Today on Classic Fantasy movies for kids: Hook 1991 movie reminiscence

I miss Robin Williams.

*Image taken from IMDB website. No copyright infringement intended.

April 9, 2025

Categorization: Fantasy

Where watched: Possibly on a laser disc back in the day or HBO

Non-spoiler review.

I was watching Disney's 1992 Aladdin with my son for the 3rd time in the past month and had a random thought - that I miss Robin Williams. As I watched my son giggle at the Genie's antics in the movie, I muse over this one-of-a-kind actor, one of the rare greats whose own unique personality shone through all his roles and made them unforgettable.

I wondered vaguely what year he passed away, as to me, it seems like only a few years ago. A quick Google search however rudely informed me that he passed more than a decade ago already. I guess I never really got over it, as his movies are an indelible part of my childhood.

So I'm gonna take a moment to pay tribute to one of the greatest actors of my time, Robin Williams, who starred in one of my favorite Fantasy movies as a kid, Hook.

Now I know that there are, by now, a number of Peter Pan spin-offs, and my children quite like those (as a purist, I am meh on Disney’s recent 2023 Peter Pan and Wendy, but my daughter quite liked it and I will grudgingly admit that having Wendy take a center role seems to have had a positive psychological effect on her, in that she was able to relate to the story more) as well, but for me, nothing and no one beats Robin Williams in Hook.

And yes, while I am a purist, I fortunately watched this movie before I became set in my ways (i.e., when I turned twenty). It came out in 1991 so I was probably about five to seven years old when I saw it and had not yet read J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, and I have to say that this is absolutely the perfect age for kids to appreciate Hook, because children will not yet have been contaminated by jaded purist tendencies and will simply enjoy the reimagining of Robin Williams as Peter Pan who has grown up in our world. This movie is terrific kid's Fantasy about the power of imagination and the inherent magic children are capable of. The importance of family is also one of its stronger themes, another thing which makes it ideal for kids.

Side note - I guess there is a reason that Peter Pan has been done over so many times in the past decades, right? There is just something about this story that universally appeals to one’s inner child. I recall first reading J.M. Barrie’s novel when I was about ten or eleven years old and must have read it about twenty times in the next few years; there is something so comforting and beautiful about the way it is written and the way the characters spoke to each other that would make me want to lose myself in it after a hard day in the fifth or sixth grade (a bit of an eye-moment at self - a hard day of what? Being forced to play basketball at gym class? Failing Mandarin as a second language? My mother bugging me to wash my freakin' hair or she would have it all chopped off? I can’t remember but I suppose to a prepubescent it seemed like a hard knock life indeed).

I realize now what it is, of course, and it's kind of embarrassing how obvious it is. I mean, J.M. Barrie literally wrote the book on clinging to one’s ephemeral childhood, and I suppose it is at the age of ten or eleven when you subconsciously realize how precious that childhood was and how reluctant you are to leave it.

Anyway, to end my tribute to the man who who was a magical Genie in his own right, here’s a list of my favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy (mostly) movies starring Robin Williams, (most of) which will make great watching for your kids and a cynical grown-up’s day off.

May he continue to bring as much joy to future generations as he did to mine.

(in no particular order)

1.        Hook (1991)

2.        Aladdin (1992) – and possibly the best song Disney ever produced, Prince Ali

3.        Bicentennial Man (1999) – if you were to ask my mom and dad what our favorite family movie is, this would probably be it. This makes my mom cry buckets every time. The short story by Isaac Asimov on which the movie is based is also beautiful.  

4.        The Birdcage (1996)– OK fine, this is not Science Fiction or Fantasy but this is so outrageously funny that I had to remind everyone that it exists. Everyone needs to see this (not for kids).

5.        Jumanji (1995)– Another absolute classic.

6.        Flubber (1997) ! – OK you eventually outgrow this one but this is another laser disc classic that your toddler or young child will enjoy (but not on laser disc, obviously). When I was a kid I watched this at least once a day for the week or so we had it rented, the concept of return on investment being a strong one in my family.