Though the film was a modest success, Walt Disney himself was dissatisfied with the finished product, feeling that the character of Peter Pan was cold and unlikable. However, experts on J.M. Barrie praise this as a success, as they insist that Pan was originally written to be a heartless sociopath.
In compliance with the tradition of the stage version, the same actor, Hans Conried, performed the roles of both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook; the two characters' looks were even modeled after his voice actor. Nana and the Crocodile are also a "dual role" on stage, which the animators acknowledge by giving the Crocodile canine qualities.
In the originally-planned version, Nana traveled with the children to Neverland. It also had a much darker ending.
Walt Disney had been trying to buy the film rights to J.M. Barrie's play since 1935, having been smitten by a traveling production of the play when he was a child. The hold-up in negotiations was because Barrie had bequeathed the rights to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London. Disney finally secured the rights in 1939.
Several passages in the original play link Peter Pan to ancient Greek mythology: In the play, Mrs. Darling mentions that she's heard of Peter Pan, but she heard he was a fairy like spirit that accompanies children on their way to Heaven after death. This is essentially what the Greek god Hermes does in ancient Greek Mythology; and Hermes is the father of Pan; who was the inspiration for Peter Pan's name.