What is the name of the Darling family’s dog and nursemaid? Nana.
Nana is the Darling family’s dog and the children’s nursemaid in Disney’s Peter Pan (1953). She watches over Wendy, John, and Michael in the nursery, bringing a practical, animal-like sense of responsibility to a household increasingly absorbed in stories about Peter Pan.
At the beginning of the film, George Darling is frustrated that Wendy is still telling Peter Pan stories and orders Nana out of the nursery. He chains the dog outside because he insists that Nana is a dog, not a nurse. This decision helps create the opening for Peter to enter the nursery and invite the children to Never Land.
Nana is not the same character as Perdita, Lady, or Pluto. Perdita belongs to One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Lady is from Lady and the Tramp, and Pluto is Mickey Mouse’s dog. Nana comes from J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan tradition, where the Newfoundland-like dog serves as a nursemaid. At the film’s end, Nana is brought back inside after the children return, restoring her place in the Darling household.