As Disney prepares to release Peter Pan and Wendy (2023) later this month, we’ll be revisiting one of the best live-action adaptations of J. M. Barrie’s novel in the 90s cult classic, Hook, and break down exactly why it’s such a beloved film to fans.
It’s 1991, holiday season, and your local theater is playing some of the most iconic 90s movies of all time. Cape Fear, The Addams Family, My Girl, Father of The Bride, and Disney’s massive triumph Beauty and the Beast were all released at the end of 1991 when cinema was a life-changing experience. Among these memorable movies was one other 90s nostalgic classic that had all the elements of a masterpiece. Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and the one and only Robin Williams.

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The History of Spielberg’s Peter Pan
Director Steven Spielberg had always been a fan of the flying boy who never grew up. In the early years of his career, Spielberg was considered a “Peter Pan” type as he was often referred to as a kid who never grew up. The director escapes to his world of adventure through his imagination, much like the character of Peter. Many critics viewed his work, such as E.T. (1982), as a love letter to one’s childhood. The director referred to his film as the last summer vacation before becoming an adult.

In the mid-80s, after India Jones and Temple of Doom (1984) was considered too violent for children, Spielberg wanted to adapt his favorite childhood story and produce his own version of Peter Pan. The West Side Story (2021) director actually wanted to make the film a three-hour musical at the time. Back then, it was rumored that Micheal Jackson would star in the adaption as the lead since Jackson had always shown interest in playing the character. However, Spielberg never wanted Jackson to play the role of Peter, but he always had an actor in mind to play the antagonist. Dustin Hoffman was attached early on to the project, hoping to make a film his children would enjoy.
Unfortunately, Hoffman’s children would have to wait before seeing their dad become the infamous Captain James Hook on the big screen. Spielberg had put his Peter Pan project on hold after his first child, Max, was born in 1985. Spielberg would go on to direct The Color Purple (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) before revisiting the possibilities of making a Peter Pan movie.
Eventually, a new version of the script written by James V. Hart made its way to Spielberg. This time, the film asked, “What if Peter Pan grew up?” It was a different angle that hadn’t been seen before, and it was enough to get Spielberg back on the project. The script was also sent out to the star of the film, Michael Jackson, who loved it immediately.

Kidding. It was Robin Williams who was a bit nervous about taking the role after Popeye (1980) was a critical box office failure. Williams was reserved about portraying yet another iconic character, but he was willing to take the risk for the opportunity to work with Spielberg. Who would want to pass that up?
Now, Spielberg had his script, his two main leads, and a whopping 70 million dollar budget. While that’s chump chain compared to today’s Marvel blockbusters, in 1990, that was considered one of the biggest movie budgets of all time, and the media would not let Spielberg forget about it. There was a constant buzz about the film’s budget and the pressure the director must be under. Hollywood was going through a financial crisis leading into the 90s, as many big-budget films were losing money at the box office. Spielberg was aware of the pressures and the financial risk, which could have contributed to the end result (a little more on that later).
Nevertheless, the stunning, larger-than-life sets were built in the same soundstage as The Wizard of Oz (1939), and shooting began in early 1990. Over time, the film’s budget would grow, and the shooting schedules became longer due to conflicts with actors. And just under two years after shooting began, the movie was released in theaters.
The Story Elements That Make ‘Hook’ So Memorable
The script alone is worth a read for fans who haven’t yet. The action and adventure jump off the page. While it takes some time to actually get to Neverland, this adaptation was much more than just a Peter Pan story. It was about how growing up can really suck the fun out of your life. The subject matter is related more to adults than children, but with the mixed fantasy elements, the movie is a blast for audiences of all ages.
Robin Williams plays Peter Banning, a grown-up version of Peter Pan, who has forgotten about his childhood in Neverland. When Peter visits Wendy, he discovers she’s old but falls in love with her granddaughter. Peter decides to stay on Earth and grow up when he meets Moira. It’s never explained why Peter forgets Neverland, seeing how Wendy (played by Maggie Smith) remembers the events just fine. It has been speculated that time affects those who travel between the regular world and Neverland. As Peter stays away from Neverland longer, his memories of it disappear, just like how his son begins to forget about his home the longer he stays in Neverland. This memory issue doesn’t seem to affect girls since both Wendy and Peter’s daughter remember the past just fine.

When we first meet Peter Banning, we discover he’s a lawyer distracted by his work constantly. He’s always on his cell phone or missing important moments in his children’s lives. In the classic trope of a busy father, Peter Banning can’t even make it to his son’s baseball game and instead sends an assistant from his office to record the game for him. Point taken; Peter grew up to be a workaholic adult with no time to enjoy his children. This is a significant detail as it takes the “boy who never grew up” and turns him into the one thing he never wanted to be. When Wendy learns he’s a lawyer, she calls him a pirate.

One other genius detail in the script was making Peter afraid of heights. This is shown early on in the film when the Banning family has to take a plane to London. The film couldn’t just show Peter being afraid to fly when the moment called for it. Instead, the irony is cleverly set up early on.
At its core, the film is a rescue mission story. Peter Pan’s children are kidnapped by Captain Hook himself in order to seek revenge on his arch-nemesis, who cut off his hand. Peter Banning must now face his fears and once again revert to the boy who never grew up. When Peter finally returns to Neverland, the fun is ramped up for the younger audience as that’s when the real adventure begins. It’s a slow burn, taking over thirty minutes for the concept to kick into high gear, but it’s worth the wait.
A common theme in all Peter Pan movies is the concept of childlike wonder. In Hook, Peter must rediscover his childish imagination to become Pan again. Once Peter reverts to thinking like a child, he regains his powers and is once again able to fly. The scene where the Lost Boys eat imaginary food is one of the best in the film.

Another unique element of the story compared to other Peter Pan adaptations is Jack Banning’s relationship with the villain who kidnaps him, Captain Hook. Hook realizes the best way to hurt the older version of Peter Pan is to convince his children to abandon their father and disown him. Since knowing that Jack is neglected by his father, Hook sees this as an opportunity to hurt Pan emotionally. It’s an intelligent strategy for the villain and the first time we see Captain Hook use emotional tactics to get the best of Pan.
The Performances That Make ‘Hook’ Unforgettable
Dustin Hoffman, as the titular character and antagonist, is hands down the best part of the movie. Hoffman throws himself into the character of the one-handed pirate, delivering it with such cadence. Hook’s pirate voice almost makes you forget who’s underneath all that makeup. Many critics and fans consider his performance to be intense for a kid’s movie, but it’s precisely what you’d expect from the Oscar-winning actor. Dante Basco, who played Lost Boys leader Rufio, once said in an interview that Hoffman was very “adversarial” but later realized that he was just method acting.

Speaking of Dante Basco, his performance as Rufio is epic. Basco’s role was an original character for the film, and he stood out with his big, spiked, red-striped hair. This leader of the Lost Boys was the punk rocker every teenager in the 90s related to. Rufio is one of the characters with a significant arc in the film, and he had his own chant. “Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!” Basco didn’t go on to have a massively successful career, but he will always be remembered as Rufio.

Apologies to Jim Gaffigan, but Bob Hopkins’ portrayal of Smee is unbeatable. Although Hopkins is a more serious actor, he will be forever engraved in our memories from classic family-friendly films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1989) and Super Mario Bros. (1993), the latter of which got worse reviews than Hook(1991). It’s a shame the late British actor never won an Oscar before passing away in 2014.

Glenn Close has one of the best cameo appearances of all time in the film, but most audience members didn’t catch it. She’s unrecognizable, of course, due to the makeup. She plays a male pirate who gets on Hooks’s bad side. Close’s character is just in a brief scene when our villain is introduced, with the sole purpose of showing us how evil Hook really is. Still, Close gets us everything she has when she begs for mercy.

Though Micheal Jackson might disagree, the filmmakers believed Robin Williams was perfect for Peter Pan’s role since Williams was a kid at heart. The comedian delivered the right balance between being an adult and a child. You can argue this is nowhere near William’s best performance, but it could be considered the catalyst that launched him into a string of family-friendly roles that are timeless today. After Hook (1991), Williams went on to star in films such as Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Jumanji (1995).

Spielberg’s Peter Pan a Failure? Or Just Underrated?
In an archived review from 1991, a film critic described the movie as a “Misfiring Spielberg attempt to update JM Barrie’s old-favorite, Peter Pan. Robin Williams is at his more annoying as the not-so-sprightly sprite.” The critic went on to say, ” The message is that everyone has to discover the child within – but we’re left feeling the inner children of those responsible should not have been allowed anywhere near a camera.” Harsh.
For those who weren’t aware, when Hook (1991) debuted, it was not considered the best Peter Pan adaptation of all time by any means. Instead, it was ripped to shreds by the critics. Perhaps the high budget, acclaimed director, and talented cast gave everyone high expectations, but they were only left disappointed. Most had issues with the pacing of the films, which could have been due to the fact that it was initially meant to be a three-hour-long movie but was cut down. Even though the story wasn’t well received, most critics enjoyed the performances by Williams and Hoffman.
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The film did, however, do well at the box office. The movie was number one on opening weekend and stayed there for a few weeks. In total, the film gained a worldwide total of $300.9 million. Furthermore, the movie snagged a few Oscar nominations for its visual effects, costumes, makeup, set design, and original song. The film did not win in any of the categories, but as they say, it’s just nice to be nominated. Many of those categories were won by the best action film of all time, Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991).
Much like The Super Mario Movie (2023) today, fans enjoyed this film more than the critics did. But truth be told, this movie would only be respected for what it was once it aged a few years. The children who enjoyed it in theaters grew up to share the film with their children. The film is now a piece of 90s nostalgia that means a lot more to audiences.

Watching Williams in any of his earlier films brings a new appreciation. It’s important to remember that Williams didn’t win his Academy Award until 1997 for Good Will Hunting, so he wasn’t taken as seriously then. Williams did star in Dead Poets Society (1989) and Awakenings (1990) to show off his more serious side, but after Hook (1991) received poor reviews, the critics dismissed his acting abilities. But it wouldn’t take long for Williams to win over fans again when he went on to voice Genie in Aladdin the following year.
Steven Spielberg’s Peter Pan adaptation might be flawed, and the world may never see his original vision. Still, the version we did get to see brings the right amount of adventure, joy, and originality into the Peter Pan story. No other studio has created a unique adaptation, such as Hook (1991). Universal would be the next studio to produce a big-budget remake of J. M. Barrie’s novel Peter Pan (2003). Currently, that is the highest-reviewed version of the story. And even if critics weren’t a fan of Spielberg’s take, the film did better than the 2015 Warner Brother adaptation, Pan.

Fans will have to wait and see how Disney’s attempt will stack up against Hook (1991) and all the other live-action versions of Peter Pan. But with the poor performance of their latest live-action remakes, it could be possible that Peter Pan And Wendy (2023) will disappoint critics more than Spielberg did.
Are you a fan of Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991)? Let Inside The Magic know in the comments.