1952 Walt Disney Pictorial Map of Never Never Island from Peter Pan

This is a 1952 Walt Disney Productions pictorial map of Never Never Island from the move Peter Pan. It is the first printed map of Disney's Never Never Island, published one year before 1953 film Peter Pan was released. Recognizable locales include Mermaid Cove, Skull Island, and the Indian Camp. No characters from the movie appear, but they were incorporated in later editions.

Peter Pan

Peter Pan is a c. 1900 fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. He is a free-spirited and mischievous boy who can fly and famously 'never grows up'. He spends his eternal childhood having adventures on the island of Neverland as the leader of the 'Lost Boys' - all orphans like him. His adventures include fairies, pirates, mermaids, Native Americans, and occasionally ordinary children from the mundane world. The character emerged with Barrie's The Little White Bird (1902), a dark adult novel. Peter Pan appeared for the first time on screen in a 1924 American silent adventure by Paramount Pictures. The rights to Peter Pan were acquired from Paramount by Walt Disney in 1939. Disney immediately began working on an animated feature, but his studious were commandeered by the U.S. Government to produce World War II training and propaganda footage. Production resumed in earnest after the war and the more child-friendly, playful, Peter Pan was released in 1953. Disneyland opened a year later in 1955, and a Peter Pan was one of the core attractions.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Walt Disney Productions in 1952. We note two examples cataloged in OCLC which are part of the collections at the University of Michigan and Texas A and M University. An example is also part of the David Rumsey Map Collection.