Hook (1991): Why Robin Williams’ Peter Pan Still Makes Us Believe

Steven Spielberg’s Hook isn’t just a kids’ fantasy — it’s a midlife crisis wrapped in pixie dust.

Robin Williams plays Peter Banning, a man who’s traded Neverland for networking calls. When his children are kidnapped by Captain Hook (a gloriously hammy Dustin Hoffman), he has to remember who he truly is.

It’s a story about rediscovering your inner child — but with sword fights, food fights, and an emotional gut punch that sneaks up on you between shouts of “Bangarang!”

Why it still works today:
Because Hook nails the bittersweet truth: you can’t stop growing up, but you can choose not to forget how to imagine.

🎧 Explore how Hook connects to the emotional DNA of L.A. Story in our latest podcast episode: Why Steve Martin’s L.A. Story Still Feels Magical