About this episode

The episode explores the 1983 rebuild of Disneyland's Fantasyland and the changes made to Peter Pan's Flight.

In the 1980s, Imagineering completely tore apart Walt Disney's original Fantasyland. But how did they decide on what should replace it? And what did they decide NOT to build? On this episode of Distory with Kate & Kirk, we fly back in time to Disneyland’s 1983 opening of New Fantasyland and Disney's Peter Pan’s Flight. Through rare Imagineering documents and vintage photos, we deep-dive into the details of how they dismantled and rebuilt Walt’s original Fantasyland, including some concepts that never came to pass. As we fly along, Kirk takes us on a tour of dormer windows, Kate points out some ideas that didn't pan out for Imagineering, and we both lament the loss of so much art and memories when the bulldozers tore down Walt Disney's original Fantasyland. While waiting for the dispatch of our pirate galleons, we research some common Disney rumors, discover what inspired some of the queue design, and learn from original work documents how Imagineering pivoted away from their first idea of simply copying the 1971 Walt Disney World version of Peter Pan's Flight. Join us LIVE on YouTube every week! Be notified by subscribing to Kate’s Youtube…

People in this episode

Hosts: Kate, Kirk

Topics covered

• Disney history
• Fantasyland
• Imagineering
• Peter Pan's Flight
• 1983 Disneyland Rebuild

Keywords

• Disneyland
• Fantasyland
• Imagineering
• Peter Pan's Flight
• 1983 rebuild
• Walt Disney

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Imagineering

Books & works: Peter Pan's Flight

Places: Disneyland

More episodes of Distory with Kate & Kirk

• 186. BONUS EPISODE: The Hardest Part of Being a Disney Creator · April 25, 2026 · 1h 38m
• 185. 6 Springtime Disney History Stories: Rare Moments & Disney Parks Details Hidden in Plain Sight · April 11, 2026 · 1h 19m
• 184. Is Disneyland Paris the Best Version of Peter Pan’s Flight? : Comparing Anaheim vs. Paris - Peter Pan Part 9 · April 4, 2026 · 1h 45m
• 183. What You Miss in the Queue of WDW's Peter Pan’s Flight: Where Imagineering Got It Right (and Wrong) - Peter Pan Part 8 · March 28, 2026 · 1h 42m
• 182. The Lost Scenes of Peter Pan’s Flight: What Imagineering Cut from the 1983 Disneyland Ride - Peter Pan Part 7 · March 21, 2026 · 1h 31m
• 181. Inside the Darling Nursery in Disneyland's Peter Pan's Flight: What Imagineering Included (and what they DIDN'T) - Peter Pan Part 6 · March 14, 2026 · 1h 4m

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