The Link between Tolkien, Peter Pan, and Star Wars... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Elfchick7 · 11-16-2004, 08:48 PM

Hey y'all! Has anyone noticed how a great many Tolkien fans also like Star Wars and Peter Pan? I was just wondering what y'all thought the connections were. I just though that it would be neat to hear everyone's opinions on the subject. Also, when watching the credits to the newest version of Peter Pan, I noticed that Weta workshops did the mermaids' costuming and Luke Skywalker Sound Inc. worked on the sound for the movie. Of course they work on a great many things but I just thought that it was an odd coincidence. Have a great Day!

Tevildo · 11-17-2004, 10:10 AM

Hmm....

I'm not so sure about this. I think if you took a wider survey you might find that overall Tolkien fans tend to read more fantasy and myth than the general population at large, although even that is not an ironclad law. But as to Star Wars and Peter Pan, I'm less certain about that.

Perhaps it is just because the two particular examples of fantasy you mentioned are fairly prominent in popular culture right now so you are more aware of them. The Peter Pan movie with Jeremy Sumpter still generates interest. In fact, there are young female fans who are crazy about Sumpter in the same way they were about Orlando Bloom. And there is a lot of focus on Star Wars again with the trailer for the new and final movie just out.

Star Wars has an underlying element of popular "myth", and Peter Pan has elements of faerie. It's also interesting to read about Barrie's actual life and see how his likes, dislikes, and concerns are reflected in the character of Peter Pan. You can,of course, do some of the same with Tolkien and his works, looking for examples of Catholicism, Nordic myth, his feelings for the environment, or his connection with England.

Still, while Barrie and Star Wars can both be entertaining, they fall far short of the marvelous world that JRRT created, with so many layers and so much depth. And there are other works of fantasy besides these two that have, I think, closer ties with Middle-earth---though nothing comes close to matching it.

~Tevildo, Prince of cats

Elfchick7 · 11-17-2004, 10:59 AM

Well, there is definitely something to be found lacking in the Episodes 1, 2, and (most likeley) 3 in Star Wars. Still, I found that J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan and Wendy" was very well written. It was like literary candy for me. Naturally the two do not compare with Tolkiens work. He has layers and layers of deep meaning geniously worked into his writings. He had a real gift.
But most of the people that live areound my area who like Tolkiens work have always liked Star Wars and Peter Pan since they were very young. For example, I have a friend who has had a bunch of Boba Fett action figures since they were first made. I found it interesting that there were so many other who like me grew up on the musical production of Peter Pan, the original Star Wars trilogy, and the Hobbit and Return of the King cartoons. When I first watched the Tolkien cartons, I had no idea what I was watching, then I officially "grew out of" watching the cartoons. Suddenly people began to talk of this awesome movie called "The Fellowship of the Ring" that was coming out. My sister insisted that I read the books before I saw the movies. With much skepticism, I read them. Now my friends all groan, "not again" when I use the Lord of the Rings as a comparison to some every day situation.
I just recently caught the pattern of people liking LOTR, Peter Pan, and Star Wars. One cannot help but be entrigued by the riddle of a boy who has every adventure except one and that is the adventure of loving others than himself. It really makes people more content with their own lives. We come to realize that if the "Never Land" were real, then many of us would soon grow tired of it. As for Star Wars, I am not exactly sure, but I do see a few paralels between the space trilogy and our beloved Tolkien books. Perhaps Lucas even ot some of his ideas from Tolkien. Well, Just a thought.

Bungo Baggins · 11-24-2004, 01:29 PM

I think it is natural that people who are attracted to Tolkien's works usually like Star Wars, Peter Pan, Narnia, the classic Sinbad movies, etc. These types of fans are appreciative of imaginative worlds. However, I think if a survey were taken, most Tolkien fans would place his works high above the others. They are all great stories but it would be like comparing a hamburger at McDonalds to a gourmet French meal. i.e. Tolkien has much more substance and depth.

Peter Pan will certanly always be around (and is popular now because of teen idol Jeremy Sumpter and the fantastic new Johnny Depp movie), as will Star wars and other classic stories. But I think people looking for a deeper literary experience will always appreciate Tolkien. He not only created a great story (as did the others) but created an entire world, language and history. The Star Wars movies will be remembered fondly by people who grew up with the original, but the latest three will not have the same legions of fans as were drawn to Jackson's movies.

Tolkien's genius aside, the people who appreciate his works are more likely to enjoy Peter Pan, Narnia, Incredibles, King Kong, etc. than the crowd who would rather see something like a Woody Allen movie.

Elfchick7 · 04-09-2007, 08:26 PM

I know that this thread hasn't been active for quite some time but I just thought that an interesting fact is that WETA and Skywalker Sound were both involved in the production of the latest Peter Pan film. Interesting, no?

Haha i just realized that I already said that. Ignore me!

Lalwendë · 04-10-2007, 01:53 AM

Actually, I'm not fussed on Peter Pan and never really was even as a child. I much preferred Alice In Wonderland! Though I did like the film with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet in it - something for everyone there if you know what I mean!

Now I'm grown up I have to admit I'm a bit put off Peter Pan by it's associations with Whacko Jacko, which might be a bit sad of me, but nevertheless, he's spoiled it for me.

We might be fans of Tolkien but it doesn't mean we like all fantasy and sci-fi; for example I don't like the Narnia books (but I do love the film, that's marvellous) and I rarely read mass market fantasy apart from Potter. I saw the three first Star Wars films as a youngster but I only saw the other three just before the last one came out. I still haven't seen the Alien films either.

11-16-2004, 08:48 PM	#1
Elfchick7 Wight Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: In the Greenwood Posts: 201	The Link between Tolkien, Peter Pan, and Star Wars... Hey y'all! Has anyone noticed how a great many Tolkien fans also like Star Wars and Peter Pan? I was just wondering what y'all thought the connections were. I just though that it would be neat to hear everyone's opinions on the subject. Also, when watching the credits to the newest version of Peter Pan, I noticed that Weta workshops did the mermaids' costuming and Luke Skywalker Sound Inc. worked on the sound for the movie. Of course they work on a great many things but I just thought that it was an odd coincidence. Have a great Day! __________________ "Yesterday is history. Tommorow is a mystery. Today is a gift from God. That's why it's called the PRESENT!"

11-17-2004, 10:10 AM	#2
Tevildo Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Curled up on Melko's lap Posts: 425	Hmm.... I'm not so sure about this. I think if you took a wider survey you might find that overall Tolkien fans tend to read more fantasy and myth than the general population at large, although even that is not an ironclad law. But as to Star Wars and Peter Pan, I'm less certain about that. Perhaps it is just because the two particular examples of fantasy you mentioned are fairly prominent in popular culture right now so you are more aware of them. The Peter Pan movie with Jeremy Sumpter still generates interest. In fact, there are young female fans who are crazy about Sumpter in the same way they were about Orlando Bloom. And there is a lot of focus on Star Wars again with the trailer for the new and final movie just out. Star Wars has an underlying element of popular "myth", and Peter Pan has elements of faerie. It's also interesting to read about Barrie's actual life and see how his likes, dislikes, and concerns are reflected in the character of Peter Pan. You can,of course, do some of the same with Tolkien and his works, looking for examples of Catholicism, Nordic myth, his feelings for the environment, or his connection with England. Still, while Barrie and Star Wars can both be entertaining, they fall far short of the marvelous world that JRRT created, with so many layers and so much depth. And there are other works of fantasy besides these two that have, I think, closer ties with Middle-earth---though nothing comes close to matching it. ~Tevildo, Prince of cats __________________ Now Tevildo was a mighty cat--the mightiest of all--and possessed of an evil spirit,...and he was in Melko's constant following; and that cat had all cats subject to him, and he and his subjects were the chasers and getters of meat for Melko's table.

11-17-2004, 10:59 AM	#3
Elfchick7 Wight Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: In the Greenwood Posts: 201	Well, there is definitely something to be found lacking in the Episodes 1, 2, and (most likeley) 3 in Star Wars. Still, I found that J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan and Wendy" was very well written. It was like literary candy for me. Naturally the two do not compare with Tolkiens work. He has layers and layers of deep meaning geniously worked into his writings. He had a real gift. But most of the people that live areound my area who like Tolkiens work have always liked Star Wars and Peter Pan since they were very young. For example, I have a friend who has had a bunch of Boba Fett action figures since they were first made. I found it interesting that there were so many other who like me grew up on the musical production of Peter Pan, the original Star Wars trilogy, and the Hobbit and Return of the King cartoons. When I first watched the Tolkien cartons, I had no idea what I was watching, then I officially "grew out of" watching the cartoons. Suddenly people began to talk of this awesome movie called "The Fellowship of the Ring" that was coming out. My sister insisted that I read the books before I saw the movies. With much skepticism, I read them. Now my friends all groan, "not again" when I use the Lord of the Rings as a comparison to some every day situation. I just recently caught the pattern of people liking LOTR, Peter Pan, and Star Wars. One cannot help but be entrigued by the riddle of a boy who has every adventure except one and that is the adventure of loving others than himself. It really makes people more content with their own lives. We come to realize that if the "Never Land" were real, then many of us would soon grow tired of it. As for Star Wars, I am not exactly sure, but I do see a few paralels between the space trilogy and our beloved Tolkien books. Perhaps Lucas even ot some of his ideas from Tolkien. Well, Just a thought. __________________ "Yesterday is history. Tommorow is a mystery. Today is a gift from God. That's why it's called the PRESENT!"

11-24-2004, 01:29 PM	#4
Bungo Baggins Animated Skeleton Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The shire Posts: 32	I think it is natural that people who are attracted to Tolkien's works usually like Star Wars, Peter Pan, Narnia, the classic Sinbad movies, etc. These types of fans are appreciative of imaginative worlds. However, I think if a survey were taken, most Tolkien fans would place his works high above the others. They are all great stories but it would be like comparing a hamburger at McDonalds to a gourmet French meal. i.e. Tolkien has much more substance and depth. Peter Pan will certanly always be around (and is popular now because of teen idol Jeremy Sumpter and the fantastic new Johnny Depp movie), as will Star wars and other classic stories. But I think people looking for a deeper literary experience will always appreciate Tolkien. He not only created a great story (as did the others) but created an entire world, language and history. The Star Wars movies will be remembered fondly by people who grew up with the original, but the latest three will not have the same legions of fans as were drawn to Jackson's movies. Tolkien's genius aside, the people who appreciate his works are more likely to enjoy Peter Pan, Narnia, Incredibles, King Kong, etc. than the crowd who would rather see something like a Woody Allen movie. __________________ "The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect."

04-09-2007, 08:26 PM	#5
Elfchick7 Wight Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: In the Greenwood Posts: 201	I know that this thread hasn't been active for quite some time but I just thought that an interesting fact is that WETA and Skywalker Sound were both involved in the production of the latest Peter Pan film. Interesting, no? Haha i just realized that I already said that. Ignore me! __________________ "Yesterday is history. Tommorow is a mystery. Today is a gift from God. That's why it's called the PRESENT!"

04-10-2007, 01:53 AM	#6
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Actually, I'm not fussed on Peter Pan and never really was even as a child. I much preferred Alice In Wonderland! Though I did like the film with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet in it - something for everyone there if you know what I mean! Now I'm grown up I have to admit I'm a bit put off Peter Pan by it's associations with Whacko Jacko, which might be a bit sad of me, but nevertheless, he's spoiled it for me. We might be fans of Tolkien but it doesn't mean we like all fantasy and sci-fi; for example I don't like the Narnia books (but I do love the film, that's marvellous) and I rarely read mass market fantasy apart from Potter. I saw the three first Star Wars films as a youngster but I only saw the other three just before the last one came out. I still haven't seen the Alien films either. __________________ Gordon's alive!