Is Disney’s Peter Pan “missing” a kick to the hook?

Cafe Society
#1

While taking care of my brother’s little kids, sometimes I am stuck watching the Disney classics again and again, (although I don’t complain much.)

On Peter Pan I have seen many times the scene were he rescues Tiger Lily:

The captain is hanging precariously from the cliff by the edge of his hook. Then the crocodile appears and Peter says:

“You like codfish Mr. crocodile? – You do!!!”

Peter swings his leg to give a kick to the hook.

Suddenly the camera changes to Wendy (who looks away in horror) and we return, not to Peter kicking the hook, but the hook slipping down off the cliff on his own!!

The whole thing looks like an addition (from Disney himself?) I think this was a change, like Han Solo shooting second in Star Wars. A scene was added to make Peter Pan less evil. But it really takes an edge to the character. Has anybody else noticed that? Did Disney remove the actual kick from the scene?

#2

:bump:

#3

What do you mean, “Han Solo shooting second”?

:bump:

#4

In the Special Edition re-release of Star Wars, during the “Han and Greedo in the cantina” scene, there was a drastic, unnecessary, brainless, ruinous alteration made. Right after the, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Solo,” - “I just bet you have,” exchange, Greedo fires at Han and misses, while seated at a table, less than two feet away from Solo. Solo then fires the shot we all remember, killing Greedo. It’s ludicrous, it’s heinous, it’s bowdlerizing, and it’s just plain wrong for Greedo to shoot first.

The event has become something of an archetype, the yardstick by which all other “stupid changes made to movies” have been measured.

#5

I recall Peter Pan threatening to kick the hook and then we cut to Wendy looking horrified and saying “Oh, Peter! No!” The Hook slips off the rock on his own. I always assumed that either Peter was not serious about the threat or that Wendy’s comment disuaded him.

#6

I thought that also, but on repeated views, I noticed that Wendy is far away from the action and there was no reaction shot of Peter, I concluded that the scene was completed and altered before the original (?) release by Disney.

#7

While we’re at it, do I have a butchered copy of the movie? It’s an official Disney release but it doesn’t have the song “Never smile At A Crocodile” in it (though the theme appears)…

Fenris

#8

Yikes! I think I know the answer to that Fenris! The “Never smile at a crocodile” song was made for the score but it was not used in the movie. I saw it used in a couple of Disney Sing Along collections but the “music video” consist of reused scenes from the movie. So I don’t think it was ever a part of a finished animated sequence. (Seeing Fenris in the reply box I thought “Here is someone who must know the answer to my original question!” . . . alas)

Thank you Max Torque, indeed I was thinking on that “archetype” scene when I noticed the Peter Pan “cut” and “additions” I remember that Disney, before Lucas, loved to change characters behavior (specially heroes) so they would be morally correct!!

Now, I am getting frustrated by this, yesterday I saw the movie again and I am more convinced that there was an alteration, the big clue IMO is the complete lack of a reaction shot by Peter. No dopers have info on this?

. . . Where is dlgirl when I need her? Maybe Cecil will help . . .