Days of Disney Past: If You Had Wings

How well would Eastern Air Lines and the Walt Disney's Imagineers work together to create an attraction that is still talked about 50 years after its creation? Pretty darned well, I'd say! In fact, this sweet little free attraction (in the days of A thru E Tickets) in the Magic Kingdom  influenced many other beloved rides in Walt Disney World. 

Opening about 8 months after the initial Florida park, If You Had Wings took guests on an around the world tour... of places that were on Eastern Air Lines' routes, of course! Playing off that company's slogan, The Wings of Man, the ride was a highly enjoyable new era dark ride. Using props, clever lighting, rear projected film and an incredibly catchy theme song- sing it with me now, this was one you'd have to ride multiple times to discover everything that was going on.

From the sponsoring company's standpoint, the goal was to make guest book trips on the airline. There was even a travel desk at the end of the attraction's exit so guests could do just that. How's that for high end shopping synergy? Disney wanted an attraction that brought in the numbers. Conveying the sense of discovery and adventure was key. The ports of call were mostly the Caribbean, Mexico, and a very compelling but brief look at New Orleans. (Who didn't love that shadow projection of the musicians?) The ending was a precursor to the speed tunnel room, but this time used to imagine guests taking off to exotic locations.

Seriously, this was one attraction I was very excited to show my wife when we went to Florida for her first visit to the World. She didn't enjoy it quite as much as me, that would be impossible, but it did whet her appetite a bit for traveling the globe.

On our second visit to Walt Disney World, the opening of EPCOT Center was the centerpiece of our trip. I was thrilled to get the If You Had Wings vibe while riding the beautiful and mysterious El Rio Del Tiempo (R.I.P.) in the Mexico showcase. I was quite sad to read the Imagineers had planned a much longer boat ride but that budgets were slashed. When you added the fact that the showcase was mostly indoor and you could have queso fundido at the San Angel Inn Restaurante, this World Showcase pavilion was one of my instant favorites. (My Dine or Ditch review of the eatery can be found here. Great photos too.)

But back to If You Had Wings. Unfortunately, the attraction would only last a little less than two decades. Replacements were If You Could Fly, Delta Dreamflight, and Take Flight, each offering charming variations on the theme with or without a corporate sponsorship. Eventually, the entire space was gutted for the still very popular  Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It wasn't a bad move, but it did bring Disney / Pixar  characters into the land of the future.