| |
| Captain Hook | |
|---|---|
| Filmography | Peter Pan (1953) Peter Pan: Return to Neverland (2002) House of Mouse (2001-2004) Mickey's House of Villains (2002) |
| Supervising Animator | Frank Thomas |
| Vocal Talent | Hans Conried (1953) Corey Burton (2001-2005) |
| Live-action Reference | Hans Conried |
| Goal | To have revenge on Peter Pan for cutting off his hand |
| Weapons | Sword, hook |
| Minions | Mr. Smee, Pirates |
| Enemies | Crocodile, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Wendy Darling, John Darling, Michael Darling, Lost Boys |
| Fate | Chased across the ocean by the Crocodile |
Captain James Hook is the villain of Peter Pan. The captain of a crew of pirates, James Hook has long since abandoned sailing the high seas in favour of having revenge on Peter Pan, who cut off Hook's hand and fed it to the Crocodile, considering it a playful prank. Ever since swallowing the captain's hand, the Crocodile has developed a taste for Hook, and is costant pursuit of the remainder of the pirate's body. While a worthy opponent for Peter Pan, Hook is destined to fail, sometimes because of Pan's ability to fly, and often through the bumbling actions of his bo'sun, Mr. Smee, who is unquestioningly faithful to the captain, but is incompetent and dim-witted. Hook invariably ends up fleeing for his life from the Crocodile, of whom he is understandably terrified. Hook's frustrations are understandible; he lost a hand to his opponent, is constantly persued by the Crocodile, and cannot fly. These factors arguably make him the most sympathetic Disney Villain, and one of the most popular. His antics with the crocodile are considered by many to be the funniest animated scenes ever created by Disney[1].
Behind the Scenes
Captain James Hook was voiced by Hans Conried and animated by Frank Thomas. Hook's scenes with the Crocodile were animated by Wolfgang Reitherman.
Character Development
At the beginning of the story development stage for Peter Pan, the story department wrote an analysis of Captain Hook for the film, suggesting that he be a fop, but mean to the point of being murderous; one of the directors, however, imagined him as a 'complete heavy', considering any foppish traits to distract the audience from his villainy. The character was only completely pinpointed long into the animation stage, as it proved difficult to create a menacing villain whose character would not be diminished by the scenes with the Crocodile. Eventually, the character settled on was a black-hearted man who tried to put on airs and pretended to be a gentleman of good taste and style[1]. It was realised that Hook would become likeable to the audience, and, as a consequence, it was decided that the character should not be killed in the film:
- "Maybe with the crocodile and Hook - the crocodile is waiting for him - then have a funny chase - the last you see is Hook going like hell. That's better than having him get caught... the audience will get to liking Hook and they won't want to see him killed" - Walt Disney, in a story meeting[1]
Design and Animation
It is rumoured that Captain Hook's appearance is based on that of his animator, Frank Thomas.
Actor Hans Conried not only provided Hook's gravelly voice but also performed extensive live-action reference for the character. Kathryn Beaumont, who voiced and performed live-action reference for Wendy Darling, enjoyed working with him, admiring his ability to be both comical and marvellously evil at the same time[2].
Disney TV Specials
- Disney's Haunted Halloween segments The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Peter Pan versus
Captain Hook at the Skull Rock.
Trivia
- Hans Conried also provided voice and live-action-reference for George Darling, remaining faithful to the theatrical tradition that Captain Hook and George Darling be portrayed by the same actor.
- Captain hook was also used as a reference to jon silver in treasure planet, for his robotic arm.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, "The Disney Villain"
- ↑ Peter Pan as a Pal