There is something special about the first, or almost the first, fictional characters you encounter. I’m thinking of those who populate children’s books and cartoons, and who are the first ones you identify with, the first ones that scare you – and the first ones that attract you. Perhaps the feelings you have for them will lie dormant in your head or heart as you grow up, ready to be rekindled if someone pokes them. Maybe that’s what’s happening now. This month sees the premiere of “Peter Pan & Wendy”, a remake of Disney’s “Peter Pan”, on Disney+. When the trailer was released, it soon became apparent that opinionated and emotional people on the internet had opinions and feelings. And part of what they had opinions and feelings about was the portrayal of Peter Pan’s enemy Captain Hook, played by Jude Law. HOT ENOUGH? Many highlight Jason Isaacs in the role of Captain Hook in the 2003 version of “Peter Pan” as a better and more attractive version of the pirate captain. Photo: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection For many, the evil pirate captain was simply not sexy enough. Many compared him unfavorably to Jason Isaacs’ portrayal of the same villain in the 2003 film adaptation of “Peter Pan”, but both Law’s and Isaacs’ versions are of course based on the man with the black locks from the 1953 cartoon. Some had hoped to see their dreams Captain Hook on the screen, and some felt cheated. It may all seem strange. In “Peter Pan” and other Disney films, it is the singing hero and heroine who are presented as healthy love subjects. The villain, on the other hand, is a collection of characteristics that children are supposed to find terrifying. So why are there so many people who, from childhood, have a fondness for ominous figures like Captain Hook? Here are five suggestions for explanations. THE ORIGINATOR: Author JM Barrie (1860–1937) wrote three plays and a book about Peter Pan, the boy who didn’t want to grow up. Photo: AFP Firstly: the villain is charismatic. In a film that should have a minimum of tension, the enemy has to be smart and resourceful. If not, it’s obvious that he’ll be an easy match for a quick-witted hero, thus evaporating the tension. It is also quite common to give the hero ridiculous features, to make the children in the cinema hall rejoice when the villain is humiliated or makes a fool of himself. This applies not least to Captain Hook, who is through his rounds of slapstick comedy in the original film. But in the end, the villain will often be a figure who is smart, energetic, independent, ambitious – and with an ability to attract helpers and co-conspirators. All these are qualities that quickly appear attractive. THE ORIGINAL CARTOON: It turns out that many people had warm feelings for Captain Hook as he was portrayed in Disney’s “Peter Pan” from 1953. Photo: Disney+. Second: The villain is distinct. The main character in a cartoon will often, on purpose, be a little featureless. This is the boy or girl that children all over the world should be able to imagine themselves in, and it becomes difficult if there is something about them that makes them strangers. The villains, on the other hand, are the other, the mysterious. You can heap personality on them. Third: The villain is an outsider. Anyone who has destructive or megalomaniacal plans for a society will rarely feel like a well-adjusted part of the same society. Whether the villain is a crime queen in a secret headquarters or a businessman in a skyscraper, there is a barrier between him and the world. This outsideness can quickly, in the mind of those who want it, become something romantic, a sign that they see through the hollow pleasures of the world and therefore reject it. Fourth: The villain is often based on pop cultural archetypes. This was not something I could see through when I was seven, but for many of us it was through children’s films that we had our first encounter with characters that we got to know better as we got older. Take Magica from Tryll, a character who undoubtedly brings a greater sensuality into “Donald Duck” than the gorgeous Dolly. Carl Barks, who created Magica, also based her on two famous sex symbols – movie stars Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren. This is also how an aroma from the strange and exciting adult world enters the children’s universe, through some coded expressions: The tight-fitting dress, the sooty eyes. POP CULTURAL TYPES: Magica from Tryll was based on two major sex symbols. Image: Egmont/Disney. Photo: Egmont/Disney. Fifth: The villain is usually not someone you need to worry about. Because what characterizes the hero and heroine? They are decent, sincere people who try to do the right thing. They do not use other people as means. They bond with others. Thus, they are also the type of people who can be thought of entering into committed relationships – with all that can entail of clinginess, claustrophobia, and responsibility for the other’s feelings. The villain appeals to the irresponsible side of the viewer, the hedonist, the one who lives for the moment. Because there’s something carefree about the idea of a fling with someone who apparently can’t be hurt—even if such a relationship might be more troubled the moment it’s brought out of fantasy. For many of those who are now complaining on the internet, there is something, something that has been with them most of their lives, which they would like to have intact. Although there are hardly that many of them who actually want to be Mrs Krok. I don’t think that many of those who are now whining on the internet really want to be Mrs Krok. But there is something, something that has been with them for most of their lives, that they would like to have intact.
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Captain Hook is not sexy anymore. Now come the reactions. – Speech
