The fan-favorite and must ride Peter Pan’s Flight will be getting a makeover. The ride opened in 1955 on Disneyland‘s famed opening day, and they are keen on removing the racial stereotypes and caricatures of Indigenous people.
Specifically, the Pow-Wow scene that includes an angry looking Chief with his arms and legs crossed.
The Neverland Tribe was portrayed as “Red Indians,” and while that may have been a popular fantasy trope at the time, it hasn’t aged well. The portrayal of a “red-skinned angry ‘Indian'” is harmful to the Indigenous community. When Disney released the 1953 animated “Peter Pan” on Disney+, they added a disclaimer, as well as not allowing it to be viewed on a child’s profile (under the age of 7).
On August 16th, Walt Disney World launched an updated version of the same ride at Magic Kingdom in Florida. The new version shows a “Harvest Celebration” where Princess Tiger Lily performs by the fire with her great-grandmother.
There is currently no timeline for when the changes take effect on Peter Pan’s Flight at Disneyland. It is expected to be done in tandem with the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is replacing the original Splash Mountain theming.
