| “ | To live would be a great adventure. | „ |
| ~ Peter's most famous line |
Peter Banning (better known as Peter Pan) is the main protagonist of the 1991 fantasy film Hook.
He was portrayed by the late Robin Williams, who also portrayed Mork in Mork & Mindy, Popeye in the film adaptation of the same name, John Keating in Dead Poets Society, Alan Parrish in Jumanji, Jack Powell in Jack, Phillip Brainard in Flubber, Lance Clayton in World's Greatest Dad, Genie in Aladdin, Rainbow Randolph in Death to Smoochy, Fender Pinwheeler in Robots, Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting, Batty Koda in FernGully, Theodore Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum film series, Dan Rayburn in Old Dogs, and Ramón and Lovelace in the Happy Feet duology, and Dennis the dog in Absolutely Anything.
Biography[]
Peter grows up as an orphan; he runs away from home because he didn't want to grow up. When Peter was an infant, the wind made his baby carriage loose and ran away itself. It was raining and no one knew that Peter was gone, until Tinker Bell saved him and brought him to Neverland and taught him how to fly, fight and crow. He became a child and recruited orphan boys from London time to time. Peter Pan goes to Neverland and creates a home for him and Peter names these boys, the lost boys. They moved into an underground treehouse and make it their home and also meet Captain James Hook and his crew. They started out as enemies and the feud started when Peter cut off Hook's hand and fed it to a crocodile. That was when the feud started.
Peter and the lost boys loved playing games and having fun. They also befriended the Indians and their Indian Princess Tiger Lily. Peter still missed his parents and went back to London with Tinkerbell to visit them. The window was shut and they quickly forgot about Peter and had a new child who was his replacement.
By the time Peter becomes a pre-teen, he stopped growing up. Peter visited other windows that were shut. In London, he was hearing the stories that Wendy Darling told to her brothers John and Michael. Wendy heard about the story about Peter Pan. Peter met Wendy for the first time, when Peter's shadow went lose and he started to cry since his shadow won't cooperate. Wendy woke up and meet Peter and they greet each other and become fast friends. Wendy had a crush on him, but Peter did not feel the same way because he did not want to fall in love and grow up. Wendy sews Peter's shadow and he also become friends with John and Michael. Peter's first adventure with the Darling children was taking them to Neverland and face the pirates. Peter took Wendy, John and Michael home after their first war with Captain Hook and the pirates and befriend the lost boys. Peter still came to visit Wendy and hoped that they can fly together to Neverland. However, Wendy grew older over the years.
Wendy became elderly and she grew up a long time ago and could not come with Peter anymore, since she had forgotten how to fly. Wendy had children of her own and they grew up and she had a granddaughter Moira. Peter saw Moira for the first time, after he gave her a real kiss, instead of a button or thimble. When she woke up, that was when Peter decided not to go back to Neverland and decide to grow up to be with Moira. Tinkerbell was hurt, that Peter decided to grow up. She left London and went back to Neverland. Wendy took Peter in and taught him how to read, write and be educated. She even arranged for him to be adopted by an American couple named Hank and Jane Banning. Peter moved to the USA and learn how to be an American. By the time he grew up, he graduated from college and law school and married Moira and had two children with her named Jack and Maggie. Peter forgot everything when he left Neverland and forgot how to fly. Peter grew up to be a successful corporate lawyer. However he always busy and was mostly a workaholic lawyer, who did not have time to spend time with his children.
The story of Peter Pan went public when Wendy told the story to her neighbor J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan became an icon. What they did not know was, that Peter Pan does exist. Peter's daughter Maggie got to play the lead Wendy in her school's version of Peter Pan. Peter, Moira and Jack go to see it. Peter has a cell phone to make business deals and he did not want to miss Jack's final baseball game. But he did not make it in time, much to Jack's annoyance. Peter, Moira and their children fly to London to visit Wendy, who is being awarded for her work.
Peter, Moira and Wendy went to a banquet for the opening of the new hospital on Great Ormond Street where Peter stayed for a while before he was adopted. However, Captain Hook hadn't forgotten about Peter Pan and wanted to finish him off. Ge had a source figure out that Peter has children and decides to kidnap them to bring Peter back to Neverland.
After the banquet, Peter figures out his children were kidnapped when he sees Hook's letter. Tootles (who was a lost boy who grew up and grew old, before Peter grew up) warns Peter, that Hook is back and he has to learn to fight, fly and crow to save Jack and Maggie. But Peter forgot about Neverland a long time ago. Wendy explains to Peter his past, but Peter doesn't believe it at first. Tinker Bell shows up and Peter was shocked to see her, but forget who she was. Tink intends to bring Peter to Neverland. As Peter forgot how to fly, Tink knocks him out and brings him there.
Neverland had changed a lot, since Peter was there. Hook expanded his crew and settled here. Peter did not know where he is until he saw the pirates and Tink saves his life. Until he sees his nemesis Captain Hook, he did not remember who he was until he sees Jack and Maggie netted. Peter could barely fight back and Hook made a deal to climb up on top of the sails and he will free his children, but Peter failed. Hook wants them dead and decides to cancel the ultimate war that he is disappointed in. Tink makes a deal with Hook, Hook thinks that Peter is not Peter Pan. Tink says he is, but even Smee knows that he is Peter Pan too. Tink will give Peter three days to get him in shape for their fight. Hook agrees on the terms, if she doesn't this time, there will be no clapping to bring her back to life.
One of the pirates accidentally sinks Peter, but the Mermaids saved him and meet the lost boys. They believe that he is not Peter Pan and Peter does not recognize his old crew. A boy named Rufio took over Peter's role as the leader of the lost boys. The Lost Boys have a new home and expanded into a modern world. One of the lost boys knows that he is Peter Pan. The rest of the lost boys decide to give him a chance and help them get Peter's get his children back. Hook finds a way to get to Pan, by making his children like him. He only got through to Jack as Maggie showed she was strong-willed.
The lost boys get Peter into shape, but it is not enough to get him ready. But some of Peter old habits start to come back. When Peter and the lost boys went to steal Hook's hand and make Peter crow like a Pan. Peter sees his son Jack playing baseball and notices Hook is brainwashing Jack into seeing him as a father figure; Jack looks happy to be with Hook. That is when Peter decides learn how to fly. A baseball that Jack hit a homerun with hits his head, and he sees his shadow come back and finds his old tree house (which was destroyed by Hook, when he didn't come back.
Peter remembers everything now, with Tink's help, and also recalls why he came back and grew up: he wanted to become a father. When he has his happy thought, he becomes Peter Pan again and with his green tights, he now can fight, fly and crow. He even got his old sword back from Rufio, since Peter is back. Peter got his old memories back, but he forgot about his children and Moira, until Tink wishes that she was full size and kisses Peter to remember. Peter remembers Moira and Jack and Maggie and why he is here. Since he can fly, fight and crow and now he has go save Jack and Maggie. Hook is waiting for him. Tink went back as a fairy. The lost boys and Peter get ready for the ultimate war. Hook was thrilled to have Peter back, so he can kill him. Peter tries to win back Jack, but Hook brainwashed him and went to his side. Peter started to fight with the pirates first. Jack almost recognize him, until Hook netted Peter. He was about to done with, until he gives out his code Bangerang.
Jack figure out that Peter Pan is his father. The lost boys arrive and the ultimate war started, the pirates surrender and Peter saves Maggie, but he didn't have enough time to save Rufio, who is stabbed by Hook. Before he died, Rufio wished he had a father that was like Peter. Jack (who saw this) realizes that his father always cared about him and wants to go home (feeling responsible for Rufio's death). Hook was ready to fight Peter, but Peter withdrew and takes his children home. All of them reunite with the lost boys. Hook tells Peter, if he doesn't fight him, there were always daggers with James Hook notes, promising to kidnap future generations of Peter's children.
Peter decides he is ready to finish this fight, while Hook has been ready for a long time. They started dueling, until Peter takes off Hook's wig and see that he is an old man. Hook is about to give in, Peter was about to kill him for all the things he did to him and the lost boys, until his children stop him, telling him that Hook was evil because he didn't have parents; Peter then realizes Hook cannot hurt him anymore. Peter spared Hook's life, tell him to take his ship and his crew to leave Neverland and never return. Hook was never remorseful, played into Peter's when he had a dagger in his sleeve. Before Hook kills Peter, he tells him, whenever children read it will say thus perished Peter Pan. Hook was about to kill him, until Tink stopped him, and Peter makes Hook stab the Crocodile statue instead. The Crocodile that Hook killed and stuffed came back to life to finish off Hook and eats him and kills him off.
The Ultimate war is over, everybody celebrates but Peter cannot stay and play. He remembers why he is here, Tink sprayed his kids with fairy dust, and Jack and Maggie thought of their parents as their happy thoughts. They flew home back to London. Peter will join them pretty soon, the lost boys did not want him to leave. This Peter will never forget them, that is what the lost boys thought of he goes back. He won't this time, he leaves Thud Butt, one of the lost boys who always believed in him, in charge.
Peter went back home, crashing and sleeping in Kensington Gardens with his old clothes; he wakes up and sees Tinkerbell and they say goodbye to each other. He reunites with his family and Jack and Maggie, who'd made it home just in time, and he decided to be there more with his family. Seeing his cell phone that he found in the backyard of Wendy's house, he threw it away, now having decided to put his family first from now on. Tootles sees Peter, and he was disappointed that he missed the adventure again, until Peter gives him his bag of marbles, which Thud Butt had found in Neverland. Tootles used his happy thought and with Fairy dust he flew. As the family watches him fly, Wendy says Peter's adventures are over now, to which Peter said no, and to live will be an awfully long adventure.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Tom Hanks, Kevin Kline, Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Tim Allen, Dan Castellaneta, Alec Baldwin, Rowan Atkinson, John Travolta, Mel Gibson and Michael J. Fox were all considered for the role of Peter Banning before the late Robin Williams was cast.
