Robert Niles
Editor
Robert Niles

Disneyland Announces Enhancements for Matterhorn, Peter Pan Rides (*Plus the Hatbox Ghost!)

April 9, 2015, 1:38 PM · Disneyland confirmed today that it is installing new animation and show effects during the current refurbishments of the Matterhorn and Peter Pan's Flight. Both attractions are scheduled to be reopened, in their improved form, for the start of the park's 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration in late May.

On Pan, Disney promises a "reimagined nursery scene and a variety of special effects."

Reimagined nursery scene
Concept art courtesy Disney

And on the Matterhorn, Disney said that riders will "see the Abominable Snowman in ways you’ve never seen him before."

Theme Park Insider's Jacob Sundstrom delivered the appropriate Jimmy Kimmel-style snark to that:

Disney did not provide specific reopening dates for these rides, but the Disneyland Diamond Celebration begins with a 24-hour party on May 22.

Update: (April 10) On Friday, Disneyland confirmed the return of the Hatbox Ghost, too!

Hatbox Ghost

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Replies (9)

anonymous
65.96.9.236
April 9, 2015 at 2:43 PM · Maybe we should fix Mr. Toad next.
CJS1993
Christopher Sturniolo
April 9, 2015 at 3:07 PM · Anyone predicting that they are going to replace Harold with some cheap video screen effect?
KeithSchneider
Keith Schneider
April 9, 2015 at 5:54 PM · With these recent updates to classic attractions, I feel bad these initiatives were not in place for EPCOT Center in the 90s. Journey Into Imagination, Horizons, and The Living Seas could have used freshening up with new effects, enhancing an already solid storyline, like The Haunted Mansion, Alice in Wonderland, and now Peter Pan. The storyline did not need to be changed. What we got in the end was an embarrassment. The original EPCOT Imagineers deserve better.
anonymous
108.231.17.154
April 10, 2015 at 12:38 AM · "Anyone predicting that they are going to replace Harold with some cheap video screen effect?"

That is unlikely going to happen. Give the imagineers some more credit than that.

Regardless, video screen effects are not necessarily a bad thing, (and they are not necessarily cheap.)

Figdragon
Sarah Warner
April 10, 2015 at 8:42 AM · Well said Keith!! Well said!!!
Dozer11
Brandon Mendoza
April 10, 2015 at 9:12 AM · Please no video screen only for Harold's replacement! It works in Alice due to the nature of that section, but to have a physical beast in front of you is something that can't be replicated by projections. But if they do some video mapping on his face to animate it, I would be open to that!
Anonymous878
Anon Mouse
April 10, 2015 at 11:39 AM · Reappearing, not returning, of the Hatbox Ghost. He was there the whole time. No date set so it could be the end of May or the start of the 60th on May 21st.

I feel bad for the Yeti. Matterhorn getting enhancements first.

Blake_M
Blake Meredith
April 10, 2015 at 3:44 PM · Matterhorn's yeti's are A LOT smaller and thus easier to modify, enhance, fix, or otherwise replace. Disco Yeti is Disney's largest animatronic ever built. Couple this with the fact that they can't even properly fix disco yeti would a significant removal and/or modification to the Everest structure itself and it could be years, possibly even decades, before poor old disco yeti is fixed.
anonymous
70.126.135.117
April 12, 2015 at 6:31 AM · Extremely pumped for these new updates! I especially hope the Peter Pan one's a success so that we can bring it to Florida. The animatronics are extremely stiff and some figures such as the mermaids are basically just little wax dolls.

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