Nishan Chakrabartty
‘Hook’ is a fantasy adventure film that re-imagines the classic children’s literature ‘Peter Pan,’ created by J. M. Barrie. Directed by Steven Spielberg, and adapted for the screen by James V. Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo, ‘Hook’ showcases the story of Peter Banning (Robin Williams), a San Francisco lawyer living together with his wife, Moira, and two kids, Jack and Maggie. Peter’s workaholic ways create friction in his marriage, and he finds himself detached from his kids as well. He has forgotten the fact that he was Peter Pan, a mischievous little kid with flying abilities.
When Peter and his family visit London to meet Wendy, Moira’s grandmother, his kids are kidnapped by Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman). Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts) comes to his life and tells him about his truth, saying that he only can save his children. Peter is transported to Captain Hook’s lair and thus ensues a grand adventure. The theatrical visuals and Spielberg’s grand set pieces make this film a joyful and boisterous ride. The characters and the sprawling locations are pompous and filmed with dexterity. The fascinating adventure film got us hooked, and we decided to look into its filming location. Here’s what we found out!
Hook Filming Locations
‘Hook’ has marvelous scenes featuring Neverland, the fictional island home to Captain James Hook and The Lost Boys. The film was almost entirely shot in Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, California. Various soundstages in the studio were used to portray the fantasy places of Peter Pan’s adventure.
Culver City, California
The filming of ‘Hook’ began on February 19, 1991, in nine sound stages at the Sony Pictures Studio. It is exactly located at 10202 West Washington Boulevard, in Culver City, California. The Neverland Lost Boys playground was filmed in Stage 30, whereas Stage 10 is the location where Captain Hook’s ship cabin was filmed. Hydraulics were used to create a swaying momentum for the ship but were later dropped owing to the distraction it caused in the other aspects of filming.
Stage 10 and Stage 12 of the studio were used to film the Jolly Roger Cabin and exterior portion of the Nevertree, respectively. Stage 27 housed the Jolly Roger and its surrounding Pirate Wharf. The visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Sounds, and British set designer John Napier, who also worked on ‘Cats,’ served as the visual consultant.
Los Angeles, California
Despite being heavily filmed on the artifices of sets, ‘Hook’ features some exterior scenes filmed in Los Angeles, California. The ‘Great Ormond Street banquet scene featuring Wendy (Maggie Smith) was filmed at the Ballroom of the Park Plaza Hotel, downtown Los Angeles. The ballroom has been featured in films like ‘Barton Fink,’ (1991) ‘The Prestige,'(2006) ‘Chaplin’ (1992) and many others.
Jack’s Baseball game was filmed at Griffith Park, Los Angeles. The play scene of Peter Pan’s children was filmed at Bishop Conaty High School in Los Angeles. The shots of London and its Kensington Gardens were also filmed in Los Angeles.
Kauai, Hawaii
Some of the exterior shots of ‘Neverland’ were filmed at the Hawaiian garden isle of Kauai. Steven Spielberg also filmed certain scenes of ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993) and its sequels on the same island.
Read More: Best Fantasy Movies of All Time
