. Her fairy dust allows humans to fly, but has other abilities, like making fire or light. She is often the one who has more knowledge than Peter's friends. She is sensitive and her power and existence are dependent on the human belief in magic and fantasy. She would love to have Peter all tp herself, and regularly becomes jealous of Wendy. Nevertheless she would never allow anything to happen neither to Wendy nor to anyone else!
Wendy Darling - the oldest of the Darling siblings, the big sister of John and Michael. She has short black hair, wears a pink dress and a crown made of white flowers. She is like a mother for the boys and tells them bedtime stories. As Peter claims that girls are smarter and more intelligent than boys, Wendy is often calmer and more mature than the rest of the group and can become very serious. However she likes playing games and having fun. She is closer to Peter than anyone else and spends the most time with him.
John Darling - the middle Darling sibling, Wendy's and Michael's brother. He wears a brown bowler hat or derby. He often fights with the pirates using a magic wooden sword, which always grows again after breaking, as it does with the six Lost Boys. From all the friends, he's the one who spends the most time with books. He also likes making notes, writing journals and enjoys painting.
Michael Darling - Wendy and John's brother and the youngest of the Darling siblings. He wears blue pajamas. He is the youngest and smallest of the group and has a big basket as his own bed. Sometimes he is slower and more frightened, so Peter and the others must look after him. He loves playing around, having fun and especially enjoys running after animals.
The Lost Boys - a group of six boys who got orphaned or lost. They only remember their life in Neverland. They all wear hats shaped from various animal heads.
- Nibs - one of the tallest and the eldest of the Lost Boys. He wears a cap shaped like a bear's head with the face cut out. He is Peter's second-in-command and leads the group when Peter is away. He is the most responsible, sensible and mature when making decisions.
- Slightly - the tallest and second eldest Lost Boy. He wears a cap in the shape of a parrot's head. As a reference to his name, he constantly uses the word "slightly" in his sentences. His ambition is to be Peter's second-in-command. He is often naive and immature when making decisions what can cause trouble for the others. His hobby is collecting shells.
- Curly - a hispanic Lost Boy with a cap shaped like a tiger's head with the face cut out. He has a tanned complexion, and a very slim figure. Age-wise, he is in the middle of the Lost Boys, where Nibs and Slightly are older and the Twins and Tootles are younger, so because of this he is neither the leader nor the pet of the family. He has a sense of humor and loves having fun, but also knows and recognizes when the situation is more serious.
- The Twins - two Lost Boys who are biracial Twins. They are not identical, aside from both wearing caps in the shape of a leopard's head with cut-outs in the front for their faces. Individually they are known as Tall Twin and Short Twin, their heights being the main distinction. They are so synchronized that they accomplish more when they work together and when talking they finish each other's sentence. They are known as the mechanics and inventors of the group and most of their activity is creating, building and testing their own inventions and machines.
- Tootles - the youngest and smallest 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 his left eye for the emphasis of this animal. He is very small and has a round stomach, because he loves eating. He is often clumsy which can cause problems for the others when looking for adventures. He can also become too sensitive, especially when getting judged or not noticed by the others.
Villains
Pirate Crew
- Smee - Captain Hook's loyal first mate and the closest he has to a friend, although he rarely seems to appreciate it. Smee is of Irish descent and in his appearance small and slim, and has a beard. The main difference from the other pirates is that he is often clumsy and not really able to capture any of the Lost Boys. Despite all the confusion and his environment, it is important for him not to leave the pirate crew. He is faithful to his Captain and stays on his side, but not once can also be more equal to the other pirates.
- Robert Mullins who hails from Brooklyn. He is medium height, muscular, has a long face, a moustache and a scar at his left eye. He is very good in sword fight. Although he refers to Captain Hook as "the finest pirate who ever lived", he sometimes schemes to take over command.
- "Gentleman" Ignatious P. Starkey - a foppish yet gentlemanly and English member of Hook's crew. He speaks with a "dash-it-all" accent, has a high physique, long black hair he wears in a ponytail and a thin moustache. He wears a long cape and as a weapon uses a rapier. He is believed to be the first mate and can become conceited and confident in himself.
- Alf Mason — a member of Hook's crew who serves as a carpenter and strongman. He has a strong physical build, is tall, very muscular, has no hair, and wears a blue nightcap. As a weapon, Alf often wields a mallet.
- Billy Jukes - The youngest pirate who is of Old World/Indian descent. Before he became a member of the pirates, he was a castaway on a desert island. Billy was rescued by Captain Hook's crew and taught pirating by Robert Mullins, to whom he is very loyal. Being the ship's gunner, he is responsible for the cannons, so he is never far away from the big cannon, 'Long Tom'. He also has a wide knowledge at machines and other uncommon instruments and is the inventor among the pirate crew, what is a big feature he has in common with the Twins.
- Eucrates Cookson - the ship's chef, who has his individual method for his dishes and menu. Instead of typical weapons, he can use kitchen devices and is very good at using a fishing net. He spends most of his time in the kitchen, where he can be seen cooking.
The Croc - a big reptile, the same crocodile that had devoured Captain Hook's hand. She lives in her cave shaped like a crocodile's head and does not tolerate any kind of s. A ticking clock is heard every time the Croc is near. In the series, the clock is magical and controls the whole time of day in Neverland.
Other characters
The Indians - A tribe of Native Americans who reside in Neverland and often help out Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Only three of them figure prominently in the series.- Great Big Little Panther - The Indian chief and father of Tiger Lily and Hard-To-Hit. He is very wise and often assists Peter and his friends when they have problems.
- Tiger Lily - The daughter of Great Big Little Panther and sister of Hard-To-Hit. She and her little brother sometimes tag along with and aid Peter and their other friends on their many adventures. She is physically active, finding it unnecessary to take a risk, showing she is more mature. Together with her brother, they love having fun. However, they also know and recognize when the situation is more serious and act in a more mature way.
- Hard-to-Hit - Great Big Little Panther's son and Tiger Lily's younger brother. He knows the weapons of his tribe and how to use them. Generally, he gets accompanied by his sister and is less mature.
- Spirit Guide - A panther that is invoked by Great Big Little Panther to guide Peter during the storm to recover the magic sand.
- Little Panther - an ancestor of the Native Americans who once took care to calm down the argument of the sun and the moon and their chaos of day and night this two creatures had caused.
- Crooked Tail - A mermaid who is feared by the Purple and Blue Mermaids. She was once beautiful, but conceited and haughty until a potion to enhance her beauty went horribly awry turning her into a green-skinned mermaid.
- The Blonde and Redhead Mermaids - Two mermaids who only appear twice as villains in the series. While they are usually seen together, they often insult each other and both are very vain.
- The Brunette Mermaids - Two mermaids with black hair and dark skin who appear in "Vanity, thy name is Mermaid".
Alde Baran - A white dwarf, who works with miniature-horses and has magical boots. A good friend of Tinker Bell.
Olook - A grumpy giant troll who lives in his big cave with a secret entrance, has an own library, is able do special troll-magic and interested in valuable items.
Temporary characters
The Girl in the Moon - A blonde 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. When any problems arise and the day and night cannot appear normally as the result the normal daytime loses its balance. She appears in the episodes "Now day party" and "The girl who lives in the moon".Django - A gipsy dwarf who is a showman. He is good friends with Alde Baran.
Nico - a wolf that Wendy claims she first saw in her dreams and after she meets him for real, knows immediately that he belongs to her. Nico does not live in a pack, but is independent.
Wherever - A big and powerful spirit. He appears when somebody loses something to take possession of this lost object and then brings it to his big caverns that are located deep under the sea. He appears in the episodes "After the laughter" and "Footrace".
King Kyros - the Ice King of Neverland. He owns a giant ice cave with lots of corridors and tunnels and has some elves as his subworkers. In fact, King Kyros is not one of the bad guys. The conflict with him was started by Peter, who just entered the King's home without any permission and took away one of his crystals claiming it was his own. He appears in the episode "Coldest cut of all".
Jack O' Lantern - a ghost which revives in Halloween. He appears in the episode "All Hallow's Eve".
Jane - Wendy's daughter from the future. She appears in the episode "The lost memories of pirate Pan".
Frau Brumhandel - a valkyrie who appears in the episode "Frau Brumhandel".
King Oberon - the king of the fairies. He appears in the episode "A wee problem".
Queen Gloriana - the queen of the fairies. She appears in the episode "A wee problem".
Forget-Me-Not - a fairy who appears in the episode "The lost memories of pirate Pan".
The Dragon - a big creature which is resurrected by a key and appears, that can be only pulled out by a patient person. It is very sensitive and gets angry when being disturbed, but in fact isn't a bad creature and prefers to rest in peace than to fight.
Ratatat - a little stone gnome which is discovered by the Lost Boys while they are cleaning the Underground House. He comes to life and orders them to leave, so he goes to the Jolly Rodger to help Hook and pirates find them. He appears in the episode "Evicted".
Cecilia - Hook's ex bethrothed. She appears in the episode "Hook's Christmas".
Fairy of the Monday Island - a blonde fairy who watches that no one sneaks into the fair. She has some wider knowledge about Neverland, it's obvious for her, that Peter Pan and this magic island are connected to each other.
The Never Master - An ancient wizard with a staff. The ancient text of a book explains how to ask the Never Star for three wishes, from which the magician leaves to grant the wishes.
Differences
The following show the differences from J.M. Barrie's book or other Peter Pan versions:- This series does not feature an introduction to the Darling family, who lives in the real world in London, nor explains how Peter takes Wendy to Neverland.
- There is no explanation of how the Lost Boys came to Neverland.
- There is no ending so the ultimate fate of the Lost Boys is unknown.
- Peter always wears his knife attached to his right boot, not on his waist.
- Tinker Bell speaks the same language as the other characters, not a tinkling of bells.
- Captain Hook's hair is white.
- Captain Hook does not panic when hearing the ticking of a clock, and his behavior is inconsistent.
- John wears a brown derby, not a black stovepipe hat.
- Wendy is portrayed with black hair.
- The Twins are not identical but dizygotic and look very different. One is short and Caucasian, the other is taller and clearly African. They are recognized as twins by wearing similar caps and doing everything together.
- The Lost Boys wear normal clothes and caps from animals' heads.
- The Darling children and the Lost Boys can fly all the time.
Episodes
Crew
- Michael Bell - Voice Director
- Lee Dannacher - Voice Director
- Tony Pastor - Voice Director
Broadcast
VHS and DVD releases
VHS
Select episodes from the series were released on video in 1992. They have long been out of print. Titles of these included:United States
Release name | Release date | Classifaction | Publisher | Format | Language | Subtitles | Notes | Ref |
Peter Pan & the Pirates - Ghost Ship | 2 July 1992 | G | Fox Video | NTSC | English | - | 23 minutes | |
Peter Pan & the Pirates - Demise of Hook | 2 July 1992 | G | Fox Video | NTSC | English | - | 23 minutes | |
Peter Pan & the Pirates - Hook's Deadly Game, Part 1 | 2 July 1992 | G | Fox Video | NTSC | English | - | 23 minutes | |
Peter Pan & the Pirates - Hook's Deadly Game, Part 2 | 2 July 1992 | G | Fox Video | NTSC | English | - | 23 minutes |
United Kingdom
Release name | Release date | Classifaction | Publisher | Format | Language | Subtitles | Episodes | Notes | Ref |
Peter Pan and the Pirates | 10 August 1992 | U | Fox Video | PAL | English | - | Episodes 18, 42 & 13 | ||
Peter Pan and the Pirates | 10 August 1992 | U | Fox Video | PAL | English | - | Episodes 5, 50 & 63 | ||
Peter Pan and the Pirates | 5 April 1993 | U | Fox Video | PAL | English | - | Episodes 17, 8 & 53 | ||
Peter Pan and the Pirates | 5 April 1993 | U | Fox Video | PAL | English | - | Episodes 22 36 & 54 | ||
Peter Pan and the Pirates | 23 August 2004 | U | Maximum Entertainment | PAL | English | - | Episodes 1, 3, 8, 17 & 33 | 66 minutes |
DVD
Select episodes were released on a single DVD for the UK market in 2004. This is now also out of print. Episodes released included:- Coldest Cut Of All
- River Of Night
- Treasure Hunt
- Wee Problem
- The Girl Who Lives In The Moon
Video game
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.
Comics
In addition to the TV Series a German imprint Bastei-Verlag, inter alia with the Turkish comic book artist Yalaz, released seven comics. They are originally German and tell new stories of the Fox Peter Pan and his closest friends.Titles
The main titles of the comics and their stories, all with English translation:1. Rettung für das Einhorn – Peter saves the Unicorn
- Ein Piratenschiff geht fliegen – A Pirates' Ship takes Flight
- Sturm über dem Niemalsland – Stormy Neverland
- Tinkerbell sitzt in der Falle – Tink is trapped
- Wer andern eine Grube gräbt... – Who digs a pit for others...
- Die Jagd nach dem goldenen Stein – Hunting the golden Stone
- Captain Hook geht baden – Captain Hook goes swimming
- Captain Hook und der Zauberring – Captain Hook and the Magic Ring
- Angeltour mit Hindernissen – Go fishing with obstacles
- Reise in die Vergangenheit – Journey to the Past
- Die verzauberte Statue – The enchanted Statue
- Die Hexe mit dem grünen Daumen – The Witch with the green Thumb
- Alles wegen Ingwerbeeren – All 'coz of the Ginger Berries
- Verrat im Nilpferdreich – Betrayal at the Hippopo-Empire
- Tootles auf Abwegen – Tootles goes astray
- Der falsche Peter – The wrong Peter
- Die Hexe lässt das Blitzen nicht – The Witch who did not stop Lightning
- Der Heiratsschwindler – The Wedding Swindler
- Captain Hook hat Schwein – Hook and his Guinea Pigs
- Ein Pirat und ein Gentleman – A Pirate and a Gentleman
- Zaubern will gelernt sein – Doing Magic is to be learned
- Ein Ehrengast zieht Leine – A Special Guest goes away
- Ein Monstervogel muckt auf – Rebel of a Monster Bird
- Der Piratenausverkauf – Pirates' Sale
- Captain Hook geht in die Falle – Hook gets trapped
- Eis und heiß im Niemalsland – Hot'n Cold in Neverland
- Viel Radau beim Mädchenklau – Making this much Noise, the Girl has no Choice
- Ein Möhrchen zum anbeißen – To get a Nibble from the Carrot
- Der Stein der vom Himmel fiel – The Stone from Sky
- Rettung für die Streithähne – Rescue of the Squabblers
- Freitag der dreizehnte – Friday the Thirteenth
Differences from the TV series
- It is emphasized that Peter Pan cannot read, however in the episode "Curly's Laugh", it is shown that the Lost Boys, except Slightly, can. In the comic series, Peter is not alone with this disability, but also all the six Lost Boys cannot read as well.
- In the comics, only Peter is able to fly all the time, but his friends cannot always do this, as they are regularly seen walking and performing other activities, like being on the sea in a boat, which they would not do if they could fly. Sometimes it seems that they first obtained Tink's powder and at other times they seem to be really independent when flying, but not always.
- For the Indians, only three have their appearances and roles in the series. The whole tribe is never introduced. But in the comics, they are more developed. Also when asking them for help, Tiger Lily has the biggest role and regularly accompanies Peter and the others, while Hard-to-Hit appears very rarely and does not get any role, except in one story. There he also gets presented as being Lily's cousin. But in the TV series, he is her brother.
- From the characters, the Twins are synchronized. When talking, they do it together, so one starts the sentence and the other finishes it or they speak in breaks, where one stops talking, but the other one goes on with the train. In the comics, they generally speak on their own. They are also known, as well as Billy Jukes, to be the mechanics and inventors in the series. But in the comics, none of them does this.
- The animals are not able to speak normally and also aren't high developed as the humans, but just act naturally as animals do and are able to understand. In the comics, they also don't speak the human language. Yet they often get widely developed thoughts, especially the Croc, and are shown to be more intelligent, not as animals usually are in reality. The very same with Hook's parrot Short Tom, which in the comics regularly says full sentences with a big intelligence, which animals in fact don't have and this parrot neither does in the TV series.
- In the TV series, there aren't many characters, especially not human beings, who have the ability of abstract thinking. In the comics, Neverland is more developed and also has not only more humans, but also cities and realms, where a lot people live.
- Of all the Lost Boys, the Twins get the biggest physical appearance in the TV series. But in the comics, the Lost Boys who is seen in most of the stories and takes the biggest part at the action is Slightly.
- In the series, Cookson is very fat and could always eat while Mason's biggest advantage is his muscular body type and his physical strength. But in the comics, Mason is fat and immovable, and gets criticized by Captain Hook for eating too much and being physically very lazy.
- From Peter's friends, little Michael never has a teddy bear with him or any other cuddly toy. But in some comic stories, he does.
- In the series it never comes to any real love relationship between Peter and Wendy, just maybe a little in episode "The Play's the Thing" where it's a pity for Wendy that while she's playing the main female character in Hamlet's tragedy, Juliet, Peter cannot be her Romeo. And in "Count the Chauvin" where Peter is praising Wendy for her courage and then kissing her hand, or better the glove she's wearing. But in the comics there is one story where Peter purposefully is taking Wendy to a place he wants to be romantic for the two of them. And in another Peter is catching Wendy, while she's falling down and after holding her in his arms, the two of them want to forget their current problem with Hook and to concentrate only on each other.