If You Could Fly
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If You Had Wings was an attraction at
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
. It was a two-person
Omnimover The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. Roger Broggie and Bert Brundage developed the system for WED Enterprises, which patented Omnimover in April 1968. The term was coined by Imagineer Bob Gurr. Outsi ...
dark ride A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain Animatronics, animation, sound, music and Special effect#Live special effects, special e ...
in
Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
in the
Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The W ...
, sponsored by
Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...
. It featured travel destinations throughout the
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and elsewhere, all of which were serviced by Eastern. It had an eponymous theme song by
Buddy Baker Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 198 ...
.


History

''If You Had Wings'' was located across from what originally was ''Flight To The Moon'' but later became ''
Mission to Mars ''Mission to Mars'' is a 2000 American science fiction adventure film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and Graham Yost, and suggested by Disney's Mission to Mars (attraction), theme park attraction of the same nam ...
''. The ride was sponsored by Eastern Air Lines, whose initial investment was reportedly $10 million. Not well known or much promoted, waiting lines for ''IYHW'' were nonexistent or short even when the park was crowded. Nevertheless, the ride was imbued with the particular gentle charm and flavor characteristic of Disney productions and Walt Disney World more specifically. It was nicely air-conditioned and also free, when admission tickets were required of rides in the park. ''If You Had Wings'' was a four-and-a-half-minute dark ride based on Disney's Omnimover system. It moved at a leisurely pace throughout. It was structurally similar to the
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
attraction ''
Adventure Thru Inner Space Adventure Thru Inner Space was an attraction in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, presented by Monsanto Company. It was the first attraction to utilize Disney's Omnimover system. The ride simulated shrinking guests to the size smaller than an atom (th ...
'', which might be considered its predecessor; both were designed by
Claude Coats Claude Coats (January 17, 1913 – January 9, 1992) was an American artist, background artist, animator and Scenic design, set designer, known for his work with the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering. His pioneering work wi ...
. The theme music was written by
Buddy Baker Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 198 ...
with lyrics by
X Atencio Francis Xavier Atencio, also known as X Atencio (September 4, 1919 – September 10, 2017) was an animator and Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company. He is perhaps best known for writing the scripts and song lyrics of the Disney theme park attra ...
.


Attraction experience

The ride began with projections of animated silhouettes of seagulls and airplanes sweeping past on the walls, enhancing the feeling of motion and gently suggesting flight. Riders passed through a series of colorful theater-like sets with embedded small screens looping rear-projected short filmed scenes, while their cars swiveled on their bases to direct riders toward points of interest. In all, thirty-eight 16mm projectors were used in the attraction. The scenes showcased various Eastern destinations and appealed to potential tourists with straw-hat markets, fishermen, limbo dancers, steel drum bands, and more. Many scenes had their own special sound effects. The omnipresent theme music featured a chorus of singers tunefully chanting,
If you had wings, if you had wings
If you had wings, had wings, had wings, had wings
The music did not succeed in masking the clicking of the hidden projectors, which was clearly audible throughout most of the ride. The following locations were represented:
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...
,
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
,
the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
(where a tropically attired traffic cop blew a whistle to direct a flock of
flamingos Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean) ...
in one direction, pedestrians and vehicles in the other),
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
(where the ride's only 35mm projector showed a pod of bathing-suit-clad young people clambering up the rocks at
Dunn's River Falls Dunn's River Falls is a famous waterfall near Ocho Rios, Jamaica and a major Caribbean tourist attraction that receives thousands of visitors each year. Appearance At about high and long, the waterfalls are terraced like giant natural stairs t ...
),
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, and
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
(where shadows of blowing
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
men flickered on the wall), all of which Eastern Air Lines offered as destinations at the time. Having viewed this sequence of site sets, riders entered the "speed room", an ellipsoid onto the interior of which were projected snippets of first-person movies of an airplane taking off, a train,
water ski Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a Surface water sports, surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a Cable skiing, cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or ...
s, motorcycles, airboats, and a few other scenes. The clips were projected on the walls by a
70mm 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...
projector. The ovoid screen encompassed the viewers' peripheral vision. Furthermore, the vehicle reclined in the speed room, and a breeze was blown on riders. The wraparound images, in combination with the motion and reclining angle of the vehicle and a blast of air, arguably constituted an early attempt at
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...
. The images were to some extent blurry and distorted, unlike Disney's sharper Circle-Vision 360 technology; it rather resembled the fuzzy
Cinema 180 Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...
shows featured in many contemporary amusement parks. The speed room was followed by the "mirror room", where two more 70mm projectors produced images of snow-covered mountains appearing on large screens and were reflected in enormous floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and the music became a wordless symphonic swell of harmonies. Riders "descended" after exiting the mirror room, and the voice of
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
assured riders,
You ''do'' have wings.
You ''can'' do all these things.
You ''can'' widen your world.
Eastern: the wings of man.
At the time of the ride's inception, "The Wings of Man" was the slogan of Eastern Air Lines. In later years, this passage (spoken by someone other than Welles; perhaps Disney vocal veteran
Peter Renaday Peter Renaday is an American actor. His career spans several films and television shows. His major roles include Master Splinter in the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', as well as Abraham Lincoln in the Hall of Presidents, and Henry in Countr ...
) ended with a different slogan, "Eastern: we'll be your wings." Riders disembarked to an area containing an
Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...
reservation desk. Agents stood ready to assist riders with travel arrangements. In 1987, Eastern withdrew its sponsorship and the attraction closed on June 1 of that year. Eastern itself went out of business four years later.


Interaction with the WEDway PeopleMover

Large diorama windows, two on the right and one on the left, allowed the
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, and
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
scenes to be visible to riders on the
Tomorrowland Transit Authority The PeopleMover is an urban mass transit PeopleMover system attraction in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Designed as an urban mass-transit system of th ...
(then WEDWay PeopleMover). The window on the left was covered up when If You Had Wings was replaced with
Delta Dreamflight Delta Dreamflight, renamed Dreamflight and then Take Flight during its final two years of operation, was an attraction located in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom inside the Walt Disney World Resort, and was sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Dreamfl ...
.


Successors

After the closing of the original attraction, new attractions were created to inhabit the same space.


If You Could Fly

Subsequent to the closing of ''IYHW'', Disney removed all references to Eastern, changed the name of the ride to ''If You Could Fly'', and re-opened it on June 6, 1987. The sets and films were intact, but the theme music had been replaced. For many fans of the ride the absence of the infectious original music had taken much of the fun out of the attraction, and the opening scene which originally had a film about Eastern had been replaced with footage of flying birds. On January 4, 1989, ''If You Could Fly'' was permanently closed.


Delta Dreamflight

Soon after,
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...
took over sponsorship and made plans to update and remodel the attraction. The replacement was ''
Delta Dreamflight Delta Dreamflight, renamed Dreamflight and then Take Flight during its final two years of operation, was an attraction located in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom inside the Walt Disney World Resort, and was sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Dreamfl ...
'', which made use of the same ride system and floor layout, but all-new scenery and music.


Disney's Take Flight

Delta dropped its sponsorship in June 1996. WDW removed all references to Delta and renamed the attraction ''Disney's Take Flight''. The ride lasted two years, closing in January 1998. Unlike the wholesale musical change from ''If You Had Wings'' to ''If You Could Fly'', ''Take Flight''s music was the same as ''Dreamflight''s except for minor alterations to the lyrics.


Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

Disney decided to use the ride space to promote its popular film,
Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...
's ''
Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the '' Toy Story ...
''. The attraction,
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (also known as Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at California, Tokyo and Hong Kong, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast at Paris and Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue at Shanghai) is an interactive shooting dark ride attractio ...
, again makes use of the original ride system and floor plan, but now riders can control the rotation of their vehicle via joysticks, and are armed with "laser cannons" to shoot at targets stationed throughout the attraction. Many of the elements in this attraction are similar to If You Had Wings including the speed tunnel with the projections on the walls and the loading and unloading areas. Buzz Lightyear sign above the door is in the shape of a cloud and was painted over after the attraction was renamed.


Influence

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
's ''
World of Motion World of Motion, sponsored by General Motors,"GM's World of Motion Exhibit opens in Epcot Center at the Walt Disney World Resort. Before the year is out, the one millionth visitor to the exhibit is recorded." http://www.gm.com/company/corp_info/h ...
'' and '' Horizons'' dark rides featured Omnimovers in settings similar to the speed room mentioned above. The ''
El Rio del Tiempo El Rio del Tiempo ("The River of Time") was a dark ride housed within the pyramid-shaped Mexico pavilion, in EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The ride carried passengers on a slow boat ride through various ...
'' boat ride at the
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
pavilion at
World Showcase Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Disney Parks, Experiences and ...
, which has since been modified into the ''
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros is a musical dark boat ride housed within the pyramid-shaped Mexico Pavilion, at the Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It was the first World Showcase attraction to fea ...
'', includes films projected onto small screens embedded in elaborate sets. This, combined with persistent music, miniature films, and dancing animatronics, draws significantly from ''If You Had Wings''. The theme song "If You Had Wings" can be heard in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World; it is given a more retro feel, and has no lyrics. The ride was parodied in ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' episode "
Special Edna Special Edna is the seventh episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 5, 2003. In the episode, Edna Krabappel begins to los ...
" in which monstrous robotic Eastern airliners were depicted enslaving the human race.


See also

*
Magic Kingdom attraction and entertainment history The Magic Kingdom is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Below is a list of the current attractions found therein, arranged by "land" and with brief descriptions. Main Street, U.S.A. Current attractions * Main Stre ...


References


External links


Widen Your World
Fan site including photos of the attraction
Claude Coats
An official appreciation of the late Disney animator and Imagineer Claude Coats.
Photo of the attraction's exterior.
{{Disney rides Amusement rides introduced in 1972 Amusement rides introduced in 1987 Amusement rides that closed in 1987 Amusement rides that closed in 1989 Amusement rides manufactured by Arrow Dynamics Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Omnimover attractions Magic Kingdom Dark rides Eastern Air Lines Tomorrowland 1989 disestablishments in Florida Aviation attractions Amusement rides using motion pictures 1972 establishments in Florida