Jake and the Never Land Pirates

Jake and the Never Land Pirates is an Annie Award-winning musical interactive animated Disney Jr. show based on the successful Disney franchise Peter Pan, that was in turn based on the famous book and play by British author J.M. Barrie. It is the first Disney Jr. original show following the name change from Playhouse Disney.
It starred Sean Ryan Fox, Megan Richie, Jadon Sand, David Arquette, Corey Burton, and Jeff Bennett. Colin Ford voiced the titular character Jake up until Season 2, episodes 11, 13, and 14, while Cameron Boyce voiced the character up until episode 67. Madison Pettis voiced Izzy for the first three seasons, up until Battle for the Book, while Jonathan Morgan Heit voiced Cubby for the same first three seasons. The show quickly became Disney Jr.'s most popular series, surpassing Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, and even Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
The fourth season is known as Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates, reflecting Jake's new outfit in the Season 3 finale.
Disney executives announced that the show was cancelled and would not receive a fifth season in light of Mickey and the Roadster Racers. The last episode aired on November 6, 2016. The show, since November 12, 2019, is on Disney+.
==Plot==
The series focuses on a band of pirate children consisting of Jake, Izzy, Cubby, their parrot Skully, and Bucky, their living pirate ship, who continuously spend their days competing against Captain Hook and Mr. Smee for treasure. They are often accompanied by several characters, including their mermaid friend Marina.
In November 2011, Disney announced a one-hour prime time special for the show to air February 13, 2012 entitled Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns. A second season was also ordered for the series and began airing on February 20, 2012. The series was at a critical and commercial success, receiving high praise from critics and fans for its educational, yet entertaining format. At the American International Toy Fair in New York City, Disney announced a film based on the series, premiered on September 19, 2012, entitled Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Bucky's Great Race. The film was later downgraded to a special episode renamed Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Jake Saves Bucky. The one-hour special premiered on September 19, 2012, on Disney Channel in the USA, and released on DVD October 16, 2012. On January 3, 2014, the third season premiered with an updated theme and opening. Also, a line of items, such as party supplies, apparel, room decor, plush, role play and accessories, and action-oriented play sets and figures, including a boat of Bucky, Jake's Pirate Ship, were released in the summer of 2012, while in 2013, three LEGO Duplo sets have been released based on the series. A third special, Jake's Never Land Rescue, debuted September 29, 2013, and was released on DVD November 19 of that same year. The fourth special, Battle for the Book, debuted October 26, 2014, and was released on DVD January 6, 2015. The fifth special, Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates: The Great Never Sea Conquest, premiered July 31, 2015, and was released on DVD on January 12, 2016. The fifth special marked the end of the Jake and the Never Land Pirates title, as the fourth season would later be re-named Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates. The sixth and final one hour special, Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates: The Legion of Pirate Villains, would air October 1, 2016. The final episode of the series, Captain Hook's Last Stand! aired November 6, 2016.
==Premise==
The show revolves around a group of three children who are pirates in Never Land, looking for treasure. They often have encounters with Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Tick-Tock the Crocodile, Peter Pan, and Tinker Bell from Disney's Peter Pan franchise. Captain Hook usually sees Jake and his crew doing something fun and steals it from them, and Jake and his crew have to get it back. After they succeed, Jake and his crew count their gold doubloons (which they receive after solving puzzles, or "pirate problems") and put them in their treasure chest known as the "Team Treasure Chest." Jake inspires little children that when you need to find something, you should look for it and not give up for the evil and not well people to earn it.
The first season of the series followed more "playful" conflicts, such as Jake and the crew getting their basketball back from Captain Hook or Jake and the crew taking back their stolen skateboard. The second season gave a larger scale to the adventure in the show, now having the characters find a lost city of gold and an ancient pirate pyramid. Viewer interactivity was especially downplayed to further enrich the worlds, characters, and the episodes' plot. The third season contained more action while retaining its kid-friendly tone. In addition, it introduced the Darlings from the first and second films in one special. Finally, the fourth season has the kids interact just once an episode.
Each program contains two eleven-minute animated episodes, followed by a live-action song by the Never Land Pirate Band. The singing characters "Bones" and "Sharky" appear in both animated and live-action forms. This is omitted in Season 4, as it is just Jake in different short clips in the end credits.
===Cast Thoughts===
*Colin Ford (Jake): "'Jake and the Never Land Pirates' is a really great show because it incorporates a lot of things that children should know from an early age, like sharing, teamwork, and responsibility. What attracted me to Jake and the Never Land Pirates' was the Peter Pan factor. Also, the fact that I'm the leader and I have my crew, Izzy and Cubby, behind me. It's always fun to get to work with my friends.
*Ariel Winter (Marina): 'I play Marina and I'm a mermaid. I help out the pirates in all their water duties … I help them with anything they need, I care for them, and I do whatever helps Jake and his friends. We're basically one big pirate family. I think Marina may have a little crush on Jake. I've seen that a bit throughout the script. She's always there to help him in her sweetest voice… 'Jake and the Never Land Pirates' is basically about teaching kids to go for it. Even if you have to fight off evil to get what you want or get what you need or to help someone, you should always share, be kind, and do what you can to help.'
*David Arquette (Skully): There are a lot of shows out there that are all over the place. You can't really follow them, and they're a little loud. This one has a real story and it's very easy to follow, and it's a lot of fun. It's really colorful. It's got a great heart, and the kids will learn something in the process. You could talk with them about the adventure they just had. It all has to do with social skills and being nice to your neighbor and being a good friend. I watched the first one with my daughter, Coco, before Skully was in it. She liked it a lot, but she also said that parrot should talk because he was in it briefly, but he didn't really have a voice. I said, 'That's funny you say that because that parrot is going to talk. That parrot will have your daddy's voice.' That's pretty much how it went down. She loved it!
==Cast==
===Main Characters===
;Jake
:Voiced by Colin Ford (seasons 1-2), Cameron Boyce (seasons 2-3), Sean Ryan Fox (season 3), Riley Thomas Stewart (Jake's Buccaneer Blast, understudy in season 4), Gabe Eggerling (season 4)
:Jake is an 8-year-old boy and the main protagonist of the series and leader of the Never Land Pirates. He has a wooden sword, created from the Forever Tree which was made and given to him by Peter Pan, and serves as Captain Hook's main pirate rival.
;Izzy
:Voiced by Madison Pettis (seasons 1-3), Megan Richie (season 4)
:Izzy is a 6-year-old girl and second-in-command to Jake. She has a small sack of Pixie Dust, which was given to her by the fairies (Tinker Bell and her friends). The team only uses the pixie dust for emergencies. However, there have been episodes where pixie dust is not used at all. Her catchphrase is "Yay, hey, no way!"
;Cubby
:Voiced by Jonathan Morgan Heit (seasons 1-3), Jadon Sand (Jake's Buccaneer Blast and seasons 3-4)
:Cubby is a 5-year-old boy and the youngest of the group saying, "Aw, coconuts!" He has the map of Never Land, and he is not a member of the Lost Boys, despite the fact he physically resembles the Cubby of the group. His personality is rather timid, and he is not very confident in himself.
;Skully
:Voiced by David Arquette
:Skully is a small green parrot who acts like a guardian to the team. He keeps a lookout for Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. His catchphrase is "Crackers!" Loren Hoskins provided Skully's singing voice.
;Captain Hook
:Voiced by Corey Burton
:Captain Hook is Never Land's resident pirate captain and the main antagonist of the series. Commander of the galleon "The Jolly Roger" and legendary for his cruelty to his enemies as well as to his own men, Hook has trouble holding onto a permanent crew. In fact, at the moment, he holds only three crew members. Hook is seen to be completely hopeless without the constant aid of Mr. Smee. He's also considerably "nicer" and more playful in this show than in the Peter Pan franchise, probably due to the absence of Peter Pan, and a much smaller (and loyal) crew.
;Mr. Smee
:Voiced by Jeff Bennett
:Mr. Smee is Captain Hook's first mate, and the secondary antagonist of the series. Despite him working for the bad side, he still is quite a kind and generous man.
;Sharky and Bones
:Voiced by Loren Hoskins and Jeff Bennett
:Sharky and Bones are members of Captain Hook's pirate crew. They usually spend time performing musical numbers rather than advancing the plot, acting as troubadours or Greek Chorus. Both Loren Hoskins and Kevin Hendrickson, specialists in a music form called "Pirate Rock," were asked by Disney to write the music and lyrics for all the songs for the show. Kevin Hendrickson provided Bones' singing voice.
;Marina
:Voiced by Ariel Winter
:Marina is a young mermaid who lives in the ocean around Never Land with the rest of her fellow mermaids. Unlike some of the mermaids, who tend to be snobbish, selfish, and vain, Marina is gentle and kind to the young pirates. She often shows them the secrets of the Never Sea she finds. Marina and Izzy are very close friends and may even be the same age. Like Izzy, Marina is rumored to be a love interest of Jake. Marina also has a little sister named Stormy.
;Bucky
:Bucky is Jake, Izzy, and Cubby's pirate ship, who has a mind of its own and communicates with the crew through its ringing ship bell.
;Tick-Tock the Crocodile
:Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
:Tick-Tock is the very same crocodile that devoured Hook's left hand after Peter Pan cut it off in a sword fight some years ago. Tick-Tock loved the taste of Hook's hand so well, he has followed the Jolly Roger ever since, licking his chops as he imagines the rest of his meal. He also swallowed an alarm clock that goes "tick-tock" to warn Captain Hook of his presence.
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===Recurring characters===
*Russi Taylor as the Never Bird - A former sidekick of Captain Hook. She soon betrays the captain, and joins forces with Jake and his crew.
*Loren Hoskins as Sandy - Marina's singing pet starfish with the ability to heal with a special song.
*Tori Spelling as the Pirate Princess - A legendary beautiful pirate who was cursed by a sea witch and shipwrecked in a hidden grotto, but rescued by Izzy and the others. Laura Dickinson provided the Pirate Princess' singing voice.
*Lisa Loeb as Winger - Skully's close friend who reveals to be the princess of the Sky Bird Kingdom.
*Adam West as the Wise Old Parrot - An aged scarlet macaw and King of the Sky Bird Kingdom.
*Dee Bradley Baker as the Monkey - A mischievous primate who steals Jake's bongos. Later on, she returns them and becomes friends with Jake and his crew.
*Sharon Osbourne as Mama Hook - Captain Hook's mother.
*Jane Kaczmarek as Red Jessica - A swashbuckling pirate with whom Captain Hook falls in love with.
*Josh Duhamel as Captain Flynn - A pirate who became stranded on the Never Land desert with his ship "the Barracuda", but rescued by Jake and the Never Land Pirates.
*Adam Wylie as Peter Pan - Captain Hook's nemesis and the leader of Never Land (specifically the "Lost Boys", who have never appeared in the show). He has been mentioned numerous times throughout the series, and made an appearance in the special episodes "Peter Pan Returns", "Jake Saves Bucky", "Jake's Never Land Rescue", and "Battle for the Book".
*Allisyn Ashley Arm as Stormy - Marina's lazy, yet, well-meaning younger sister.
*Tiffani Thiessen as Misty - A good witch who tends to be the Pirate Princess' neighbor and good friend. Laura Dickinson provided the Misty's singing voice.
*Jerry O'Connell as Pip - A genie who used to reside in a ship-in-the-bottle and is Captain Flynn's sidekick.
*Rhys Darby as Percy - A penguin who Jake and his crew help to get his group to their new home.
*Teri Hatcher as Beatrice Le Beak - A sneaky pirate who steals things from Captain Hook.
*Jack McBrayer as the Pirate Mummy - A mummified pirate captain who lives in the desert.
*Carol Kane as the Sea Witch - An evil witch who wanted to turn the Pirate Princess into gold, but when Izzy stopped her, she was turned into Misty the Wonderful Witch.
*Leigh-Allyn Baker as Queen Coralie - The queen of the mermaids of Never Land and ruler of Neptune City.
*Maia Mitchell as Wendy Darling - Wendy appears in "Battle for the Book" and "Captain Hook's Last Stand!".
*Elliot Reeve as John Darling - John appears in "Battle for the Book" and "Captain Hook's Last Stand!". He was replaced by Harry Erasmus in "Captain Hook's Last Stand!".
*Colby Mulgrew as Michael Darling - Michael appears in "Battle for the Book" and "Captain Hook's Last Stand!".
*Malcolm McDowell as Lord Fathom - An evil Mer-Wizard determined to rule the Never Sea and defeat Captain Jake.
*Steve Valentine as Beardini the Pirate Magician
*Christian Slater as the Grim Buccaneer
*Mark Hamill as ShiverJack
*Tony Hale as Doctor Undergear
*Blair Underwood as Captain Wraith
*Chris Kattan as King Zongo
*Héctor Elizondo as Captain Colossus
==Music==
The show's musical elements are handled by Loren Hoskins and Kevin Hendrickson, who were emailed asking if they would be interested in creating songs for the show. "The show's creator, Bobs Gannaway, he just wanted good music to listen to while he was writing the pilot", said Hoskins. Gannaway typed "pirate music for kids" into a web search engine and found his way to Captain Bogg & Salty, listening to their songs while working on the script. He introduced the band to Jay Stutler, vice president of music at Disney Television Animation. "We're in charge of creating every note of music for the show. "We create the underscore. "We sit in the studio and record the background music that comes in and out." The music for the show has been praised for being enjoyable for both the children and the adult caretakers. A soundtrack, featuring songs from the show, was released September 20, 2011.
==Reception==
The series received positive reviews. A review in Variety called it "part video game, part interactive cartoon, part advertisement for 'Peter Pan' merchandise".http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117944630 A review in The Los Angeles Times stated that Captain Hook "has been laundered — reasonably enough, yet sadly as well — into a shell of his former self, too silly to be frightening, not even a decent bully, just a kind of (much) older boy who wants to steal your toys."http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/15/entertainment/la-et-jake-and-pirates-20110215 Common Sense Media rated it "on" for ages 3 and older, praising the educational content, role models, and especially the messages of the show, and expressing only mild concern about the moderate violence.http://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/jake-and-never-land-pirates As the flagship of the newly-launched Disney Jr. channel, the series was rated the most-watched program among boys ages 2–5 during its first few weeks on the air, with 2.9 million viewers, including 1.1 million ages 2–5, and over 600,000 women ages 18–49 (presumed to be mothers and other caregivers), only about 100,000 less than the typical Friday night first-ran episode on Disney Channel.http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/04/12/disney-junior%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cjake-and-the-never-land-pirates%E2%80%9D-sails-to-series-highs-on-saturday/89175 On July 27, 2011, the series was awarded #2 of the Best TV Shows 2011 list. The series premiere got 2.2 million viewers. On February 13, 2012, Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns got a record 3.091 million viewers. It is cable TV's #1 series among Boys 2-5 and Disney Channel's #1 preschool series of all time among Total Viewers, Kids 2-5, Boys 2-5, and Women 18-49 http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/13/jake-and-the-never-land-pirates-renewed-for-a-third-season-by-disney-junior/119760/ - more than any new program (Phineas and Ferb, A.N.T. Farm, and Jessie) on the Friday before. For the second special Jake Saves Bucky, it only got 1.9 million, well less than the first special. The fourth special Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Battle for the Book it went up slightly to 1.93 million.
The series has a 5.5 rating on IMDB with 745 votes.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1833403/ The first DVD has a 4.3/5 on Amazon.com with 92 ratings,http://www.amazon.com/Jake-Never-Land-Pirates-Season/dp/B0055Q2WMS while the second DVD has a 4.6/5 from 63 ratings.http://www.amazon.com/Jake-Never-Land-Pirates-Two-Disc/dp/B006X0ZN5I/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1338397756&sr=1-2 The third DVD has 4.7/5 rating from 50 users.http://www.amazon.com/Jake-The-Never-Land-Pirates/dp/B008N9AB54/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1355033457&sr=8-2&keywords=pirate+jake+dvd The fourth DVD has a 4.7/5 from 23 users. http://www.amazon.com/Jake-Never-Land-Pirates-Rescue/dp/B00E6QHY9Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1414377725&sr=8-4&keywords=jake+and+the+neverland+pirates+dvd
The character Jake has also received positive reviews. The character has been thought of as a "classic Disney character", lovable and entertaining addition. He has quickly become an icon at Disney's Hollywood Studios from the popular Disney Junior Liveas well as being added to the park's entrance drawings. The atmosphere character can be seen at the Hollywood And Vine character breakfast and the Animation courtyard, while at Disney California Adventure, Jake can be found on Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood Studios backlot.
==Spin-offs==
On July 27, 2012, Disney announced a spin-off series of shorts of the show centering Skully. The series is titled Playing With Skully, and is a collection of short cartoons that aired on September 19, 2012. Another short series entitled Jake's Never Land Pirate School premiered on November 26, 2012. The third spin-off, Mama Hook Knows Best! premiered on September 29, 2013, starring Sharon Osbourne as Mama Hook, but instead of a series, it was a book. The fourth spin-off entitled, Jake's Buccaneer Blast premiered on October 26, 2014, as the first LEGO Duplo adventure and the first LEGO Disney show.
===Awards===
Award 	Category 	Outcome
Annie Award 	Best Animated TV Production - Preschool 	
Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Young Actor (Colin Ford)	
Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Casting for an Animated Series 	
==Merchandise==
Upon the initial release of the series onwards, there has been a high demand for toys, games, and other merchandise from the show. At the American International Toy Fair in New York City, Disney announced a line of toys that were released in the summer of 2012. On July 16, 2012, the app Jake's Never Land Pirate School was released on the iPad and other Android devices.
==Trivia==	
*The show was originally titled Jake's Team Pirate, according to Colin Ford.
*The episode "Cubby's Goldfish" was shown in some international viewings of Winnie the Pooh.
*"Hide the Hideout", "Peter Pan Returns", "Jake and Sneaky Le Beak", "Who's a Pretty Bird?", and "Aye, Aye Cap'n-Cap'n" are the only times Skully has ever collected any Gold Doubloons. Most of the time, Jake, Izzy, and Cubby collect them.
*"Captain Hook's Parrot" was the very first time anyone other than Jake introduced the episode.
*Even though the first Peter Pan film is canon to the series, this series is not canon within the franchise as it contradicts Return to Never Land.
**The Octopus repeatedly appears in the series, normally chasing Captain Hook, but the Octopus does not seem to have any interest in eating Hook until the events of Return to Never Land. Additionally, the Lost Boys never appear and Captain Hook's crew consists of only three people in this series whereas the Lost Boys appear in Return to Never Land as well as the rest of Hook's crew.
==Gallery==
==References==
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da:Jake og piraterne
es:Jake y los Piratas del País de Nunca Jamás
it:Jake e i pirati dell'Isola che non c'è
pt-br:Jake e os Piratas da Terra do Nunca
pl:Jake i piraci z Nibylandii
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