Walt Disney Imagineering has unveiled its latest attempt to replace insensitive racial stereotypes in Disney's theme parks.
Peter Pan's Flight has reopened at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Inside the ride, Imagineers have removed the caricatures of indigenous people inspired by the 1953 Disney animated movie. In its place, park guests now will find "the Never Land Tribe harvest celebration featuring Tiger Lily," according to Michael Hundgen, Vice President Creative, Walt Disney World Portfolio at Walt Disney Imagineering.
Smithsonian Magazine detailed the The Racist History of Peter Pan’s Indian Tribe, and I would refer you to that link if you want the background for why Disney felt the need to make this change. Remember, Disney has been disclaiming its 1953 movie on Disney+:
Disney renewed its commitment to the Peter Pan IP with an expensive new attraction within the Fantasy Springs expansion at Tokyo DisneySea: Disney offers a new way to fly with Peter Pan in Tokyo. So it's not a surprise that Disney has chosen to try to preserve the Peter Pan rides in the United States rather than convert the popular suspended dark rides to another IP, as the company did with Splash Mountain.
The change in Orlando attempts to empower Tiger Lily while depicting the other members of the Tribe with dignity that was absent in the previous version of the scene.
I will wait until I see the new scene in person in Orlando, or Anaheim when it inevitably comes to Disneyland, before saying more. But for now, it's nice to see Disney working to plus a popular attraction like this.
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I'm surprised it's taken them this long to address this bit of a *very* popular attraction.
good, not too huge a change but needed as the stereotypes were pretty rough.
Reminds me how badly dated the Western River Expedition would have become....
The line for this ride is always such a labor that I’ve rarely taken the opportunity to ride that many times over the years. So much so that I honestly couldn’t tell you what this scene replaced, or rather, refreshed.
@fattyackin, summer of 2020, i took advantage of covid and enjoyed 15 minute waits on peter pan. i hadn't ridden it in years due to the usual 90 minute waits so probably rode it a dozen times that summer. first surprise was seeing the expanded indoor queue but what surprised me the most was that scene still being present in this day and age. it was jarring to say the least. glad they finally changed it.
I've seen recurring bits at sites talking on "why does Peter Pan have such insane long wait times?" Just something about it pulls folks in.
It’s definitely a ride system that I’m surprised they’ve not updated and used in some form again. It’s one of the reasons that I still cherish the ET ride at UO as well.
I am amazed ET lasting this long.
@fattyackin - The lines for Peter Pan are specifically because of the ride system and its limited capacity for what is a pretty unique experience in a Disney park. I'm not surprised Disney hasn't used this ride system on other attractions, because it's just not that efficient compared to other omni-movers and boat attractions.
This update is very tastefully done without completely stripping the Native American scene from the ride. They could have completely ripped Tiger Lilly from the ride, and it would not have dramatically impacted the flow of the attraction, but Imagineers had enough sense and reverence for the original material to recognize that the Native characters were an important part of JM Barrie's original work. This proves that Disney can still hold true to original works without gutting characters and scenes to satisfy ever-changing societal standards.
So glad all the white people approve of the changes.
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I like the update. Good for them.