The Fanciful History of Peter Pan’s Flight in the Disney Parks

Disney movies have inspired countless magical rides at the Disney Parks, many of them becoming classics spanning generations. One such beloved ride stars the boy who never grows up and the adventure-filled island of Neverland.

Now found around the world, Peter Pan’s Flight has been an integral part of the Disney parks experience from their very conception. Even today, its unique “flying ships” make for a magical experience.

So let’s fly right into the ride’s rich and amazing history – here we go!

The Beginning at Disneyland

When the first Disneyland park opened at Anaheim, California in 1955, Walt Disney and his talented team of Imagineers were still rushing to finish last-minute touches in time for the grand opening. Peter Pan’s Flight was no exception and took hard and fast labor to complete it on time. In fact, because the ride systems were not in place at the park yet, designers had to build a test track at Disney’s studio. Peter Pan was also the most recent Disney movie at the time of Disneyland’s opening, having been released in theaters just a couple years back in 1953.

Disneyland marked a turning point for dark rides by applying new technology like black light to create amazing experiences, and Peter Pan’s Flight especially shined. While other dark rides like more on dangers, Peter Pan’s Flight highlighted fun and fanciful storytelling elements like flying. In fact, the optical illusions to make it seem like the ships were flying might have inspired later flight-like rides. Even the entrance stood out from other Fantasyland rides, with beautiful mural paintings highlighting Neverland’s magical wonder.

Disneyland’s opening was in many ways a learning experience for Walt Disney and Imagineers, as they built on successes and adjusted to early mistakes. One thing that Disney changed in later approaches to the ride was the initial plan to leave out the main characters. The idea had been for riders to literally take the place of Peter Pan, making it as if you were seeing things through the hero’s own eyes. This threw off many guests, however, as they wanted to see Peter Pan and were disappointed by his absence. Also, the unique track design was somewhat problematic, making noise and sometimes breaking down. Disney recognized the issues and planned to address them at their next big park: Disney World.

Improving the Approach at Disney World

With more time to plan and more land and other resources to utilize, Disney World was an opportunity for Disney’s Imagineers to take what they did at Disneyland and make it all better than ever before. And Peter Pan’s Flight was one such carry-over from Disneyland that received a significant upgrade. The new ride used a new pipe rail track system that fixed many previous problems like noise and maintenance. In addition, the pirate ships were larger, and the loading area now featured ramps for easier boarding.

But most of all, the new Peter Pan’s Flight actually featured Peter Pan himself. For example, the finale had Peter and Hook duel aboard a 48-foot recreation of the Jolly Roger. Afterwards, Peter then pilots the ship back to London. Not only did Imagineers add Peter into the scenes, they also added in new parts for the adventure, such as the Lost Boys’ camp and the wonderful Mermaid Lagoon. Even the past parts from Disneyland were larger than before, since the Disney World attraction had more space to expand. By keeping the magical wonder of the initial attraction and fixing and adding more features, Disney World’s version made Peter Pan’s Flight soar to even greater acclaim.

Disneyland’s New Fantasyland

The improvements to Peter Pan’s Flight, in turn, flew back to where it all started in Anaheim. When Disneyland upgraded to the New Fantasyland in 1982, Peter Pan’s Flight expanded and upgraded, applying many of the tricks learned at Disney World. Like the Disney World version, Anaheim’s ride now features scenes featuring Peter Pan, as well as the additional scenes like the Mermaid Lagoon. Other scenes, such as Hook struggling with the Crocodile, were new to Disneyland. It also made the start of the ride look as if you flew past London houses before entering the Darling nursery.

And these various characters, from Peter to Hook, were no longer stationary and silent like on the original ride. Instead, like the Disney World ones, they were audio-animatronics, making the experience even more magical. Even the outside of the ride, while retaining the colorful murals, changed, as the building took on more English-style architecture to match the fairy tale. Further updates to Disneyland’s version happened in 2015, with new animatronics in the nursery room and extra special effects.

Making the Wait Into Its Own Adventure

The one downside to Peter Pan’s Flight at the Magic Kingdom for a long time has been the excessive wait, often backing up to over an hour or two. Despite the fast pace of the actual ride, the limited capacity for each vehicle (2 passengers per boat) means it can take a while to ever get on. And the old line just extended around the outside of the ride, with nothing interesting to entertain guests while standing. But that all changed in 2016, when Disney Imagineers transformed the wait queue into a magical, interactive story.

Now, instead of waiting outside, the immersive set-up leads you right into the opening part of Peter Pan’s story. After walking through a nighttime recreation of the outside of the Darling house, you’ll actually go inside and see many of the same toys, beds, and other nursery features seen in the movie. And that’s just the start of the fun. Brilliant special effects make the nursery come to life with interactive games. For instance, you can use your shadows to ring bells, or watch Tinker Bell’s jingling light dart about the room and make objects spring to life. Now you’ll want to dawdle in line, just so you can see every bit of the experience. Don’t forget to also check out the beautiful paintings, reflecting the same style as the murals at the start of the ride.

Surprises in Shanghai

Peter Pan’s Flight has appeared at parks around the world, including Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, but the most spectacular version opened at Shanghai Disneyland in 2016. While much of the ride will be familiar to those who have been to other parks, Shanghai has also made some great new additions to spice things up. First, the flying galleons now carry four passengers instead of just two, helping to speed up the line. But things get even better once you get on the boats and set sail.

From the very start, Shanghai’s ride does things a little differently. Instead of paintings of Neverland or London from the air, but the backdrop showcases a London park at night (complete with the swans Peter harasses in the movie). The scenery throughout the ride is better than ever, with your boat splashing down into the water at Skull Rock and finishing the adventure by flying straight into Big Ben.

And in Shanghai, animatronics aren’t the only way for your favorite characters to show up on the ride. New projection technology creates vivid, animated scenes in the background, from the Darling children flying across London to Peter and Hook sword-fighting. It’s almost as if the animated characters just popped to life in front of you, and it’s a brilliant demonstration of the potential for special effects on Disney rides.

Peter Pan’s Flight has been an important part of Disney park history and, through continual innovations to create more immersive experiences, remain ever popular with kids and adults alike.

Is Peter Pan’s Flight a must-do for you? Let us know what you love about it in the comments below!

Comments (1)