Captain Hook

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Captain Hook

“There isn't a boy who won't enjoy a-working for Captain Hook! The world's most famous crook!” ―Lyrics to "The Elegant Captain Hook"

Captain Hook is the main antagonist of Disney's 1953 animated feature film, Peter Pan. He is the captain of a crew of pirates aboard the Jolly Roger and the archenemy of Peter Pan.

Captain Hook has long since abandoned sailing the high seas in favor of having revenge on Peter Pan for cutting off his left hand and feeding it to Tick-Tock, considering it, by Mr. Smee, a "childish prank"). While a worthy opponent for Peter Pan, Hook is destined to fail, sometimes because of Peter Pan's ability to fly, but more often through the bumbling actions of his first mate, Mr. Smee, who while unquestioningly faithful to the Captain, is incompetent and dim-witted. Hook ends up fleeing for his life from the Crocodile, of whom he is understandably terrified. Hook's frustrations are understandable; he lost a hand to his opponent, is constantly pursued by the crocodile and cannot fly. These factors arguably make him one of the most sympathetic Disney villains. His antics with the Crocodile are considered by many to be the funniest animated scenes ever created by Disney according to Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston in the book The Disney Villain.

As one of the most recognizable and popular villains in Disney's animated library, Captain Hook is also a primary member of the Disney Villains franchise.

Appearances

Peter Pan In the original film, Hook plays the main antagonist and is first seen on his ship, the Jolly Roger, trying to find the hiding spot of Peter Pan using a map. Hook suddenly gets the idea to kidnap the Indian Princess Tiger Lily and tells the idea to his faithful first mate, Mr. Smee. He plans to force her into revealing the location of Peter's hideout or be killed. While Hook is trying to concentrate on his scheme, he becomes annoyed when one of his crew members starts singing. Hook then shoots the pirate, causing him to fall into the sea. When Mr. Smee points out that what he did was not good form, Hook lashes out at him, reminding him of how Peter Pan cutting off his hand and throwing it to the crocodile wasn't "Good Form". Just then, Hook hears the sound of a ticking clock, causing his eyes and mustache to twitch in rhythm (with the music of "Never Smile at a Crocodile"). When he turns to see that the crocodile, who had eaten his hand, has come to taste more of him, he begs Smee to get rid of the creature, which Smee does. A little moment later, Hook receives a word from a pirate on a lookout that Peter is on approach. He orders Smee to rally up the pirates, then looks through the telescope to see Peter and three others, the Darling children, in company of him standing on the clouds. He and the pirates then set up the cannon and fire cannonballs up at Peter Pan.

Later, Captain Hook and Smee are seen rowing past the Mermaid Lagoon in a rowboat with a captive Tiger Lily, whom they take to Skull Rock. Unbeknownst to Hook, Peter Pan spots them and follows them to the cave, plotting to rescue Tiger Lily. Hook also doesn't notice that the crocodile who had stalked him earlier is following him. As Captain Hook forced Tiger Lily to reveal Peter's secret hideout to the point of shouting directly to her face, Peter spooks Hook by imitating a spirit. Captain Hook goes on an investigation to find out where the strange voice (Peter's imitation of Hook) is coming from.

He finds Peter on the rocks and is about to lay his hook on him, but thanks to Wendy's warning, the captain's hook only catches Peter's hat as Peter slips away. Captain Hook engages Peter in a duel, eventually pushing him off the cliff's ledge. Upon realizing that he is standing on thin air, he struggles to keep himself from falling and manages to hang onto the ledge with his hook. Just then, Captain Hook hears the sound of a ticking clock, causing his eyes and mustache to twitch in rhythm (with the music of "Never Smile at a Crocodile") again; the crocodile arrives and attempts to eat Hook as it pulls him into the water. Captain Hook escapes from the crocodile's jaws and frantically swims back to his ship with the crocodile in hot pursuit.

Back at Jolly Roger, Hook sits in his room, sick and injured from the previous battle with Peter. He is bothered by Smee hammering up a sign asking to not disturb the captain but when he tries to attack Smee, he is smacked on the face with the hammer causing him to briefly lose consciousness. When Hook gets a visit from Smee, Smee tells Hook that Pan has banished Tinker Bell. This shocking news gives Hook an idea, so he orders Smee to capture her. He does so, and Hook uses her jealousy of Wendy (whom she thinks Peter is in love with) to get to Peter's hideout. As Captain Hook thanks, Tinker Bell for her help, he locks her in a lantern, then he, along with Smee and the pirates, goes to Hangman's Tree to capture Wendy, Michael, John and The Lost Boys. As the pirates take them to the ship, Captain Hook and Mr. Smee set a time bomb (disguised as a gift of love from Wendy Darling) in the hideout, since Peter is still there.

Captain Hook tries to convince the captured children to join his crew but they all refuse. Wendy believes Peter will save them but Hook reveals his plan to blast Peter away from Neverland forever, prompting Tinker Bell to struggle to break free from the lantern, which she manages to do so, and flies off to warn Peter. Peter and Tinker Bell are caught in the explosion anyway, but they both quickly recover and leave the destroyed hideout to rescue Wendy and the boys. Just as Hook, who has had sent Wendy off the plank (but she is rescued by Peter), is about to select the next person to follow her, Peter reveals himself and engages Hook in another duel. While dueling on the ship's deck, Peter launches himself from the ship's rope ladder like a slingshot and kicks Hook backwards, sending Hook flying to one of the ship's cannons, which (in a similar fashion to Smee's hammer from earlier) hits him hard on the head, knocking him unconscious.

After Hook recovers, he climbs up the rope ladder to confront Peter on the mast, calling him a coward for his tendency to fly away from the duel. Hook makes Peter promise not to fly and gains the upper hand by disarming Peter. Hook corners Peter at the edge of the mast and is about to stab him, but Peter, having noticed a Jolly Roger flag right above Hook, uses it to blind the captain and disarm him. Hook pleads for his life, declaring that he will leave forever and do anything Peter says. Peter orders him to shout loudly that he's a codfish; Hook does so, making the Lost Boys, Wendy, John and Michael sing "Hook is a codfish" and the crocodile dances in the sea to that song. Peter then allows Hook to leave and never return, but when his back is turned, Hook sees his chance and is about to lay his hook on Peter in revenge for cutting off his left hand as well as humiliating him. Thanks to Wendy's warning, Peter jumps out of the way, and Captain Hook loses his footing as he falls to the sea, where the crocodile is waiting to catch him. Captain Hook ends up being chased away from Neverland by the crocodile. He is last seen skipping along the water like a rock under a rowboat rowed by Smee and the pirates, with Smee calling for Hook.

Walt Disney insisted on keeping Hook alive, as he believed that the audience would come to like the villain and would not want to see him get killed. This insistence was supported with the release of the sequel, Return To Never Land.

Return to Never Land

Captain Hook plots to destroy Peter once again and gain his treasure all at the same time. His first part of the plan is to kidnap Wendy to lure Peter to his doom, and thus he travels via his ship (which still had some of Tink's pixie dust) to London during the Second World War. Likely having lost the concept of the passage of time/aging due to his time in Neverland, he mistakenly takes Wendy's daughter Jane.

Fortunately for Hook, Pan arrives and Hook summons an undersea giant octopus to kill both Peter and "Wendy". Peter dives down to battle and is seemingly killed. Just as Hook begins to celebrate, Peter reveals to be alive and by using pixie dust, Tinker Bell boards the octopus onto Hook's ship. After accidentally swallowing Hook, the Octopus develops a taste and becomes another crocodile problem for the Captain. The Octopus pulls him out of the ship and into the water. Hook flies back onto the ship and gently asks Smee to fix the broken plank so he can "make him walk it!".

Later on during a massage, the Captain is again attacked by the octopus, who is shooed away by Smee. This encounter angers Hook even more to the point where he gathers the pirates to sail to the island to find and kill Peter. While searching, they witness the girl they kidnapped is not Wendy but her daughter Jane and that she is desperate to return home, giving Hook yet another plan. That night, he tricks Jane into working for him; if she can find his treasure, he'll give her a ride home on his ship. He also gives Jane a brass whistle to alert him once the treasure is found. Jane then finds and manipulates Peter and the Lost Boys into assisting her via a game of "treasure hunt". Eventually, the treasure is found but she changes her mind, having gradually warmed up to the boys throughout the course of the game, and throws the whistle to summon Hook into the waters. It is however found by Lost Boy Tootles who curiously blows it, accidentally calling the pirates. An ambush follows resulting in Peter and the boys being captured and taken to The Jolly Roger.

Back in the ship, Captain Hook prepares to watch Pan's death but is interrupted by Jane and Tinker Bell. A battle follows and in during which Pan is set free. Hook's anger and frustration are targeted for Jane who is the cause of his failure. Just before he is given the chance to murder her, Peter saves the day by cutting the rope in which Hook then falls through the ship with an anchor and into the ocean. attracting the octopus. It chases Hook up and through the ship, now sinking. Hook and the pirates are then chased away altogether.

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