Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is a experience in Fantasy Springs, the $2 billion enlargement that includes this space plus the Frozen Kingdom and Rapunzel’s Forest from Tangled. The brand new port-of-call is the costliest land in Disney historical past and a worthy addition to Tokyo DisneySea, the perfect theme park on this planet.
We’ve already reviewed Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, which we known as “flawless–a contemporary masterpiece of Imagineering.” That Arendelle attraction is more likely to be the #1 experience of the Fantasy Springs enlargement with most visitors. It takes a contemporary fan-favorite film and adapts it right into a meaty 6.5 minute boat experience with a unbelievable queue, memorable music, spectacular Audio Animatronics, and “how did they try this?” particular results.
Whereas I had effusive reward for the brand new Frozen boat experience, I’m nonetheless not 100% certain it’s my private favourite in Fantasy Springs. It in all probability is, however Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey can also be within the operating, and a detailed second at worst. So think about my shock after I pulled up the ole web to search out that armchair reviewers had deemed it an enormous miss. This evaluate principally explains why they’re misguided, together with comparisons to a couple different Disney and Common points of interest to correctly contextualize the journey by By no means Land.
Truthfully, it shouldn’t be massively stunning that Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is receiving fairly tepid reactions amongst followers. Such a 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 supposed. On the danger of stating the plain, if the experience 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 standard 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 might be, themselves, screen-based.
A lot of the success of screen-based points of interest hinges on the entire 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. However we’ve been by all of this earlier than with Avatar Flight of Passage and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Problem, which have been initially panned by critics who watched ride-throughs. Opinions clearly are what they’re, however visitor consensus on each of these may be very completely different from first impressions through video.
The identical is now true with Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey–an attraction that visitors visiting Fantasy Springs IRL are going to completely adore, regardless of the damaging first impressions through video.
Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey begins with visitors coming into a shipwrecked space of Fantasy Springs (vibes of Hurricane Lagoon and even Coral Touchdown over at Tokyo Disneyland). You traverse out of doors 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 actually the bottom camp of the Misplaced Children. It’s vaguely harking back to Lord of the Flies or Yellowjackets besides with out, you recognize, all of the loss of life and darkish aspect of human nature. Though it’s my understanding that the unique Peter Pan was darker than Disney has led us to consider…however I digress.
The ambiance within the perpetual nighttime setting of the jungle is pitch-perfect. The ambiance is serene and decompressing, the right antidote for what’s certain to be an extended wait. There’s additionally loads of visible curiosity, from tree forts to non-public 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.
Listed below are my pictures from the queue of Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey:
From there, you enter the hideout pre-show. This units up Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey, the premise of which is that visitors turn into a member of the Misplaced Children and save John from Captain Hook and his pirates with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. The preshow and experience are fully in Japanese, nevertheless it’s not significantly story-driven though there’s dialogue.
After Peter Pan informs visitors that John has been kidnapped by Captain Hook and his pirate crew, they board a ship and set off on an journey. Listed below are pictures of the pre-show and queue main as much as the load space:
Tinker Bell then sprinkles fairy mud on the boat, and visitors to soar into the sky. Alongside the best way, visitors see Wendy, Michael, the mermaids, Tiger Lily and, different beloved characters from the movie.
As they journey, visitors will uncover Captain Hook’s moored ship, the Jolly Roger, and be immersed within the battle between Peter Pan and the pirates. (All photos that observe are courtesy of OLC; pictures and video will not be allowed on the attraction itself–even throughout media previews. Nicely, apart from “response pictures,” however I don’t assume you need to have a look at a bunch of pictures of my mug sporting 3D glasses and looking out confused.)
The 6-minute 3D motion-base-simulator-meets-dark experience attraction has visitors boarding makeshift boat experience autos just like the Scoop from The Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man or Transformers: The Trip 3D, two points of interest at Common Orlando (Spider-Man was at Common 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 By no means Land Journey doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It takes the tried and true method of the Common Spider-Man and Transformers rides and iterates upon these. This alone might disappoint Disney followers, particularly since The Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man is about 25 years previous. But it surely shouldn’t. I’m actually excited for Walt Disney World to lastly get Indiana Jones Journey, and that’s even older! The most effective rides aren’t good for just a few years or a decade or no matter–they stand the check of time.
To that time, I like each The Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man and Transformers: The Trip 3D, which rating 10/10 and 9.5/10, respectively, in our experience evaluations for Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida. I wrote that Spider-Man is “top-of-the-line theme park points of interest on this planet” when reviewing that, and I actually consider it’s a timeless masterpiece–a rarity for a screen-based attraction. Transformers garnered comparable reward for its superior and chaotic vitality–it’s like a Michael Bay blockbuster come to life.
It’s actually superb how the ‘on paper’ description of rides might be so comparable, but the feeling and vibe are completely completely different. Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is an journey, certain. It’s proper there within the title. However in no way in the identical means as Spider-Man and definitely not within the frenzied sense of Transformers.
As an alternative, Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is far more like Avatar Flight of Passage, however utilizing a completely completely different experience system. With that simulator at Pandora: World of Avatar, you have got battle and pleasure, but additionally an impressive 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.
Regardless that Avatar Flight of Passage is a screen-based attraction, that fades away through the expertise. You’re absolutely immersed within the expertise, and absolutely droop disbelief and embrace the motion over Pandora. It’s the identical thought with Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey, however much more is finished right here to make you overlook you’re using previous a sequence of screens.
Each points of interest have a sure je ne sais quoi that provokes an emotional response in contrast to many different rides, and that’s a direct results of the pacing and means 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 nice, however not the masterpiece it’s to so many visitors who truly expertise it. Identical to that experience was dubbed ‘Soarin’ on Steroids,’ this takes the ‘flight simulator’ (for lack of a greater time period) experience idea to the subsequent degree.
I’m spending a lot time on these examples as a result of that is precisely the method of Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey. It’s The Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man meets Avatar Flight of Passage, with the experience system of the previous and the pacing of the latter. Absent compelling ride-through video and given my perception that this experience additionally has a sure je ne sais quoi to it, that’s the perfect I can supply–comparisons to 2 points of interest with which you may already be acquainted.
Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is ideal to me. I just like the adventurous however majestic flight over By no means Land, and the choice to go on this path with a experience within the model of Spider-Man, however that eschews the frenzied motion for one thing extra mellow was a daring–and proper–alternative. The choice to borrow the beat-by-beat pacing from Flight of Passage was good. It’s really like that or Hovering: Unbelievable Flight–and even Peter Pan’s Flight, however in simulator type.
It helps that Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey does an admirable job merging the screens and bodily units collectively. This would appear like a given because it’s over 20 years after Common Inventive perfected the expertise with Spider-Man. And but, newer points of interest like Remy’s Ratatouille Journey usually do a horrible job of mixing screens and units.
Fortunately, the identical isn’t true right here. It’s laborious to inform the place the screens finish and the dimensional environments start. Actually. Imagineering obtained intelligent in portray a few of the surroundings to match the screens (the perfect 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 skool darkish rides, and in addition, of animation. There are additionally numerous props and sensible results within the bodily units which might be activated by the motion on the screens. For instance, the Misplaced Children within the above photograph are turning a wheel on-screen that lifts the precise boat as much as the fitting, solely to have it fall a cut up second later.
All of this mixed, together with visible trickery in the best way the screen-based motion is offered (shadow-play, squinching, scrim projections), makes for a memorable expertise–and one the place suspension of disbelief is achieved. The whole lot is working so nicely in unison that your mind stops seeing it as units vs. screens–it’s all By no means Land.
My largest criticism of Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is that it by no means actually rises above The Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man or Avatar Flight of Passage. I might’ve liked to see it bringing one thing new to the desk (and possibly it does through “invisible” expertise), however from a guest-facing perspective, it’s principally simply the intersection of these two points of interest.
Audio Animatronics are the plain factor this might’ve added, however actually, I’m high-quality with Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey not having these. I believe AAs truly would’ve labored towards it, drawing visitors out of the second with expertise that’s very visibly completely different from the animation.
What I might’ve preferred to see is extra from the bodily environments. Because it stands, they’re principally 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 Problem, two points of interest that might arguably stand on their very own as darkish rides with out the screens (not less than some scenes) .
If viewing Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey as Flight of Passage however with a special experience system, there’s probably not a lot to criticize. It takes every part about that attraction that works nicely, and enhances it.
The cadence of the experience automobile helps with this, and I like the choice to drift round within the water, with the boats bobbing round backwards and forwards earlier than easily retreating and hovering over By no means Land. That’s interrupted by cannon fireplace and motion, nevertheless 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–nicely, till your boat/the digital camera crashes into one of many pirates.
Nonetheless, 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 “solely” an iterative one on paper. The finale of the experience is the chef’s kiss, giving visitors one final flight over By no means Land to savor because the parting scene.
You know the way visitors inexplicably clap on the finish of sure rides as a result of it simply hit all the proper notes? Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is that sort of attraction.
In the end, Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is an unimaginable attraction that’s undoubtedly technically spectacular. But it surely’s much more spectacular how, as soon as once more, the tail doesn’t wag the canine and the expertise fades away, blurring collectively into the background. The tip result’s a experience that feels such as you’re flying over By no means Land, seeing the Misplaced Children have interaction in shenanigans, battling pirates, and so forth. The enjoyment comes from the serenity and ease…even when it’s not truly easy (in any respect) to perform such a sensation.
Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey 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 By no means Land Journey, so it’s the experience I favor for the vibe. However 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 positively the 1A and 1B rides in Fantasy Springs.
The higher query is how Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey compares with The Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man or Avatar Flight of Passage. For me, that is higher than the latter. There’s quite a bit to be mentioned for truly shifting by 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 Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man is harder; that’s a time-tested fashionable masterpiece that modified the sport over 20 years in the past. I favor the laid-back model of Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey, however respect simply how revolutionary Spider-Man was on the time.
Planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? For complete recommendation, the perfect place to start out is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Journey Planning Information! For extra specifics, our TDR Resort Rankings & Opinions web page covers lodging. Our Restaurant Opinions element the place to dine & snack. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash put up. Our What to Pack for Disney put up takes a novel have a look at intelligent objects to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Seek the advice of our Final Information to Kyoto, Japan and Metropolis Information to Tokyo, Japan.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey? Had been 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 dangerous? The place does this experience rank relative to different next-gen Fantasyland points of interest? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluate? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions—even if you disagree with us—is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
