Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cels of 1) Captain Hook 3) Candle Stick & Left Arm and Hand 3) Tinker Bell 4) Matching Wings from "Peter Pan," 1953; Walt Disney Studios; Set over a lithographic background with Candle Flame lithograph cel overlay; Production numbers in ink lower cel edges; Size - Captain Hook: 8 x 9 1/2", Tinker Bell: 3 x 1 1/2", Image 10 1/2 x 13 1/2"; Unframed.
"Ah, Hangman's Tree. So that's the entrance to his hiding place. Thank you, my dear. You've been most helpful." - Captain Hook
The author J. M. Barrie first used Peter Pan as a character in a section of the adult novel "The Little White Bird" in 1902. He returned to that character with his stage play entitled "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," which premiered in London on December 27, 1904. The play ran until 1913, and it was later adapted by Walt Disney for the animated feature film entitled, "Peter Pan," in 1953.
Captain Hook was animated by legendary Frank Thomas and voiced by Hans Conried. Conried was also the voice of George Darling, which is consistent with the roles of "Peter Pan" for the stage. Conried was also an accomplished actor, appearing on "I Love Lucy" where he played an English tutor as well as playing the character Wrongway Feldman on "Gilligan's Island." His voice was so distinctive and so memorable that he was perfect for the role of Captain Hook; as he had a wonderful way of conveying both the rough gruff pirate role as well and the sly calculating villain.
The legendary Frank Thomas animated Captain Hook, and his first sketches were much more menacing than the final product. Walt Disney felt the character was going to be too frightening for children and so Thomas toned down his drawings. The result is a wonderful villain and always rated as one the top male villains in the Disney film world.
From Disney animator Andreas Deja:
Many of you would agree that Captain Hook is one of Frank Thomas' best creations. To some Frank is the best animator who ever lived. - He used live action reference for a number of his characters. In this case it was character actor Hans Conried who provided the voice and acting reference for Hook. Frank was very critical about the way other animators used live action. To him the acting ideas were all you needed, but you still had to pass judgement on the footage and interpret what the actor gave you. His animation never has that roto, floaty feel to it. For one thing Frank was way too talented and smart to let that happen."
Tinker Bell was designed and animated by Walt Disney veteran animator, Marc Davis (who supervised the animation and contributed to the design of: Cinderella, Alice, Wendy, Tinker Bell, Aurora, Maleficent, and Cruella De Vil). Without the aid of a vocal performance, he relied on Tinker Bell's facial and body expressions for the animation; taking inspiration from previous pantomime characters such as Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto and Dopey from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Once "Peter Pan" was released, Tinker Bell received critical acclaim and would continue to be one of Disney's trademark characters. She has become one of the main spokes-characters for The Walt Disney Company and one of its most popular and iconic characters since her creation. Many people remember the opening to the TV show "The Wonderful World of Disney," as Tinker Bell would fly towards the center of the screen with a thin wand in her hand, waving it, and causing fairy dust to fly out towards the viewer!
From veteran Walt Disney animator Andreas Deja:
"To me Tinker Bell is perfection. Her character arc in the story is very strong. Because of her affection for Peter Pan she is jealous of Wendy, which gets her into trouble. But toward the end of the film she saves Peter's life as well as the other kids. Her animation throughout is flawless. Occasionally based on live action reference, Marc animated her beautifully. She always feels like a small figure, but the acting has great range and subtlety. Marc said he really enjoyed the challenge of a mute character, where pantomime is the name of the game."
Because of the public's love of the character, DisneyToon Studios decided to create a series of films staring Tinker Bell; and the movies were extremely popular and very well received. The voices of Mae Whitman, Raven-Symoné, Lucy Liu, America Ferrera, Kristin Chenoweth and Pamela Adlon are featured in the series of films. Each of the first four films is set around one of the four seasons: "Tinker Bell," 2008 centered around Spring, "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure," 2009 around Autumn, "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue," 2010 around Summer, and "Secret of the Wings," 2012 around Winter. A fifth title, "Pixie Hollow Games," 2011 was supposed to be based on all four seasons, but it was released before "Secret of the Wings" and the film was scaled down. A sixth film, entitled "The Pirate Fairy," was released on April 1, 2014, followed by the release of a seventh film "Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast" on March 3, 2015. The film series was a spin-off of and prequel to the animated feature film "Peter Pan" and to its sequel, "Return to Never Land."
After Captain Hook and Mr. Smee capture Tinker Bell, they convince her that Wendy is responsible for coming between her and Peter Pan. Hook says that he will "shanghai" Wendy, explaining that he will "Take her to sea with us. With her gone, Peter will soon forget this mad infatuation." However, in order to capture Wendy, Hook needs to know the location of Peter's secret hiding place. After Hook promises not to lay a finger or a hook on Peter Pan, Tinker Bell dips her feet in ink from Hook's ink well and walks across a map of Neverland. She finally marks an X at Hangman's Tree, the entrance to Peter Pan's hiding place. Hook grabs Tinker Bell in is left hand and says, "Ah, Hangman's Tree. So that's the entrance to his hiding place. Thank you, my dear. You've been most helpful." This is a fantastic multi-cel setup of Captain Hook and Tinker Bell. Hook is eyes and mouth open, and his gold hook is in clear view; and Tinker Bell is full figure and has her matching wings cel. A standout addition to any Walt Disney vintage animation art collection!
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