Hook (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hook
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall Gerald R. Molen
Screenplay by	Jim V. Hart Malia Scotch Marmo
Story by	Jim V. Hart Nick Castle
Starring	Dustin Hoffman Robin Williams Julia Roberts Bob Hoskins Maggie Smith Charlie Korsmo
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Dean Cundey
Editing by	Michael Kahn
Studio	Amblin Entertainment
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	December 11, 1991 (1991-12-11)
Running time	142 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$70 million
Money made	$300.9 million

Hook is an exciting 1991 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of Peter Pan as an adult. In the movie, Peter has grown up and forgotten all about his magical childhood in Neverland. He is now a busy lawyer named Peter Banning, played by Robin Williams. He has a wife and two children.

But Peter's old enemy, Captain Hook (played by Dustin Hoffman), hasn't forgotten him! When Captain Hook kidnaps Peter's children, Peter must return to Neverland. There, with the help of Tinker Bell (played by Julia Roberts) and the Lost Boys, he slowly remembers who he truly is. This journey helps him become a better person and a better dad. The film is a sequel to J. M. Barrie's classic 1911 book, Peter and Wendy.

Steven Spielberg started thinking about making Hook in the early 1980s. He wanted to make a movie about Peter Pan that was like the older films. However, he stopped working on it for a while. Later, he decided to direct the movie in 1989. Most of the movie was filmed on special sets called sound stages in California. When Hook was released in December 1991, people had mixed feelings about it. They liked the actors' performances and the music by John Williams. But some thought the story could have been better. Even though it made a lot of money, it didn't earn as much as expected.

The Story of Hook

Peter Banning is a very busy lawyer in San Francisco. He loves his wife, Moira, and their children, Jack and Maggie. But he works so much that he often misses important family moments. For example, he promised to go to Jack's baseball games but missed the whole season. This makes his family sad.

Peter and his family fly to London to visit Moira's grandmother, Wendy Darling. While in London, Peter, Moira, and Wendy go to a special dinner. They leave Jack and Maggie with Wendy's old friend, Tootles, and a housekeeper. When they come back, they find their house has been broken into. The children are gone! There's a note from Captain Hook saying he took them.

Peter calls the police, but they can't help. Wendy tells Peter that he is really Peter Pan and only he can save the children. Peter doesn't believe her.

Journey to Neverland

Later, in the children's room, a tiny fairy named Tinker Bell appears. She takes Peter to Neverland. Tinker Bell drops Peter right into Captain Hook's pirate hideout. Peter meets Hook and his helper, Mr. Smee. Hook is surprised to see how old and weak Peter has become. Hook challenges Peter to fly and save his children. When Peter can't fly, Hook is ready to hurt him.

But Tinker Bell steps in! She convinces Hook to let Peter go. She promises to train Peter for three days so he can fight Hook. Peter is then taken to the hideout of the Lost Boys. Their new leader is Rufio. The Lost Boys make fun of Peter at first because he's so different. But they eventually realize who he is and start to train him. They encourage him to use his imagination to get his memories and powers back. One of the Lost Boys, Thud Butt, gives Peter a bag of marbles that belonged to Tootles, who was a Lost Boy a long time ago.

Hook's Plan and Peter's Memories

Meanwhile, Captain Hook is upset because he can't get his revenge on Peter. Smee suggests they try to make Peter's children join their side. This doesn't work with Maggie, but Jack starts to like Hook. This is because Peter has broken so many promises to Jack.

During Peter's training, he sees Jack playing baseball with Hook. Peter is sad to see Jack treating Hook like a father. He goes back to the Lost Boys' camp with new determination. Peter then sees his shadow move on its own. He follows it and finds the old treehouse where Wendy and her brothers used to stay. Inside, Tinker Bell helps Peter remember his past. He remembers being a baby who got lost and how Tinker Bell brought him to Neverland. He also remembers his adventures and meeting the Darlings.

Peter recalls visiting Wendy often, even after she grew up. But then Wendy became too old to go back to Neverland. Peter was sad, but he fell in love with Wendy's granddaughter, Moira. He decided to stay in the real world to become a father. He was adopted by the Banning family, but he lost his memories of Neverland.

The Final Battle

Remembering Jack's birth is a strong, happy thought that helps Peter fly again! He becomes Peter Pan once more. Rufio gives Peter his sword, showing his respect, and the Lost Boys cheer. That night, Tinker Bell tells Peter she loves him with a kiss. But Peter chooses his family and tells Moira he loves her. Tinker Bell is sad but accepts his choice. She encourages him to save his children.

The next day, Peter and the Lost Boys fight Hook and his pirates. Hook's crew gives up. Rufio fights Hook but is badly hurt. With his last breath, Rufio tells Peter he wishes he had a father like him. Jack sees this and realizes his mistake. He makes up with Peter. Peter then defeats Hook, who is eaten by the stuffed Crocodile that comes back to life! Tinker Bell takes Jack and Maggie back to London. Peter makes Thud Butt the new leader of the Lost Boys.

Peter wakes up in Kensington Gardens in London. Tinker Bell appears and says a sad goodbye to Peter before she leaves. Peter reunites with his family at Wendy's house. He decides to spend more time with them. He also gives Tootles his bag of marbles back. Tootles is so happy that he sprinkles himself with pixie dust from the bag and flies away! As the family watches Tootles fly back to Neverland, Wendy says Peter's adventures are truly over. Peter replies that "to live would be an awfully big adventure."

Meet the Cast

Here are some of the main actors and the characters they played:

• Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook
• Robin Williams as Peter Banning / Peter Pan
  • Ryan Francis played Peter Pan as a preteen.
• Julia Roberts as Tinker Bell
• Bob Hoskins as Smee (Captain Hook's helper)
• Maggie Smith as Wendy Darling (Granny Wendy)
  • Gwyneth Paltrow played Wendy Darling as a teenager.
• Charlie Korsmo as Jack Banning (Peter and Moira's son)
• Amber Scott as Maggie Banning (Peter and Moira's daughter)
• Caroline Goodall as Moira Banning (Peter's wife)
• Dante Basco as Rufio (leader of the Lost Boys)
• Arthur Malet as Tootles (Wendy's old friend)

Many other famous people and family members had small roles in the movie. For example, musicians David Crosby and Jimmy Buffett, actress Glenn Close, and boxer Tony Burton were all part of Hook's pirate crew. Star Wars director George Lucas and actress Carrie Fisher played a couple who get sprinkled with pixie dust.

Making the Movie

The Idea Behind Hook

Steven Spielberg felt a strong connection to the story of Peter Pan. He said that the difficult relationship between Peter and his son Jack in the movie was like his own relationship with his father. Spielberg's earlier movies, like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, also explored father-son relationships.

Peter's journey to find success in his work, even if it meant losing his imagination, was something Spielberg understood. He said, "I think a lot of people today are losing their imagination because they are work-driven." He also mentioned that he sometimes worked so much that he didn't see his own children. Like Peter at the start of the movie, Spielberg also has a fear of flying. He felt that Peter's most important quality was simply being able to fly.

Spielberg's mother used to read him Peter and Wendy as a bedtime story. When he was 11, he even directed a school play of the story. He said, "I have always felt like Peter Pan. I still feel like Peter Pan. It has been very hard for me to grow up."

Getting Started

In the early 1980s, Spielberg started working on a Peter Pan movie with Walt Disney Pictures. He even thought about making it a musical with Michael Jackson as Peter Pan. But Michael Jackson wasn't interested in a story about an adult Peter Pan who had forgotten his past.

The project then moved to Paramount Pictures. James V. Hart wrote the first script, and Dustin Hoffman was already chosen to play Captain Hook. They planned to start filming in England in 1985. But when Spielberg's first son, Max, was born in 1985, he decided to leave the project. He wanted to be home with his family.

Later, James V. Hart's son, Jake, drew a picture of a crocodile eating Captain Hook. Jake said the crocodile didn't really eat him, and Hook got away. This gave Hart an idea! He had been trying to write a new Peter Pan story for years. Jake then asked, "Daddy, did Peter Pan ever grow up?" This question made Hart realize he could write about Peter Pan as an adult. He imagined Peter as a busy person like many adults today.

Filming the Movie

By 1989, the movie was called Hook and moved to TriStar Pictures. Robin Williams joined the cast. Filming began on February 19, 1991. They used nine large sound stages at Sony Pictures Studios in California.

• Stage 30 was used for the Neverland Lost Boys playground.
• Stage 10 was Captain Hook's ship cabin. They tried to make the set rock like a ship, but it made it hard to hear the actors, so they stopped.
• Stage 27 held the full-sized Jolly Roger ship and the pirate dock.

Industrial Light & Magic helped with the visual effects. The original budget for the movie was $48 million, but it ended up costing between $60–80 million. This was mainly because filming took 40 days longer than planned. Spielberg said, "It was all my fault. I began to work at a slower pace than I usually do."

Spielberg's relationship with actress Julia Roberts during filming was difficult. He later said it was "an unfortunate time for us to work together."

The Music of Hook

The amazing music for Hook was created by John Williams. He is a very famous composer who has written music for many well-known movies. At first, Spielberg thought about making Hook a musical. So, John Williams wrote about eight songs with a lyricist named Leslie Bricusse.

Some of these songs were even recorded. For example, Julie Andrews recorded a song called "Childhood" for Maggie Smith to pretend to sing in the movie. Two other songs, "Stick with Me" and "Low Below," were practiced by Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins. However, these three songs were cut from the final movie. Their melodies were still used in the background music.

Two songs did make it into the film: "We Don't Wanna Grow Up" and "When You're Alone." Both of these songs have lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The main theme music from Hook has also been used in trailers for other movies.

Video Games

A video game based on the film, also called Hook, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. It was later released for other game consoles in 1992. Another Hook game was made for PC and Commodore Amiga. This version was a "Point and Click" adventure game.

Images for kids

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  Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan

See also

In Spanish: Hook (película) para niños

• List of films featuring miniature people