This article is about the Peter Pan character. For the Stitch! character, see Tigerlily Sakai.
Tiger Lily is a supporting character of Disney's 1953 animated feature film Peter Pan. She is the beautiful daughter of Neverland's indigenous Indian Chief and a loyal friend of Peter Pan.
Background
Tiger Lily resides in the Indian Camp on Neverland. She serves as the princess of her people, ruling the tribe along with her father, the imposing Chief. She is established as a close friend of Neverland's local protector, Peter Pan, who suggests that their relationship is romantic, as they displayed a mutual attraction (even sharing a kiss at one point). As such, she is deathly loyal to him, standing her ground to protect him even in the face of Captain Hook.
Personality
Tiger Lily is brave, strong-willed, and incredibly proud. She speaks only when necessary (as shown when she shouts for help when Peter rescues her from drowning) and is often portrayed with a stoic expression and powerful stance (apparently taking after the Chief). She cares deeply for her friends, as she refused to give in to Captain Hook's demands regarding Peter, even though her life was at risk. For all of her seriousness, Tiger Lily has also displayed a fun-loving side to her personality. She enjoys dancing and celebration within her tribe. She is also flirtatious with Peter, rendering him a blushing goof at one point.
Physical appearance
Tiger Lily has tanned skin, dark brown eyes, red lips, and long black hair tied in two braids with yellow hair ribbons. She wears a fringed buckskin dress with pink and red stripes on the capulet collar and blue moccasins. She also sports a blue headband with a feather on her head.
Appearances
Peter Pan
In the film, her friendship with Peter leads Captain Hook to believe that she knows where his hideout is. With the assistance of Smee, Captain Hook kidnaps and takes her to Skull Rock. The Indians believe that she was captured by the Lost Boys, and so they do not come for her. Captain Hook ties her up and places her on a rock sticking out of the sea. He offers to set her free if she reveals where Peter lives. He points out the rising tide, noting that Indian belief says that an Indian who dies by drowning can't make it to the Happy Hunting Grounds. However, she knows better than to take him at his word and refuses to talk, even if it means that she can't ascend to the Happy Hunting Grounds. Losing his patience, he lifts her right up and screams right in her face that she has one more chance, blasting her braids back with the force of his yelling.
Unknown to any of them, Peter and Wendy have spotted them. Peter is able to spook Captain Hook and Smee by mimicking a spirit. When Captain Hook leaves to find its source, Peter begins imitating him. In Captain Hook's voice, he orders Smee to return Tiger Lily to her people. He complies but is then yelled at by the real Captain Hook, who orders him to put her back where she was. Peter and Captain Hook go back and forth until Peter is discovered by Captain Hook. After a short battle, Captain Hook is chased off by the crocodile. By this time, Tiger Lily has almost drowned beneath the rising tide. Peter doesn't notice this until it is pointed out by Wendy. He rescues her, and they, along with Wendy, return her to the Indian Camp.
At the camp, Peter is named Chief Flying Eagle by the Chief as a reward for saving Tiger Lily's life. During the following party, she, as an additional reward for him saving her life, flirts with and even kisses him, causing Wendy to become jealous. She is last seen dancing alongside him and sharing a second nose kiss as the party continues.
She is last mentioned by Wendy to Peter, who is glad that everyone considers him a hero, to which Wendy jealously mentions “especially Tiger Lily”, much to Peter's confusion.
Printed media
Tiger Lily and the Secret Treasure of Neverland
Tiger Lily will appear in the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy prequel novel Tiger Lily and the Secret Treasure of Neverland.
Tiger Lily and her community, the Indigenous people of Neverland, possess a unique ability: they can choose to grow up. But for now, Tiger Lily is enjoying being thirteen, spending time with her grandmother and exploring alongside her horse and her friends.
Then, Tiger Lily uncovers a plot by two of Captain Hook's pirates, who are searching for a mysterious, powerful treasure. Determined to protect Neverland, Tiger Lily sets out on a very grown-up mission: find the treasure first, and keep it out of the pirates' reckless hands.
As her journey takes her from Mermaid Lagoon to the Lost Boys' hideaway and beyond, Tiger Lily will need to become the brave leader she has always wanted to be.
Christmas in Never Land
Tiger Lily appears in Christmas in Never Land, a short story featured in 5-minute Christmas Stories.
After hearing Wendy talk about Christmas, Peter and the Lost Boys decide to surprise her and have Christmas right here in Never Land. They first go to the Indian Camp to ask Tiger Lily to help them find Christmas presents and an extra-special gift for Wendy. Tiger Lily tells them that she knows just what they should give. She and Peter make Wendy a beautiful beaded necklace while the Chief teaches John, Michael, and the Lost Boys how to make arrowheads.
Video games
Peter Pan: Adventures in Never Land
Tiger Lily appears briefly in the video game, where Peter needs to speak with the Chief, but the entrance is locked. She tells him he needs to make a sort of music to unlock the entrance. Her appearance in this game marks her longest speaking time.
Disney Parks
A figure of Tiger Lily appears in the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom versions of Peter Pan's Flight, during a recreation of her scene at Skull Rock and alongside the rest of her tribe, respectively. In 2024, the Magic Kingdom version was updated as a new figure of Tiger Lily was added, showing her dancing alongside her grandmother at their village.
In Tokyo DisneySea, Tiger Lily appears during the Indian Encampment scene of Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure. During the scene, she dances and plays with Michael on the drum until Tinker Bell uses her Pixie Dust to make him fly. As Michael takes flight, he asks Tiger Lily to hand him his teddy bear, which she does as he goes to join Peter Pan and Wendy.
Gallery
Trivia
- In the July 1995 issue of Disney Adventures magazine promoting the movie Pocahontas, there's a behind-the-scenes section of pages, one of which features a title card from pre-production that includes an early version of Pocahontas who looks a lot like this Tiger Lily, her arms folded, head held up high, eyes closed, and is surrounded by a few forest animals (a poster matching this description can also be seen in the documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty).
- In real life, calling the daughter of a tribal chief a "princess" is now often considered derogatory, like the way the Indians are seen in this film.
- Although the totem pole can be seen, she never returned in the sequel Return to Never Land. This may have been due to controversy.
- Ironically, Tiger Lily is the only member of her tribe in the "What Made the Red Man Red?" sequence who is portrayed with a realistic appearance and skin color, as opposed to the rest of the Native Americans in her tribe who all had cartoonish caricatured appearances and red skin colors. Despite this, she is still absent in most future renditions of the story.
- The revised sequence for the stage play gives Tiger Lily her first and only song in any Disney production "What Makes the Brave Girl Brave?".
See also
References
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