aboard. George and Mary Darling return home from the party, and find Wendy sleeping at the nursery's open window. Wendy awakens and excitedly tells about their adventures. The parents look out the window and see what appears to be a pirate ship in the clouds. George, who has softened his position about Wendy staying in the nursery, recognizes the ship from his own childhood. Cast Bobby Driscoll as Peter Pan, a cocky and adventurous inhabitant of Neverland who never grows up. He is frequently accompanied by his best-friend, the hot-headed pixie Tinker Bell. Walt Disney originally wanted Mary Martin, who was appearing in a stage production of the original play, to voice the character, while Jean Arthur also contacted him about being considered. Driscoll, who was Disney's first contract child actor and had previously starred in such films as Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1948), and Treasure Island (1950), was ultimately chosen for the role. This was the first time when a male actor was cast as Peter Pan, breaking a tradition of women portraying him in both films and stage productions. Driscoll also provided some of the live-action reference for the character. Peter Pan was Driscoll's last Disney film, as his contract with the studio was abruptly terminated shortly after its release. Kathryn Beaumont as Wendy Darling, the eldest and most mature of the Darling children, who loves to tell the stories about Peter Pan and his adventures. For the part, Disney wanted a "gentle and gracefully feminine" voice, which he found in Beaumont, who had previously voiced the titular character in Alice in Wonderland (1951) and had just finished working on the film. Hans Conried as Captain Hook, a ruthless and obsessive pirate captain who seeks revenge on Peter for having his left hand chopped off and fed to the Crocodile in a battle. Disney initially offered the role to Cary Grant, which the latter was "intrigued with", but eventually Conried was cast, who also served as a character's model for the animators. In keeping the tradition of the stage play, Conried also voiced George Darling, the Darling children's strict, but loving father. Bill Thompson as Mr. Smee, Hook's first mate, personal assistant, and comic relief. His fellow crewmen (also voiced by Thompson) tease him into trying to convince Hook to give up the search for Peter Pan. Heather Angel as Mary Darling,