The Adventures of Peter Pan
The Adventures of Peter Pan is an anime series by Nippon Animation, directed by Yoshio Kuroda, which first aired in Japan on Fuji Television between January 15, 1989 and December 24, 1989. An adaptation of the classic Peter Pan novel by James Matthew Barrie, the series spanned a total of 41 episodes. It was scheduled to start on January 8, 1989, but due to the death of Emperor Shōwa, the premiere got postponed for a week.
It was part of the World Masterpiece Theater, a famed animation staple by Nippon Animation, which produced an animated version of a different classical book or story each year. The anime, while adapting material from the original novel, also adds numerous original story arcs.
The series was also later translated and released in several international audiences worldwide in 1990, sometimes under the name Peter Pan: The Animated Series. In Europe, it was broadcast on the television networks: Telecinco, SIC, RTL Television, KiKA, Italia 1, TV3 and Fox Kids, Yleisradio and TVP 2. It also aired in numerous other countries, such as Israel, Brazil, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Sky One's Fun Factory and the From 2009 to 2012 Indonesia.
Plot
The anime starts with Wendy having a dream about Peter Pan rescuing her and having a sword fight with Captain Hook. Wendy and her two brothers, later on in the episode, go to Never Neverland and Wendy becomes the 'mother' of the Lost boys. Throughout the series, a romance blooms between Peter and Wendy, as they go on fights with pirates. The last half of the series deviates from the original story line, and also introduces a new character, who becomes an important part of the last episodes.Characters
- Peter Pan: The hero of the series.
- : A fairy and one of Peter's companions. She is nicknamed "Tink".
- Curly: A lost boy, who is small and wears a pot on his head. While sleeping he always falls out of the bed.
- Slightly: One of the Lost Boys, who is very thick, wears a wide white coat and a white cap with rabbit ears hanging down and is an inventor.
- Tootles: One of the Lost Boys. He accidentally shoots Wendy down when Tink tricks him into shooting her.
- Rascal: A Raccoon who often visits Peter Pan's House.
- Crocodile Watch: When Peter fought Hook long ago, this crocodile ate Hook's right hand. Ever since then, he's been trying to eat the rest of him. This croc also happened to had swallowed a clock, which is the cause of the ticking sound that accompanies him.
- Mermaids: They are friends of Peter Pan.
- Tiger Lily: A tomboyish Indian princess that John starts to fall in love with..
- Captain Hook: The main villain, and leader of the pirates, who tries his hardest to defeat Peter. He doesn't have his right hand.
- Smee: An old pirate that serves under Captain Hook, but is too kind to be a pirate, he is Hook's main helper.
- Bill: He is also a pirate and one of the strongest.
- Cecco: The leader of the pirates when Hook is not around. He keeps many knives in his hat.
- Alf Menson: Another one of Captain Hook's pirates. He wears an eyepatch, suggesting that he lost an eye at some point.
- Starky: A cowardly pirate.
- Robert: Pirate in charge of Hook's artillery.
- Luna: A powerful Princess of Light, with a dark and powerful alter-ego.
- Sinistra: The evil Queen of Darkness, who serves as the main antagonist later on in the series. She has three henchmen that help her.
Theme songs
- Opening
- "Peter Pan Again"
- *Lyricist: Yasushi Akimoto / Composer: Yoshimasa Inoue / Arranger: Akira Nishihira / Singers: Yuyu
- Ending
- "Open Sesame Dream"
- *Lyricist: Yasushi Akimoto / Composer: Yoshimasa Inoue / Arranger: Akira Nishihira / Singers: Yuyu
Episodes
Development
Preview summaries character designs and pictures of the Peter Pan were released in magazines to promote the series. The character designs were slightly different from when the series aired. The story summary had a plot of Peter Pan and his friends stealing a treasure map from the pirates and went on a journey to find it.Differences
Differences from the book or other PP versions- In all the other versions Peter has a dagger, always worn close to himself to be ready for a duel all the time. In "The Adventures of Peter Pan" Peter uses a big scarf tooth for his fights.
- In the book and most of the other versions the Darling children leave their home and go to Neverland in their pyjamas. Here they first are wearing pyjamas when Peter visits them at night, but before leaving they change and are with their normal allday clothes in Neverland.
- In the book and other versions there is only one clock in Neverland - the one inside the croc. But here in episode 08 "The Clock" it is shown that Hook also possesses another one on his ship.
- In the book at the end of the story it is also the end of Hook, who gets eaten by the crocodile, but here he doesn't die.
- In the book and other versions Peter and the others have their home in an underground house and as the name says they live under the earth. Here they first have a tree house and live over the ground and later change it into a moving house on wheels.
- In the book the Lost Boys and John Darling share a big bed and Michael as being the smallest of them has his own bed, which is a big basket. In "The Adventures of Peter Pan" everybody has his own bed.
- In Barrie's novel Peter and the boys build an extra house for Wendy, where only she lives and then regularly spends her time at the underground house. In this version Wendy doesn't have her own house and lives in the same one as Peter and the others.
- In the book and most of the other versions the gang of the Lost Boys includes six boys. But here there are only three.
- At the end of the novel and some other versions the Lost Boys leave Neverland, get adopted by the Darling family and grow up. But here they stay in Neverland and after Peter returns to Wendys house and finds out she's grown up and has a daughter the boys still are children.
- At the end of the last chapter from Barrie's novel Peter after several years visits the Darling house again and meets the grown-up Wendy. In this version when Peter returns to London the adult Wendy is not at home, but only her daughter Jane, who explains to Peter that Wendy has grown up.
- At the end of Barrie's story when Peter visits Wendy in London his little fairy Tinker Bell is already dead, but in "The Adventures of Peter Pan" when Wendy is an adult Tink is still alive and comes together with Peter to the Darling house.
- Although the original Japanese script makes no reference to the crocodile's gender, the English translation of this series refers to the crocodile as "he." In The Pirate Fairy, the crocodile of the Disney version is referred to as "he," and the crocodile in the Burbank Films Australia film Peter Pan is also described as male. However, in Barrie's original, the crocodile is described as female. This is followed by the animated television series Peter Pan and the Pirates and the authorized sequel novel, Peter Pan in Scarlet.
Broadcast UK history
- Sky One's Fun Factory