Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is a trip in Fantasy Springs, the $2 billion enlargement that includes this space plus the Frozen Kingdom and Rapunzel’s Forest from Tangled. The new port-of-call is the costliest land in Disney historical past and a worthy addition to Tokyo DisneySea, the most effective theme park on the earth.
We’ve already reviewed Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, which we referred to as “flawless–a modern masterpiece of Imagineering.” That Arendelle attraction is more likely to be the #1 trip of the Fantasy Springs enlargement with most company. It takes a contemporary fan-favorite film and adapts it right into a meaty 6.5 minute boat trip with a improbable queue, memorable music, spectacular Audio Animatronics, and “how did they do that?” particular results.
While I had effusive reward for the brand new Frozen boat trip, I’m nonetheless not 100% positive it’s my private favourite in Fantasy Springs. It in all probability is, however Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure can also be within the working, and a detailed second at worst. So think about my shock after I pulled up the ole web to seek out that armchair reviewers had deemed it a giant miss. This assessment mainly explains why they’re misguided, together with comparisons to some different Disney and Universal points of interest to correctly contextualize the journey by way of Never Land.
Honestly, it shouldn’t be vastly stunning that Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is receiving somewhat tepid reactions amongst followers. This sort of factor invariably occurs when a brand new 3D screen-based attraction opens and the individuals “reviewing” it are watching 2D on-line ride-through movies.
It additionally shouldn’t be stunning that “experiencing” any attraction, not to mention one like this, through YouTube is suboptimal and fairly removed from what its creators meant. At the danger of stating the plain, if the trip expertise have been materially replicable through movies, what could be the purpose of paying all that cash to go to a theme park within the first place?
Personally, I don’t assume ride-through movies precisely replicate the expertise of normal ole darkish rides with Audio Animatronics and dimensional units, which is why I’m so anti-spoiler myself. And I definitely don’t assume video can do justice to points of interest which are, themselves, screen-based.
So a lot of the success of screen-based points of interest hinges on the whole package deal and the way suspension of disbelief is achieved (or isn’t!). In that case, ride-through movies are like a photocopy of a photocopy, versus viewing the factor itself in actual life. But we’ve been by way of all of this earlier than with Avatar Flight of Passage and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, which have been initially panned by critics who watched ride-throughs. Opinions clearly are what they’re, however visitor consensus on each of these could be very completely different from first impressions through video.
The similar is now true with Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure–an attraction that company visiting Fantasy Springs IRL are going to completely adore, regardless of the unfavourable first impressions through video.
Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure begins with company coming into a shipwrecked space of Fantasy Springs (vibes of Typhoon Lagoon and even Coral Landing over at Tokyo Disneyland). You traverse outside caves full with particles and a waterfall earlier than coming into a powerful indoor part of the queue.
The indoor portion of the queue emulates the jungle at nightfall, and is basically the bottom camp of the Lost Kids. It’s vaguely harking back to Lord of the Flies or Yellowjackets besides with out, you already know, all of the loss of life and darkish aspect of human nature. Although it’s my understanding that the unique Peter Pan was darker than Disney has led us to imagine…however I digress.
The environment within the perpetual nighttime setting of the jungle is pitch-perfect. The environment is serene and decompressing, the right antidote for what’s positive to be an extended wait. There’s additionally loads of visible curiosity, from tree forts to private belongings of the children. As with the queue for Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, there are additionally periodic results that activate to make the jungle really feel extra alive.
Here are my images from the queue of Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure:
From there, you enter the hideout pre-show. This units up Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, the premise of which is that company turn into a member of the Lost Kids and save John from Captain Hook and his pirates with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. The preshow and trip are completely in Japanese, however it’s not significantly story-driven though there’s dialogue.
After Peter Pan informs company that John has been kidnapped by Captain Hook and his pirate crew, they board a ship and set off on an journey. Here are images of the pre-show and queue main as much as the load space:
Tinker Bell then sprinkles fairy mud on the boat, and company to soar into the sky. Along the way in which, company see Wendy, Michael, the mermaids, Tiger Lily and, different beloved characters from the movie.
As they journey, company will uncover Captain Hook’s moored ship, the Jolly Roger, and be immersed within the battle between Peter Pan and the pirates. (All pictures that observe are courtesy of OLC; images and video should not allowed on the attraction itself–even throughout media previews. Well, aside from “reaction shots,” however I don’t assume you need to take a look at a bunch of images of my mug sporting 3D glasses and looking out confused.)
The 6-minute 3D motion-base-simulator-meets-dark trip attraction has company boarding makeshift boat trip autos just like the Scoop from The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man or Transformers: The Ride 3D, two points of interest at Universal Orlando (Spider-Man was at Universal Studios Japan, however has since closed). The high-walled boats direct visitor consideration at a sequence of screens that mix seamlessly with bodily units.
From my perspective, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It takes the tried and true components of the Universal Spider-Man and Transformers rides and iterates upon these. This alone could disappoint Disney followers, particularly since The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is about 25 years outdated. But it shouldn’t. I’m actually excited for Walt Disney World to lastly get Indiana Jones Adventure, and that’s even older! The finest rides aren’t good for a couple of years or a decade or no matter–they stand the check of time.
To that time, I like each The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and Transformers: The Ride 3D, which rating 10/10 and 9.5/10, respectively, in our trip evaluations for Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. I wrote that Spider-Man is “one of the best theme park attractions in the world” when reviewing that, and I actually imagine it’s a timeless masterpiece–a rarity for a screen-based attraction. Transformers garnered related reward for its superior and chaotic power–it’s like a Michael Bay blockbuster come to life.
It’s actually superb how the ‘on paper’ description of rides might be so related, but the feeling and vibe are completely completely different. Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is an journey, positive. It’s proper there within the identify. But in no way in the identical manner as Spider-Man and positively not within the frenzied sense of Transformers.
Instead, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is rather more like Avatar Flight of Passage, however utilizing a completely completely different trip system. With that simulator at Pandora: World of Avatar, you might have battle and pleasure, but in addition an imposing and well-paced attraction that takes its time to decelerate and chew on the surroundings. The thrills are adopted by a quiet and introspective second, and a grand finale that’s gorgeous and takes your breath away.
Even although Avatar Flight of Passage is a screen-based attraction, that fades away through the expertise. You are totally immersed within the expertise, and totally droop disbelief and embrace the motion over Pandora. It’s the identical concept with Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, however much more is completed right here to make you neglect you’re driving previous a sequence of screens.
Both points of interest have a sure je ne sais quoi that provokes an emotional response not like many different rides, and that’s a direct results of the pacing and manner they progresses from thrilling to serene hovering. It’s simply such a satisfying expertise, and it’s troublesome to completely articulate why.
On paper, Avatar Flight of Passage is sweet, however not the masterpiece it’s to so many company who really expertise it. Just like that trip was dubbed ‘Soarin’ on Steroids,’ this takes the ‘flight simulator’ (for lack of a greater time period) trip idea to the subsequent degree.
I’m spending a lot time on these examples as a result of that is precisely the components of Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure. It’s The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man meets Avatar Flight of Passage, with the trip system of the previous and the pacing of the latter. Absent compelling ride-through video and given my perception that this trip additionally has a sure je ne sais quoi to it, that’s the most effective I can supply–comparisons to 2 points of interest with which you would possibly already be acquainted.
Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is ideal to me. I just like the adventurous however majestic flight over Never Land, and the choice to go on this course with a trip within the fashion of Spider-Man, however that eschews the frenzied motion for one thing extra mellow was a daring–and proper–selection. The choice to borrow the beat-by-beat pacing from Flight of Passage was sensible. It’s really like that or Soaring: Fantastic Flight–and even Peter Pan’s Flight, however in simulator type.
It helps that Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure does an admirable job merging the screens and bodily units collectively. This would appear like a given because it’s over twenty years after Universal Creative perfected the expertise with Spider-Man. And but, newer points of interest like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure usually do a horrible job of mixing screens and units.
Thankfully, the identical isn’t true right here. It’s onerous to inform the place the screens finish and the dimensional environments start. Literally. Imagineering obtained intelligent in portray a number of the surroundings to match the screens (the most effective instance of that is the sky in display screen matching the units, and the border of the screens being hid by bushes or jungle).
Imagineering additionally used a particular UV paint that’s harking back to old style darkish rides, and likewise, of animation. There are additionally plenty of props and sensible results within the bodily units which are activated by the motion on the screens. For instance, the Lost Kids within the above picture are turning a wheel on-screen that lifts the precise boat as much as the proper, solely to have it fall a cut up second later.
All of this mixed, together with visible trickery in the way in which the screen-based motion is introduced (shadow-play, squinching, scrim projections), makes for a memorable expertise–and one the place suspension of disbelief is completed. Everything is working so effectively in unison that your mind stops seeing it as units vs. screens–it’s all Never Land.
My largest criticism of Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is that it by no means actually rises above The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man or Avatar Flight of Passage. I’d’ve cherished to see it bringing one thing new to the desk (and possibly it does through “invisible” know-how), however from a guest-facing perspective, it’s mainly simply the intersection of these two points of interest.
Audio Animatronics are the plain factor this might’ve added, however actually, I’m positive with Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure not having these. I believe AAs really would’ve labored in opposition to it, drawing company out of the second with know-how that’s very visibly completely different from the animation.
What I’d’ve appreciated to see is extra from the bodily environments. As it stands, they’re mainly elaborate frames (for lack of a greater time period) for the screen-centric motion. As famous, there are dimensional results in these scenes, however they couldn’t stand alone with out the screens. It’s not like Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure or Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, two points of interest that would arguably stand on their very own as darkish rides with out the screens (at the least some scenes) .
If viewing Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure as Flight of Passage however with a special trip system, there’s not likely a lot to criticize. It takes the whole lot about that attraction that works effectively, and enhances it.
The cadence of the trip car helps with this, and I like the choice to drift round within the water, with the boats bobbing round forwards and backwards earlier than easily chickening out and hovering over Never Land. That’s interrupted by cannon hearth and motion, however it by no means will get jerky. As with Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, it’s such as you’re the cinematographer for this scene–effectively, till your boat/the digicam crashes into one of many pirates.
Nevertheless, the floating then flying sensation is immensely satisfying. In tandem with the visuals, it’s what makes this a particular expertise, even when it’s “only” an iterative one on paper. The finale of the trip is the chef’s kiss, giving company one final flight over Never Land to savor because the parting scene.
You know the way company inexplicably clap on the finish of sure rides as a result of it simply hit all the proper notes? Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is that sort of attraction.
Ultimately, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is an unimaginable attraction that’s undoubtedly technically spectacular. But it’s much more spectacular how, as soon as once more, the tail doesn’t wag the canine and the know-how fades away, blurring collectively into the background. The finish result’s a trip that feels such as you’re flying over Never Land, seeing the Lost Kids interact in shenanigans, battling pirates, and so forth. The pleasure comes from the serenity and ease…even when it’s not really easy (in any respect) to perform such a sensation.
Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is true up there for me with Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey as my favourite attraction in Fantasy Springs. They’re virtually incomparable since they’re so completely different. I like the feeling of floating and flight in Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, so it’s the trip I choose for the vibe. But I’m a sucker for Audio Animatronics, so Frozen Journey in all probability will get the sting. It’s a detailed name, although, and these two are undoubtedly the 1A and 1B rides in Fantasy Springs.
The higher query is how Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure compares with The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man or Avatar Flight of Passage. For me, that is higher than the latter. There’s quite a bit to be stated for really shifting by way of bodily environments and the additional dimension that provides to an attraction.
As a lot as I like the Flight of Passage visuals and pacing, that is in all probability higher. The comparability to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is tougher; that’s a time-tested fashionable masterpiece that modified the sport over twenty years in the past. I choose the laid-back fashion of Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, however respect simply how revolutionary Spider-Man was on the time.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure? Were you underwhelmed by the ride-through video, or do you perceive that 2D video of a 3D attraction gives an incomplete expertise? What are your ideas on both this or that–good and unhealthy? Where does this trip rank relative to different next-gen Fantasyland points of interest? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your suggestions—even once you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!