WDW Old Schoolers ... Remember When? - "If You Had Wings"

[Fantasmic23]

I remember it!

I hadn't realized how many rides borrowed elements from this ride until I was looking up some information on it recently. I certainly didn't realize that Buzz Lightyear uses the same track and retains the original speedrooms.

Of the three rides that have been housed there, it's a tossup between If You Had Wings and Buzz Lightyear as to which is the best. IYHW was more innovative but Buzz is lots of fun.

Dreamflight was just hideous, though. As far as I know, it's the first and only time Disney used manniquins and manniquins only instead of animatronic figures. The whole ride just felt cheap and the ending song was just obnoxious.

I'm not convinced that that's Orson Welles at the end, though. I'll give a listen.

* A 1972 Eastern publication proudly proclaimed that Orson Welles, who had done voiceover work on the airline's TV ads, would also lend his voice to the queue area. While I have no recordings of this, outside sources have confirmed that Welles' voice did appear in the attraction during its earliest years. By the late 1970s, a new voice was used and remained until the ride closed. That voice sounds like either John Forsythe or Disney Studio mainstay Peter Renoudet, who provided the voice-over on a "demo tape" of the ride as well as voices for several other Magic Kingdom attractions.

 

[BethC1952]

I loved this ride. I saw it on my first trip to WDW back in 1977, and asked my husband two questions--the first was did he ever think we might take a plane flight to somewhere (we drove from NJ to Florida) and the second was how and where did he think we could see those cool flamingos?

Well, we finally DID take a plane flight (went to Las Vegas for my son's wedding) and now we usually fly to WDW. And, back in Nov., 2005, I not only saw the marching flamingos but got to participate in the show at Ardastra Gardens in Nassau while on a Disney cruise. You can see one of my photos from that experience here.

I love when you hear the IYHW music on the TTA!

Beth

 

[JillPTFLA]

Fantasmic 23:
The DVD title is "documentaries on theme parks history" and on the bottom it says "if you had wings".
It comes from a company called extinct attractions. I assume that he bought it online so if you look up the company name, I'm sure you will find it. He said they had other rides as well...I haven't even had a chance to watch this one yet!
Jill

 

[maj42169]

I LOVED that ride....it was one of my favorites.

What I want to know is..........how in the world did you rememer such vivid detail about that ride??

 

[flyinglizard]

This is a promotional jumbo postcard copyright Walt Disney Productions that carries bot the old WDW logo and that of EASTERN Airlines. It measures 5" x 8" and is postmarked Aug 1972.

This is a very rare pre-opening marketing brochure published by EASTERN Airlines. It describes the attraction and the ride-through with sepia tone pics of the attraction.

The cover of the "If You Had Wings" DVD from Extinct Attractions Club. This one is several years old and I seem to recall hearing that it had been updated with additional footage. Not sure about that though...

 

[So This is Love]

After riding this ride my whole family would always say, "You do have wings! You can fly!" ALL DAY LONG!! Do any of you remember that part? It was at the very end when you see all the birds and planes up on the wall. I can clearly remember the sound of the guy's voice saying it.

 

[flyinglizard]

After riding this ride my whole family would always say, "You do have wings! You can fly!" ALL DAY LONG!! Do any of you remember that part? It was at the very end when you see all the birds and planes up on the wall. I can clearly remember the sound of the guy's voice saying it.

Actually the sound track said, "You do have wings - Eastern Airlines - The Wings of Man."

Later is was changed to, "You do have wings - we will be your wings - Eastern... the Wings of Man."

 

[teruterubouzu]

Actually the sound track said, "You do have wings - Eastern Airlines - The Wings of Man."

Later is was changed to, "You do have wings - we will be your wings - Eastern... the Wings of Man."

Here's a recording of the end of the ride circa 1987.

 

[flyinglizard]

teruterubouzu-Great bite, thanks! I did not remember that...

 

[teruterubouzu]

teruterubouzu-Great bite, thanks! I did not remember that...

Isn't it fun to hear it again? That site has more recordings, including a demo version of the whole song. I'll admit that I have it on my ipod and listen to it from time to time.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I really loved this ride as a kid. I do like Buzz, but I really liked this ride. I think of it still when you get near the end of the ride and you are in the room with the moving spaceship and the red light - that was a big surround movie and youreally felt like you were flying. That part of the ride REALLY underutilizes the potential of that area. Theonly thing that kind of reminds me of it is the turtle tunnel on the new Nemo ride. It's the main reason I like the new Nemo ride.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

I loved this ride as a kid too. Believe me during those hot summer days in Florida then it was great to sit in a cool ride and use no tickets!
But, I really like the effect of the birds and the 'water pool'.
I think as a family we like the Buzz Lightyear ride since it is so interactive, but the other did give that original 'Walt Disney' feel.
Kim

 

[tinkandpan]

this was one of our family favorite's. We still love when they play the soundtrack on live 365 radio. Brings up old memories.

 

[MHTeacher]

My parents haven't been to WDW since taking me and my sisters back in the late 1980s. They still talk about this ride!! They're planning their first trip back in some 20+ years and I keep trying to prepare them for the fact that this ride isn't there anymore!

 

[Fantasmic23]

Thanks so much, Jill!!!

 

[Fantasmic23]

I LOVED that ride....it was one of my favorites.

What I want to know is..........how in the world did you rememer such vivid detail about that ride??

LOL! Now, I pride myself on having a good memory ... but not that good! I just copied and pasted all of the information from wikipedia.

 

[So This is Love]

Actually the sound track said, "You do have wings - Eastern Airlines - The Wings of Man."

Later is was changed to, "You do have wings - we will be your wings - Eastern... the Wings of Man."

Well, maybe I'm remembering it from when there was a different sponser like Delta or someone else. Anyone know? Because I was remembering so clearly I thought.

 

[Fantasmic23]

This is a promotional jumbo postcard copyright Walt Disney Productions that carries bot the old WDW logo and that of EASTERN Airlines. It measures 5" x 8" and is postmarked Aug 1972.

This is a very rare pre-opening marketing brochure published by EASTERN Airlines. It describes the attraction and the ride-through with sepia tone pics of the attraction.

The cover of the "If You Had Wings" DVD from Extinct Attractions Club. This one is several years old and I seem to recall hearing that it had been updated with additional footage. Not sure about that though...

Thank you! After having "If You Had Wings" stuck in my head for the past two days, now I feel like singing Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time"!

 

[Fantasmic23]

My parents haven't been to WDW since taking me and my sisters back in the late 1980s. They still talk about this ride!! They're planning their first trip back in some 20+ years and I keep trying to prepare them for the fact that this ride isn't there anymore!

I wish I had known when I went in mid-February (my first time at WDW since the late 70s), that "If You Had Wings" was no more - our trip was a spur-of-the-moment type of thing and there was no time to visit the DIS and do any kind of research and question-asking!

I was going crazy looking for the ride. My DH was like, "But Eastern Airlines ... they don't exist anymore." Finally a CM set me straight.

 

[klwdisney]

I remember it!! And I have the soundtrack for it on my playlist. I made a Disney Playlist on Project Playlist and listen to it all the time!