AROUND THE WORLD In addition to DLR and WDW , you ’ ll find Peter Pan ’ s Flight in Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris . But the newest — and perhaps best — version is in Shanghai . It opened in 2016 with galleons that could seat four adults for a faster queue time . On top of that , the scenery is much more modern , projection technology gives us a new way of seeing the story ( and a more nail-biting sword fight ), and the ride includes a “ splash-down ” into the water by Skull Rock and a nose-diving finale into Big Ben .
IT TAKES PIXIE DUST — AND IMAGINEERING Peter Pan ’ s Flight makes use of several ingenious Imagineer tricks to transport guests to Neverland . Forced perspective , an Imagineering favorite , creates the illusion that you are soaring high above London when in reality , the peak of your flight takes you just 17 feet above the ground .
That famous London scene at the start of the ride actually houses quite a bit of Imagineering . Look closely the next time you ride to see the tiny cars moving throughout the city . How did they do it ? Imagineers dotted bicycle chains with glow-in-the-dark paint . From 17 feet up , those dots on the moving chains appear as moving cars ; perhaps one contains Mr . and Mrs . Darling , on their way home from a party .
The Disneyland ride originally used an overhead conveyor system ; to build it , Imagineers took inspiration from factories . But the first system was noisy and broke down regularly , leading to even longer lines . When Peter Pan ’ s Flight debuted at WDW , Imagineers had developed a new pipe rail system that was much more reliable — and quiet .
But some of the best Imagineering happens before you ever board your galleon . The enhanced queue ’ s interactivity includes several Imagineering tricks . We can thank the advent of projection mapping for giving us a Tinker Bell who darts about the nursery , bumping into elements like the model ship and the globe . She eventually sprinkles pixie dust atop guests , right before they head back to the loading area where they ’ ll fly away in a ship . Talk about clever timing .
The true hallmark of the interactive queue , though , is the shadow area that allows guests , via their own shadows , to interact with projected shadows on the wall . This appears to be an evolution of the amazing effect applied to Haunted Mansion in 2011 , which allows the Hitchhiking Ghosts to interact with guests .
SUCH A WONDERFUL ADVENTURE An opening-day attraction at both Disneyland and Disney World , Peter Pan ’ s Flight is integral to Disney ’ s Fantasyland . It may have undergone needed changes throughout the years , but the heart of this attraction has never changed . In that way , Peter Pan ’ s Flight has not yet grown up — and I sincerely hope it never does .
Remember : Second star to the right and straight on till morning . PHOTO BY ERNIE CARR