Peter Pan's Flight

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peter Pan's Flight

Locations, openings and status
Disneyland July 17, 1955
Open
Magic Kingdom October 1, 1971
Open
Tokyo Disneyland April 15, 1983
Open
Disneyland Park (Paris) April 12, 1992
Open
Hong Kong Disneyland 2007-2008 (Tentative)
Under construction

Disneyland Park Attractions
50th Anniversary
Year of a Million Dreams
Main Street, U.S.A.
Disneyland Railroad Main Street Cinema Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years Main Street Vehicles Fire Engine Horse-Drawn Streetcars Horseless Carriage Omnibus
Fantasyland
Alice in Wonderland Casey Jr. Circus Train Dumbo the Flying Elephant Fantasyland Theater "it's a small world" King Arthur Carrousel Mad Tea Party Matterhorn Bobsleds Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Peter Pan's Flight Pinocchio's Daring Journey Sleeping Beauty Castle Snow White's Scary Adventures Storybook Land Canal Boats
Tomorrowland
Astro Orbitor Autopia Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Disneyland Monorail System Disneyland Railroad Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Honey, I Shrunk the Audience Innoventions Space Mountain Starcade Star Tours
Frontierland
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Tom Sawyer Island Frontierland Shootin' Exposition Mark Twain Riverboat Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island Sailing Ship Columbia Big Thunder Ranch The Golden Horseshoe Stage
Adventureland
Enchanted Tiki Room Indiana Jones Adventure Jungle Cruise Tarzan's Treehouse
New Orleans Square
Haunted Mansion Pirates of the Caribbean The Disney Gallery Club 33
Critter Country
Splash Mountain Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mickey's Toontown
Chip 'n Dale Treehouse Donald's Boat Gadget's Go Coaster Goofy's Playhouse Mickey's House Minnie's House Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
Entertainment
Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams Remember... Dreams Come True Dapper Dans Fantasmic!

Peter Pan's Flight is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris theme parks. Located in Fantasyland, it is one of the few remaining attractions that was operational on Disneyland's opening day in 1955. The ride's story is based on Disney's animated film version of the classic story.

1 History
2 Accidents
3 Attraction facts
4 See also

[edit] History

The original intent of the attraction was for the guests to fly through the ride as if they were Peter Pan. Audiences did not quite grasp this concept and were left wondering, "Why wasn't Peter Pan in the Peter Pan ride?" In 1983, during Fantasyland’s remodeling, an Audio-Animatronic Peter Pan was added to his namesake ride.

The original ride featured the ride vehicles flying through the nursery, out over London, onward to Never Land, and finally through Skull Rock, where riders saw Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Princess Tiger Lily and the Crocodile before unloading. The exterior had a medieval design with the queue being outside.

The Florida version of the ride, which opened in 1971, expanded on the original Disneyland attraction. While the overall theme and format of the ride was consistent with the original in California, the Florida ride, as with the other dark rides, would feature its characters in Audio-Animatronic style. The load/unload area featured Omnimover-style moving ramps (like the Haunted Mansion) to better allow for smooth traffic flow. The scenes in the ride were done on a larger scale. The Lost Boys camp and Mermaid Lagoon were added to the Never Land scene. Also, Hook's 48-foot pirate ship, complete with deck, masts, sails and rigging was included. Guests saw Hook and Peter engaged in hand-to-hand combat on the mainsail, while the boys were lashed to the mast and Wendy was about to walk from a plank. Guests would then see Peter and the Darlings posed victoriously on the ship, poised to sail into the sky, back to London.

In 1982, Disneyland's Fantasyland was in a phase of drastic overhaul. Some of its rides were being relocated to make room for expanded versions of the dark rides (as well a brand-new one). The posh redo of Fantasyland now resembled a rustic European village in the Alps, rather than a medieval faire. Mr. Toad and Snow White's dark rides moved their respective loading areas (and partial murals) indoors, but the Peter Pan ride still featured a colorful mural, depicting the characters from the film.

Departing from the station, but before entering the actual ride building, guests would fly over the rooftops of London. The new version of the ride included Audio-Animatronic versions of the characters, just like in Florida. As part of the new remodel, scenes from the Florida ride were added to Disneyland, including the pirate ship deck (unlike in Florida, Peter and Hook do not duel on the mainsail in California; but on the very bow of the ship). Few scenes are identical between the two versions, but they are amazingly similar. The new Disneyland ride opened as part of the rest of the New Fantasyland on May 25, 1983.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

After winding through the queue, guests board a three-passenger pirate ship, which is suspended from above to enhance the sensation of flying through the air (the ship hangs from a track on the ceiling, not on a floor track). The ship leaves the load area and winds through the Darlings' nursery, passing Nana the Nursemaid next to some toy blocks, the Darlings (Wendy, Michael and John) in bed and Peter Pan's shadow on the wall. Peter's voice is then heard saying, "And off to Never Land!" At this point, the ship flies out the nursery window and out over moonlit London. Lights twinkle all around. Below the ships are various miniature versions of London's famous landmarks: Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and the Thames river. Then, going past "the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning," the flying ships reach Neverland, where the guests go past some of its landmarks, including the Indian village, a glowing volcano, Mermaid Lagoon and Skull Rock. It is here that the guests encounter some of Neverland's most famous residents, including Princess Tiger Lily, Mr. Smee, the Crocodile and Peter's arch rival, Captain Hook (in addition to Peter and the Darlings).

[edit] Accidents

Peter Pan's Flight at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

On February 14, 2006, "A 70-year-old man was pinned between ride vehicles when he tried to board the ride from the load area moving sidewalk, at about 6:30 p.m. The ride was closed, then reopened the next morning after an investigation. No malfunction was found with the ride. The area around the ride in Fantasyland was evacuated for about an hour after the accident while emergency personnel assisted the victim. The man was treated for unspecified injuries at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was reported in good condition the next day. -- Reported on February 16, 2006 by Robert Niles."[1]

[edit] Attraction facts

[edit] Disneyland

Grand opening: July 17, 1955 (Opened with Disneyland Park)
- Re-dedication: May 23, 1983
Designer: WED Enterprises
Maximum seating capacity: 2 adults, and one child. This ride has a maxiumum weight capacity of approximately 600 lbs, and the Operating guidelines were changed in 2004 to the current maximum capacity of two adults and one child to minimize the possibilty of exceeding the weight limit. The Console cast member is also responsible for using good judgement, and making sure that the combined weight of the adults will not exceed the weight limit.
Show length: 2:10
Required ticket: "C"
Ride system: Dark ride