Peter Pan's Flight is an attraction located in Fantasyland.
Peter Pan's Flight | |
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The exterior of Peter Pan's Flight. | |
Magic Kingdom | |
Land | Fantasyland |
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Opening date | October 3rd, 1971 |
Vehicle type | Aerial Galleon |
Ride duration | 3:00 minutes |
Based on | Disney's Peter Pan |
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Attraction History
Although Peter Pan's Flight was not an opening day attraction in Walt Disney World's Fantasyland, it did open two days later on October 3, 1971. The ride was an expanded version of Disneyland's Peter Pan attraction which had opened in 1955. Unlike other dark rides, Peter Pan's Flight let guests "fly". To give guests this feeling, Imagineer Marvin Davis came up with a new ride system. Instead of having the vehicles run on a ground track, the ride vehicles are connected by a large rod to a track on the ceiling. The original Disneyland version of the ride was made so that guests would see the story of Peter Pan, through his eyes. Because of this, Peter Pan himself was nowhere to be seen on the attraction. Guests would board ride vehicles and go through the story as if they were Peter Pan. Despite Imagineers best efforts, many guests did not understand the rides premise, and they were confused as to why Peter Pan was not in an attraction which was named after him.
When Walt Disney World was originally being designed, there were no plans for a Peter Pan attraction to be built. Instead, the attraction would have been replaced by a Mary Poppins ride that took guests “flying” through various scenes from the movie. Eventually however, due to either the coast of creating the new attraction, or guest expectations for a similar Fantasyland, it was decided to include an expanded version of Disneyland's Peter Pan's Flight in Walt Disney World. Although the basic idea of guests flying over scenes from Peter Pan was kept intact, the storyline was changed, so that it included Peter Pan as a main character. Other changes to the attraction included the addition of Audio Animatronics, which were not present in the Disneyland version of the attraction. Scenes depicting Peter fighting with Captain Hook (aboard his 48 foot long ship) and then Peter celebrating with the Darling children were also added to the Disney World version. The final difference between the two attractions was the way that guests loaded into their ride vehicles. Instead of stopping the ride vehicles to load and unload guests, Peter Pan's Flight in Disney World uses an Omnimover system, similar to the one used in the Haunted Mansion.
Although Peter Pan's Flight hasn't seen any major changes since it opened, the attraction is expected to get an interactive queue in the near future. The queue will extend out to the former location of the Fantasyland Skyway station, which had been used for restrooms in recent years.
Attraction Plot
Peter Pan's Flight is a dark ride attraction that takes guests "flying" through the story of Disney's Peter Pan. After walking through a covered queue, guests reach the loading area. Here, guests board "aerial galleons" as they move forward into the show building. Behind them, a large mural of scenes from the movie can be seen. Before entering the building, the galleons are sprinkled with pixie dust, which causes them to begin to fly. After ascending into the air, the first scene that guests see depicts Wendy reading to John and Michael as they go to sleep. In the background, guests can hear nursery music playing. Riders then hear Peter Pan say, "Here we gooooooo" as he and the Darling children fly out the window. As the children fly off into the night, below them riders can see Nana (the family’s dog) barking. The galleons then fly over London, swooping just over Big Ben. As they soar over the city, riders can hear the song "You Can Fly" playing. If guests look closely at the moon as they fly by, silhouettes of Wendy, John, Michael and Peter can be seen.
After flying over London, the children fly into Neverland. Below, Captain Hook orders his crew to fire upon Peter (and the guests). As the galleons continue over Neverland, guests can see the Mermaid Lagoon, the Lost Boy's Camp and Tiger Lilly's tribe far below. The next scene guests enter brings them up close to Captain Hook's ship, where they discover that Hook has taken Wendy, Michael, John and the Lost Boys captive. Nearby, guests can see the Tik-Tok Crocodile floating in the water. Peter Pan then arrives and battles Hook aboard his ship. After defeating the pirate and taking control of the ship, Peter and the Darling children are shown celebrating. In the water, the Tik Tok Crocodile can be seen trying to eat Hook, as the captain calls out for Mr. Smee. The final scene in the attraction depicts Peter flying the Darling children back to London aboard Captain Hook's ship. Guests then arrive back at the loading area, and exit the attraction.
Cast
- Peter Pan- Ronnie McMillan
- Wendy Darling- Kathryn Beaumont
- Indian Chief- Candy Candido
- Captain Hook- Corey Burton
- Mr. Smee- Corey Burton
See the Attraction!
Fun Facts and Trivia
- Big Ben reads 7:15 on the mural of London that located in the attraction's loading area.
- The mural was painted by Disney Imagineers Ken Anderson and Claude Coats.
- Although forced perspective makes it seem higher, guests are actually only seventeen feet above the scenes in Peter Pan's Flight.
- Famous locations that can be seen on Peter Pan's Flight include: the Thames River, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower Bridge and the Parliament Building.