When Will Peter Pan’s Flight Close in Disneyland?

A classic Disney attraction has been enveloped in some controversy and is set to close for refurbishment.

An original opening day attraction, Peter Pan’s Flight in Disneyland Park’s Fantasyland has undergone several changes over the years. Its most notable change came in 1983 and featured a major ride expansion and redesign that is largely what we have today. The changes have been effective, as Peter Pan’s Flight is incredibly popular to this day and often commands some of the longest wait times in Fantasyland. However, in an effort to be culturally sensitive, it appears that Disney is once again changing this attraction.

The ride is based on Disney’s 1953 animated film Peter Pan and takes riders flying through scenes on suspended miniature pirate ships. One of Disneyland’s most unique dark rides, Peter Pan’s Flight offers elevated views of a miniature London, vibrant Never Land, and characters from the film — including the Native Americans, which has sparked some controversy.

The Florida version of Peter Pan’s Flight in Magic Kingdom recently underwent a short refurbishment to address the scene with Tiger Lily and the Never Land Tribe to make it more culturally sensitive and accurate. The redesigned scene premiered on August 16th, 2024.

In a statement, Disney said, “Walt Disney Imagineering has a longstanding history of making updates and enhancements to keep attractions fresh, authentic, relatable and relevant. ” 

This line of thinking has been mirrored on Disney+, as Peter Pan now includes a pre-movie disclaimer that states that the stereotypes depicted in the original film “were wrong then and are wrong now.” In the disclaimer, Disney acknowledges the harmful impact of the stereotypes and wants to “learn from it, and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”

As the ride was also considered to promote harmful stereotypes, the updated scene in Magic Kingdom now features Tiger Lily dancing with her great-grandmother alongside better more authentic and respectful Native animatronics. These changes are coming to Disneyland, but a timeline has yet to be announced.

So when can we expect to see Peter Pan’s Flight close for this refurbishment? The answer isn’t simple. Disneyland has been in the midst of several closures and refurbishments over the last few months, and those announcements have been typically made on short notice.

It’s possible that the ride will close this fall or winter for a brief time. The changes in Magic Kingdom didn’t take very long, so it’s reasonable to expect Disneyland to shut down the ride temporarily before the Holiday & Christmas Celebrations begin at the Resort beginning November 15th and attendance ramps up.

However, during this year’s major D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event when tourism flooded into Anaheim, Disneyland had no reservations about closing popular attractions for refurbishment. It’s also possible that nothing will happen this year and the change will be made in 2025.

In reality, we really won’t know until a few weeks or a month before it happens, so if you’re planning a Disneyland vacation months out, there may not be a way to plan for this, unfortunately.

It’s hard to pinpoint when Disneyland will close Peter Pan’s Flight in order to make the changes, as Fantasyland is frequently in flux with refurbishments. With that said, you can count on us to bring you that update when it’s announced along with all the latest Disneyland news!

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Would a Peter Pan’s Flight closure affect your plans to visit Disneyland? Let us know in the comments!

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