Captain Hook
Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain of the brig Jolly Roger. His two principal fears are the sight of his own blood and the crocodile who pursues him after having previously eaten Captain Hook's hand cut off by Pan. An iron hook that replaced his severed hand has given the pirate his name.
Creation of the character
Hook did not appear in early drafts of the play, wherein the capricious and coercive Peter Pan was closest to a "villain", but was created for a front-cloth scene depicting the children's journey home. Later, Barrie expanded the scene, on the premise that children were fascinated by pirates, and expanded the role of the captain as the play developed. The character was originally cast to be played by Dorothea Baird, the actress playing Mary Darling, but Gerald du Maurier, already playing George Darling, persuaded Barrie to let him take the additional role instead, a casting tradition since replicated in many stage and film productions of the Peter Pan story.According to A. N. Wilson, Barrie "openly acknowledged Hook and his obsession with the crocodile was an English version of Ahab", and there are other borrowings from Melville.
Biography of the character
Barrie states in the novel: "Hook was not his true name. To reveal who he really was would even at this date set the country in a blaze." He is said to be "Blackbeard's bo'sun" and "the only man of whom Barbecue was afraid".In the play, it is implied that Hook attended Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford, and his final words are "Floreat Etona", Eton's motto. In the novel, Hook's last words are a similarly upper-class "bad form", in disapproval of the way Peter Pan beats him by throwing him overboard. He also has a yellow blood disorder.
The book relates that Peter Pan began the ongoing rivalry between them by feeding the pirate's hand to a crocodile. After getting a taste of Hook, the crocodile pursues him relentlessly, but the ticking clock it has also swallowed warns Hook of its presence.
Appearances
''Peter Pan'' (play) and ''Peter and Wendy'' (novel)
Hook is described as "cadaverous" and "blackavised", with "eyes which were of the blue of the forget-me-not" and long dark curls resembling "black candles". He is a very skilled swordsman. In many pantomime performances of Peter Pan, Hook's hair is a wig and is accompanied by thick bushy eyebrows and moustache. The hook is fixed to his right hand and is used as a weapon. He is also described as having a "handsome countenance" and an "elegance of... diction" – "even when he swearing". Barrie describes "an attire associated with the name of Charles II, having heard it said in some earlier period of his career that he bore a strange resemblance to the ill-fated Stuarts". Hook's cigar holder enables him to smoke two cigars at once. Barrie also stated in "Captain Hook at Eton" that he was, "in a word, the handsomest man I have ever seen, though, at the same time, perhaps slightly disgusting". Although Hook is callous and bloodthirsty, it makes it clear that these qualities make him a magnificent pirate and "not wholly unheroic".version
In the animated film Peter Pan, Captain Hook is a far more comical villain than the original character: he is seen as a vain and dastardly coward with a childish temper who is prone to crying out in terror. During the film's early development, the story department analysed Hook's character as "a fop... Yet very mean, to the point of being murderous. This combination of traits should cause plenty of amusement whenever he talks or acts".Frank Thomas was the directing animator of Hook. According to Disney's Platinum release bonus features, Hook was modeled after Charles II of England. One director insisted that Hook should be a darker villain with no comedic traits; but this was refused for fear of frightening a juvenile audience, and Hook became a comical villain, equally matched with Peter Pan.
Actor Hans Conried set the tone for Disney's interpretation of Hook, as he was the original voice for the Captain, as well as, in the tradition of the stage play, Mr. Darling, and performed live-action reference for the two characters. In subsequent Disney animation, Hook is voiced by Corey Burton.
Hook seeks revenge on Peter Pan for having fed the crocodile his left hand and refuses to leave Neverland prior to this revenge. Throughout the film, Hook is supported by Mr. Smee. After promising Tinker Bell not to lay a finger on Peter Pan, he plants a bomb in Peter's hideout. At the conclusion of the film, Hook is chased by the crocodile into the distance, with the rest of the crew trying to save Hook. Walt Disney insisted on keeping Hook alive, as he said: "The audience will get to liking Hook, and they don't want to see him killed."
Other film appearances
In the sequel Return to Never Land, Hook mistakes Wendy's daughter Jane for Wendy and uses her as bait to lure Peter Pan to his death. After this fails, he promises to take Jane home if she will help him find the island's treasure, and "not to harm a single hair on Peter Pan's head". This last promise is kept when he pulls a single hair from Peter's head, declaring "the rest of him is mine". At the end of the film, he and the crew are pursued into the distance by a giant octopus.Captain Hook is one of the Disney Villains who have a main focus in the direct-to-video anthology film Once Upon a Halloween.
Captain Hook's origins are explored in the Disney Fairies film The Pirate Fairy, in which he is voiced by Tom Hiddleston. In the story, a young James years before he lost his hand, pretended to be a pirate ship's cabin boy and befriended the rebellious fairy Zarina, who had left Pixie Hollow after being dismissed as a dust-keeper when her unauthorised experiments with pixie dust led to a disaster. James foresaw the great potential of the pixie dust and let Zarina think she had the authority over pirates.
In The Simpsons short film Welcome to the Club, Captain Hook appears along with other Disney Villains trying to convince Lisa Simpson how fun it is to be a villain. He also appears in the short film The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Jude Law portrays Captain Hook in the live-action film Peter Pan & Wendy, which adapts material from the 1953 animated film. Unlike the animated version, his hook is his right arm. Unlike Barrie's original play and later Peter Pan adaptations, in which the same actor play Hook and Mr. Darling, the latter's role is performed by a different actor, Alan Tudyk. In this version, Hook is revealed to be an old friend of Peter's and the first Lost Boy, but he left Neverland because he missed his mother. Years later, he returned to Neverland as a pirate, being rejected by Peter because he had grown up.
Joshua Colley plays a teen Hook in the live-action film Descendants: The Rise of Red, from the Descendants franchise. His teenage son Harry appears in the previous films of the franchise Descendants 2 and Descendants 3, Captain Hook being only mentioned.
Television series
Captain Hook made a special guest cameo on Raw Toonage in the episode hosted by Don Karnage, wherein he challenged Karnage to a sword fight for a treasure chest and won.Hook also appeared frequently on House of Mouse, and its two direct-to-video films Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains, acting as a major antagonist in the latter.
In the Disney Junior series Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Hook serves as the main antagonist, with his mother, Mama Hook, herself exclusive to the Disney Junior series, keeping him "honest" if he gets tempted.
Video games
''Kingdom Hearts'' series
Captain Hook appears in the video game series Kingdom Hearts. He is voiced in Japanese by Chikao Ohtsuka until Birth by Sleep, after which he is voiced by Naoya Uchida. His English voice actor is Corey Burton.- In the first game, Hook takes Riku with him where Kairi is being held. Hook does not like Riku's bossiness and regrets taking him along. Nonetheless, he follows his orders, as Riku has control over the Heartless and will likely unleash them on him should he disobey. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive in Neverland, Riku throws them in the hold, where they meet and escape with Peter Pan. He is searching for Wendy, who Hook kidnapped due to believing that she was a Princess of Heart. Riku tells Hook that Wendy is not a Princess of Heart, irritating him. After defeating the Heartless, Sora fights a copy of himself summoned by Riku. After confronting Hook and learning that Riku took Kairi to Hollow Bastion, Sora and company are forced to surrender when Hook holds Tinker Bell hostage. When the crocodile appears, Hook flees while telling Smee to have their prisoners walk the plank. Peter returns to save Sora before imitating Smee to lure Hook to the deck, resulting in him being thrown overboard and chased away by the crocodile.
- In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Hook appears as a figment of Sora's memories.
- In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Pete manipulates Hook into creating the Ruler of the Sky, a bird-like Heartless that Roxas defeats.
- Hook appears in the prequel Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, where he tricks Terra into attempting to kill Peter Pan for him. He kidnaps Tinker Bell and takes Mickey Mouse's Star Shard, but is defeated by Ventus and thrown into the water, where the crocodile chases him off.
''Epic Mickey''
The Cartoon World's version of Hook appears in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion as the first boss, having fallen under the control of Mizrabel to fight Mickey. Upon his defeat, he comes to his senses and offers his help to Mickey's quest to bring the toons back to the Cartoon World.