To riff off a “Peter Pan” song, they can fly, they can fly, they can fly, they can fly, they can fly.
Walt Disney World has added a new up-in-the-air dimension to the “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away” parade at Magic Kingdom. On the float devoted to the 1953 film based in Neverland, Peter Pan and Wendy Darling take flight, thanks to some wire-related magic.
The routine is a bit of an aerial — not Ariel, wrong film — ballet, with spinning choreography by the duo who dangle above a lit-up London scene that includes Big Ben. After months of fan speculation, the stunt debuted on the theme park’s streets Thursday evening.
Here we go: Peter Pan and Wendy now fly during the “Disney Starlight” parade at Magic Kingdom. (Steven Diaz/Walt Disney Co.)
Initial reviews were upbeat. Drew Smith posted a video on X (@DrewDisneyDude) from the initial performance, including cheers from onlookers.
“The moment that Peter Pan and Wendy took flight for the first time in Disney Starlight. The reaction made the wait worth it,” he posted.
“Watching them soar high above the London skyline float is the absolute ‘wow’ moment this parade has been waiting for,” posted X.com user @4chipandcompany.
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“Disney Starlight” has been running nightly at Magic Kingdom since July. That marked the first time the park had a regularly scheduled nighttime parade since 2016. Other movies represented in the parade, which kicks off with the Blue Fairy from “Pinocchio,” include “Encanto,” “Frozen,” “Coco” and “Moana” plus a royal court float filled with dancing princesses and princes along a finale float shaped like a locomotive, carrying Mickey Mouse and about a dozen pals.
Step-off time for the parade varies daily, but it is commonly 8:30 p.m. Some nights there are two showings, with a follow-up processional around 10:30 p.m. Times are available at disneyworld.com and on the My Disney Experience app.
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