Steven Spielbergis without a doubt one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and almost certainly defined what audiences have come to expect from massive works of spectacle. Jaws may have been the first film to coin the phrase “summer blockbuster,” but Spielberg continued to work on ambitious epics in the subsequent decades with his work on Jurassic Park and the Indiana Jones franchise. While it’s not always considered to be among his best, Spielberg’s reinvention of the Peter Pan mythology in Hook was a massive commercial success in 1991. Among its many qualities, Hook features cameo appearances by George Lucas and Carrie Fisher.
It may be easy to overlook the appearances by Lucas and Fisher in Hook, as the film was already a star-studded affair. The great Robin Williams gave a whimsical performance as a much older Peter Pan who returns to Neverland, and Dustin Hoffman’s scene-stealing performance as the titular villain is one of the most hilariously absurd villains of the 1990s. The film is also stacked with cameos by other industry veterans, including Glenn Close as a pirate captain and Phil Collins as a detective. While their appearances may have been overlooked for many years, only coming to light 25 years after the film was released, Lucas and Fisher’s roles in Hook are further proof of why the film is worth revisiting.
Who Do George Lucas and Carrie Fisher Play in 'Hook'?
Image via TriStar Pictures
Hook took a novel approach to the Peter Pan mythology by questioning the inherent qualities of the hero. While Peter Pan had been granted the gift of eternal childhood, Hook examined what would happen if he chose to give up magic to have a normal life and family. Although watching the once joyful hero suffer through the mundanity of adulthood can be distressing, Hook gives Peter the chance to acquaint himself with magic when Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts) flies into London and begins sprinkling fairy dust around the city. Lucas and Fisher appear as a couple embracing on a bridge after being enchanted by Tinker Bell’s magic. They begin to float up the river, and seem surprised by the miraculous spell.
Although it’s fun to see two industry veterans pop up to give brief performances, the bridge sequence in Hook fulfills an important role in the narrative. Hook questions how much of the Peter Pan mythology is actually “real,” and whether some of the memories are a result of childhood sensationalism. By showing that Tinker Bell’s magic is applicable in the real world, Spielberg established an internal logic to the way that the mythology worked. It also showed a playful side to Tinker Bell, which is made all the more charming thanks to Roberts’ charismatic performance.
Hook isn’t the first time that Lucas and Fisher have made cameo appearances in major projects, as they both have a history of popping up in unexpected roles. Lucas had previously cameoed as a missionary in Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and also popped up as a “disappointed husband” in Beverly Hills Cop III. Fisher has tended to be more obvious in her cameos. She portrayed a fictionalized version of herself in such films as Maps to the Stars, Scream 3, Fanboys, Lisa Picard Is Famous, and several installments in Kevin Smith’s “View Askewniverse.”
A Belief in Magic in the Real World Is at the Heart of 'Hook'
While the bridge scene with Fisher and Lucas is brief, it is a nod to one of the central themes of the story. When Peter’s children are kidnapped by Hook and taken to Neverland, Peter is initially unable to pursue them without Tink. She has to knock him out and wrap him in blankets in order to fly him to Neverland on her own, with her magic. The straight-laced lawyer at first rejects the logic of this dreamlike place, trying to impose the order of adulthood on the unruly Lost Boys. It is not until Peter embraces the whimsy of magic in Neverland that he is able to rescue his children and return to the real world.
Peter can only learn to fly again once he remembers his happy thought, which was becoming a father in the first place. The movie is clear early on that Peter has lost this happy thought in the real world, which is reinforced in the scene where Peter misses his son’s baseball game. The movie draws parallels between real-world Peter and Hook, especially when he first returns to England from America to visit an aged Wendy. Upon meeting again after years of separation, Wendy observes, “So, Peter, you’ve become a pirate.” Peter remembering his “happy thought” in Neverland, and thus learning to fly again, suggests a renewed embrace of the whimsy of childhood and a belief in magic.
When Peter and his children return from Neverland, Peter also returns with a gift for an old friend. When he and his wife first arrive in England to visit Wendy, they meet an aging Toodles (Arthur Malet), who is somewhat befuddled. Toodles, a former Lost Boy, is shown wandering around looking for his “marbles,” which symbolize the happy thoughts he has lost. When Peter returns his marbles to him after finding them in Neverland, Toodles is suddenly able to fly again. Toodles’ ability to fly at the end of the movie performs the same function as the brief cameo by Fisher and Lucas on the bridge, to reinforce the theme that a belief in magic is necessary, even in adulthood.
Lucas and Fisher Have a Long Friendship With Steven Spielberg
He may be best known for his contributions to the Star Warsfranchise, but Lucas has a longstanding friendship with Spielberg that originated during the original 1977 film’s production. Spielberg offered Lucas advice on how to save the film in the editing room, which proved to be greatly beneficial to its success. Subsequently, the pair worked together on the Indiana Jones franchise. Over the years, Spielberg and Lucas have frequently incorporated Easter eggs homaging each other’s work. After Spielberg incorporated a piece of John Williams’ musical score from The Empire Strikes Back in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Lucas inserted a group of “E.T.”-like aliens in the Senate scene in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
In addition to appearing in the film, Fisher worked as an uncredited script doctor on Hook, and helped to improve the female characterization and dialogue. Fisher had many iconic screen roles, but later earned a reputation for helping save films in production by enhancing and improving their scripts. Fisher’s notes helped improve films such as Sister Act, The River Wild, and Lethal Weapon 3. She even received a BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for an adaptation of her own novel, Postcards From The Edge.
'Hook' Is One of Steven Spielberg’s Most Underrated Movies
Hook is not always regarded as one of Spielberg’s best films, but time has been rather kind to the playful fairy tale adventure. Hook took on the challenge of making a story that was relevant to both adults and children; it would have been easy for the film to become either too saccharine or overtly silly, but Spielberg created a tone that never felt inconsistent. Hook is a film that speaks to the child in its audience, allowing Spielberg to embrace fantasy and imagination. The fact that cameos by Lucas and Fisher could go unnoticed for many years speaks to how much detail Spielberg packed into the film’s production design.
Comparing Hook to Raiders of the Lost Ark or Close Encounter Of The Third Kind may not be entirely fair, but Hook ranks very highly when compared to other Peter Pan adaptations. Joe Wright’s attempt at a more “serious” version with 2015’s Pan proved to be a disastrous mishmash of tone, and 2003’s Peter Pan failed to capture the magic of the original animated classic. It’s often been a difficult story to crack, but Spielberg proved why he is a cinematic legend with a film that continues to enchant audiences.
'Hook' Marked a Transitional Period in Lucas’ Career
Although he is one of the most well-known (and wealthiest) filmmakers of all-time, it is sometimes easy to forget that George Lucas has not directed that many films. Lucas’ experience making Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope was so notoriously nasty that he gave up directing for nearly two decades; after returning to help re-edit the Star Wars original trilogy in 1997 for the “Special Edition” re-releases, Lucas stepped back into the director’s chair to helm all three installments in the prequel trilogy. However, 1991 was a much different time when Lucas was taking a more active role in producing projects by other directors. Although he is best known for his work with Spielberg on the Indiana Jones franchise, other films Lucas was involved in included the Jim Henson fantasy epic Labyrinth, Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Tucker: The Man and His Dream, the satirical noir Radioland Murders, and the erotic thriller Body Heat.
While his work has made a substantial impact on the development of blockbuster filmmaking, Lucas notoriously has a pretty great sense of humor, particularly when it comes to making amusing cameo appearances. Hook wouldn’t be the last time he had a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance, as he also briefly shows up in the original Men in Black as one of the aliens on the TV monitor that Agent J (Will Smith) observes. Lucas also briefly appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Beverly Hills Cop III, but it would take much longer for him to ever show up in a Star Wars film. Despite being reluctant to appear in the galaxy far, far away, Lucas agreed to play the character Baron Papanoida in Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith due to the insistence of his children. Although it was a brief role that is likely passed over by casual viewers, the character ended up having a lively extended backstory in the expanded universe, and even had a memorable appearance in an episode of the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Lucas has a very interesting legacy within the industry that has been re-assessed significantly within the last few decades. Although there were many pundits that blamed the blockbuster success of Star Wars and Jaws for putting an end to the “New Hollywood” era of the 1970s, it is worth noting that both Spielberg and Lucas were very independent storytellers that were granted with a tremendous amount of artistic freedom. Lucas was never met with the same unanimous affection that Spielberg was, but it has been interesting to examine the change in public perception when it comes to the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Although the films are certainly flawed, there has been a generation that has defended them fiercely, suggesting that Lucas had insight on what audiences might remember. It can be said that the prequel films were the product of a singular, unadulterated vision; although that did account for some incoherent storytelling, Lucas’ concept for his Skywalker saga is far more interesting than what a studio-mandated blockbuster with no identity would have been.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Hook stars Robin Williams as Peter Banning, a harried American lawyer who, after his children are kidnapped by Captain Hook, finds out that he is Peter Pan, having lost his memories of Neverland. In order to rescue his children, Peter must find his childlike spirit of adventure and regain his memories as he does battle with Hook and his crew. Dustin Hoffman stars alongside Williams as Captain Hook, along with Julia Roberts, Maggie Smith, and Charlie Korsmo.
Image via TriStar Pictures
Image via TriStar Pictures
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English (US) ·