The Adventures of Peter Pan

The Adventures of Peter Pan (ãƒ"ーターãƒ'ンのå†'険, PÄ«tā Pan no Bōken) is an anime series by Nippon Animation, directed by Takashi Nakamura and 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 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 (Spain), RTL Television (Germany), KiKA (Germany), Italia 1 (Italy), TV3 (Sweden) and Fox Kids (Sweden), Yleisradio (Finland) and TVP 2 (Poland). It also aired in numerous other countries, such as Israel (on IETV and Fox Kids), Brazil (Rede Globo), Mexico (XHGC) and the Philippines (ABS-CBN).

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 Never land 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 go to a different direction than the original story line, and also introduce a new character (Princess Luna), who becomes an important part of the last episodes.

Characters

• Peter Pan (ãƒ"ーター・ãƒ'ン, PÄ«tā Pan): The hero of the series. Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka (Japanese), Nika Futterman (English)
• Wendy Moira Angela Darling (ウェンディ・モイラー・アンジェラ・ダーリング, Uendi Moirā Anjera Dāringu): The oldest of three siblings who flies away to Never land with Peter (followed by her siblings). Voiced by: Naoko Matsui (Japanese), Natalie Gregory (English)
• John Julian Darling (ジョン・ジュリアン・ダーリング, Jon Jurian Dāringu): Wendy's young brother, who is always getting into some kind of trouble. Voiced by: Kyoko Hamura (Japanese), EG Daily (English)
• Michael Darling (マイケル・ダーリング, Maikeru Dāringu): Wendy's youngest brother, who shows a great deal of courage for his age. Voiced by: Yuriko Fuchizaki (Japanese), Nancy Cartwright (English)
• Tinkerbell (ティンカー・ベル, Tinkā Beru): A fairy and one of Peter's companions. She is nicknamed "Tink" (ティンク, Tinku). Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto (Japanese), Kath Soucie (English)
• Curly (カーリー, KārÄ«): A lost boy, who is small and wears a pot on his head. While sleeping he always falls out of the bed. Voiced by: Yuko Mitsuda (Japanese), Jeff Bennett (English)
• Slightly (スライトリー, SuraitorÄ«): One of the Lost Boys, who is very thick, wears a wide white coat and a white cap with rabbit ears hanging down an is an inventor. Voiced by: Hiroko Emori (Japanese), Jason Marsden (English)
• Tootles (トートルズ, Tōtoruzu): One of the Lost Boys. He accidentally shoots Wendy down when Tink tricks him into shooting her. Voiced by: Kazue Ikura (Japanese), Alanna Ubach (English)
• Rascal (ラスカル, Rasukaru): A Raccoon who often visits Peter Pan's House.
• Crocodile Watch (時計ワニ, Tokei Wani): 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 (人魚é", Ningyo-tachi): They are friends of Peter Pan.
• Tiger Lily (タイガーリリー, Taigā RirÄ«): A tomboyish Indian princess that John starts to fall in love with. Voiced by: Maria Kawamura (Japanese), Candi Milo (English).
• Captain Hook (フック船長, Fukku Senchō): The main villain, and leader of the pirates, who tries his hardest to defeat Peter. He doesn't have his right hand. Voiced by: Chikao ÅŒtsuka
• Smee (スミー, SumÄ«): An old pirate that serves under Captain Hook, but is too kind to be a pirate, he is Hook's main helper. Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata
• Bill (ãƒ"ル, Biru): He is also a pirate and one of the strongest. Voiced by: Daisuke Gōri
• Cecco (チェッコ, Chekko): The leader of the pirates when Hook is not around. He keeps many knives in his hat.
• Alf Menson (アルフ・メンソン, Arufu Menson): Another one of Captain Hook's pirates. He wears an eyepatch, suggesting that he lost an eye at some point. Voiced by: Tesshō Genda
• Starky (スターキー, SutākÄ«): A cowardly pirate. Voiced by: Masato Hirano
• Robert (ロバート, Robāto): Pirate in charge of Hook's artillery. Voiced by: Issei Futamata
• Luna (ルナ, Runa): A powerful Princess of Light, with a dark and powerful alter-ego. Princess Luna has a dark and powerful alter ego. Voiced by: Maria Kawamura
• Darkness (ダークネス, Dākunesu): The evil Queen of Darkness, who serves as the main antagonist later on in the series. She has three henchmen that help her. Voiced by: Hisako Kyōda

Theme Songs

• Opening

1. "Peter Pan Again" (もう一度ãƒ"ーターãƒ'ン, Mōichido PÄ«ta Pan)
   • Lyricist: Yasushi Akimoto / Composer: Yoshimasa Inoue / Arranger: Akira Nishihira / Singers: Yuyu

• Ending

1. "Open Sesame Dream" (夢よ開ã'ゴマ, Yume yo Hirake Goma)
   • 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 pijamas (Disney's Peter Pan, Peter Pan (2003), Peter Pan Live! or Peter Pan Burbank). Here they first are wearing pijamas when Peter visits them at night, but before leaving they change and are with their normal allday clothes in Neverland (as in some other versions like Peter Pan and the Pirates or The New Adventures of Peter Pan).
• 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 (and the movie "Peter Pan (2003)" and "Peter Pan Live!") 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 ("Disney's Peter Pan", "Peter Pan (2003)", "Peter Pan Live!", "Peter Pan Burbank" or "Peter Pan and the Pirates") 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 (and "Peter Pan and the Pirates") 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 (and the movies "Peter Pan (2003)" or "Peter Pan Burbank") 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 (like in "Peter Pan Live!") 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 ("Disney's Peter Pan", "Peter Pan (2003)", "Peter Pan Burbank" or "Peter Pan and the Pirates") 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 (like "Peter Pan (2003)" or "Peter Pan Live!") 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 (and this is presented in "Peter Pan Live!"). 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.
• In most of the versions it is not explained what gender the Crocodile has. In this series it is said to be male as well as in the "Disney" Version, as the fairies explain in The Pirate Fairy. In very few versions it is the opposite. In "Peter Pan and the Pirates" it is female and also in the official sequel Peter Pan in Scarlet the author Geraldine McCaughrean describes it as being female.

References

[1] site containing the episode summaries which information on each episode was directly taken.

External links

• The Adventures of Peter Pan at the Internet Movie Database
• The Adventures of Peter Pan (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia