Peter Pan's Flight
Encyclopedia : P : PE : PET : Peter Pan's Flight
| Disneyland Park Attractions |
|---|
| 50th Anniversary |
| Main Street, U.S.A. |
Main Street Vehicles
|
| Fantasyland |
|
| Tomorrowland |
| Frontierland |
|
| Adventureland |
| New Orleans Square |
| Critter Country |
|
| Mickey's Toontown |
|
| Entertainment |
History
The original intent of the ride was for the guests to feel as if they were Peter Pan. Audiences did not quite grasp this and were left wondering, "Why wasn't Peter Pan in the Peter Pan ride?" In 1983, during Fantasyland’s remodeling, Peter Pan was added to his namesake's ride.The original ride showed the flying ships going through the nursery, out over London, onward to Never Land and finally through Skull Rock where you see Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Princess Tiger Lily and the Crocodile before you get back to the station. 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 version of Peter Pan in numerous ways. 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 larger and done in a larger scale. It's basically the same ride as in Disneyland, but the Florida version adds the Lost Boys camp and Mermaid Lagoon to the Never Land scene. Also, Hook's 48-foot pirate ship complete with deck, masts, sails and rigging was included, as well. 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 and sail to London.
In 1982, Disneyland's Fantasyland was in its phase of drastic overhaul, thus entering a new era. 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 more of a rustic European village in the Alps 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 offered a colorful mural, depicting the characters from the film.
Departing from the station, but before entering the ride building, guests would go 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 Florida, though, Peter and Hook do not duel on the mainsail in California; they dueled on the very bow of the ship. In fact, few scenes are identical, yet are amazingly similar. The new Disneyland ride opened as part of the rest of the New Fantasyland on May 25, 1983.
After winding through the queue, guests board a two-passenger pirate ship, which is suspended from above to enhance the sensation of flying through the air. The ship therefore is hanging from the ceiling instead of riding on a track on the ground. The ship leaves the load area and winds through the Darlings' nursery, passing by 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 himself is then heard saying, "And off to Never Land!" At this point, the ship flies out the nursery window and out over moonlit London at night. All around are lights twinkling. Below the ships are various miniature versions of London's famous landmarks: Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and the Thames river. It's very magical. Then, by going past "the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning", the flying ships reach Neverland, where the guests go past some landmarks of its own, including the Indian village, a glowing volcano, Mermaid Lagoon and Skull Rock. It is here that, in addition to Peter and the Darlings, the guests also encounter some of Neverland's most famous residents, including Princess Tiger Lily, Mr. Smee, the Crocodile and Peter's arch rival, Captain Hook.
Peter Pan's Flight at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom 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.[link]
Attraction facts
Disneyland
- Grand opening: July 17, 1955 (Opened with Disneyland Park)
- * Re-dedication: May 23, 1983
- Designer: WED Enterprises
- Maximum seating capacity: 3 per pirate ship
- Show length: 2:10
- Required ticket: "C"
- Ride system: Dark ride
Magic Kingdom
- Grand opening: October 1, 1971 (Opened with the Magic Kingdom)
- Designer: WED Enterprises
- Maximum seating capacity: 2 per pirate ship
- Show length: 2:45
- Ride system: Dark ride (Omnimover loading)
Tokyo Disneyland
- Grand opening: April 15, 1983 (Opened with Tokyo Disneyland)
- Designer: WED Enterprises
- Maximum seating capacity: 2 per pirate ship
- Show length: Approx. 2:30
- Ride system: Dark ride (Omnimover loading)
Disneyland Paris
- Grand opening: April 12, 1992 (Opened with Disneyland Paris)
- Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
- Maximum seating capacity: 4 per pirate ship
- Show length: Approx 3:00
- Ride system: Dark ride
Hong Kong Disneyland
- Tentative opening: Summer, 2006-2007
References
See also
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.