What is the origin of Captain Hook?

Released directly in the Disney+ catalogue, the live-action entitled ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ brings a new flesh-and-blood version of the story that was first adapted by Mickey’s House in animation exactly 70 years ago, more precisely in 1953. The official synopsis for the feature film reads:

Peter Pan & Wendy” introduces Wendy Darling, a young woman afraid to leave her childhood home behind, who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a little fairy, Tinkerbell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she meets an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever.”

But, far beyond bringing the characters who live great adventures in Neverland played by big names like Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson It is Yara Shahidithe plot that is commanded and co-scripted by the filmmaker David Lowery expands on the origins of one of history’s most beloved figures: Captain Hook!

What is the origin of Captain Hook?

To start the conversation, it is necessary to remember that both animation and live-action adapt the plot that emerged in 1904 through the theatrical play “Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Grow”, written by the British playwright J.M Barrie. In the work, it is explained that Captain Hook is just the way the now villain is known, as a nickname, not his real name.

Although the author does not provide details about the origin of the character, Disney explains that in an official statement, Lowery and also the screenwriter Toby Hallbrookssaid that this was the motivation for creating a past behind the story of Captain Hook, justifying what led him to become the great adversary of Peter Pan.

With that, the plot seen in the film took shape, where Hook tells Wendy that his real identity is James, a London boy who was taken by the boy who does not want to grow up to Neverland as a child, becoming the first lost boy.

There, the two became great friends and had many fun-filled adventures. That was until James felt homesick, and especially his mother. That’s because the boy’s feelings didn’t please Peter, marking their relationship forever, since, because of that, Pan expelled Hook from the magical world.

Still, when James returned to reality sailing a boat after being “invited” to withdraw from Neverland, he searched for his home and family, but never found them, being lost at sea until he was found by Smee, which made, from then on, to live among the pirates.

After years adrift, he became captain, and took the crew of the Jolly Roger ship to Neverland, as he still saw Peter as a friend, as well as having happy memories of where he lived, being the only place closest to him. of a home he could find. But the return did not go over well with his former best friend:

“When James came back, Peter didn’t accept him and didn’t even want to listen to him to find out everything that had happened. Peter simply said, ‘You’re an adult, you’re evil, you’ve joined these pirates.’ So there is a complexity that is difficult for both of them to deal with. It’s a rivalry between friends who didn’t want to part and who are now in a constant war”, says the producer Jim Whitakerin an official statement replicated by Disney.