Livery of the Week: WestJet’s Outgoing Disney Liveries

Editor’s Note: AirlineGeeks is excited to launch our ‘Livery of the Week’ series. Every Friday, a team member will share an airline livery, which can be from the past, present, or even a special scheme. Some airline liveries are works of art. The complexity associated with painting around critical flight components and the added weight requires outside-the-box thinking from designers. The average airliner can cost upwards of $200,000 to repaint, creating a separate aircraft repainting industry as a result. 

Have an idea for a livery that we should highlight? Drop us a line. 

For the past decade, travelers across North America have been treated to the sight of two distinctive Disney paint jobs from Canada’s second-largest airline. After bringing a touch of magic to the skies since the mid-2010s, WestJet’s two Walt Disney World co-branded special liveries are being retired.

The “Disney Magic” Plane

WestJet’s “Disney Magic” special livery (Photo: WestJet)

WestJet’s first Disney-themed aircraft was unveiled on Dec. 2, 2013 and subsequently flew its inaugural flight between Calgary and Orlando – home to Walt Disney World Resort. Since then, the aircraft has been flying all throughout WestJet’s network.

The livery features Mickey Mouse dressed as the sorcerer’s apprentice from Disney’s 1940 film “Fantasia.” Sorcerer Mickey is shown on the tail of the aircraft, casting a spell of stars towards Walt Disney World’s castle at the front of the fuselage. According to the airline, the paint job took a team of 26 people working across 24 days to complete.

The Boeing 737-800 is registered as C-GWSZ and was first delivered to WestJet in February of 2010. Between 2010 and 2013, the aircraft wore another WestJet special livery – called “Care-antee” – that highlighted the airline’s commitment to service excellence.

When the “Disney Magic” livery entered service in 2013, the aircraft was configured with a single-class configuration with 174 economy class seats. WestJet put a special touch in the aircraft cabin by having headrests that featured a set of stars to mark the special plane. However, the aircraft was reconfigured with business class seats in 2015 and the decals have since been removed.

WestJet’s “Disney Magic” plane previously had special headrests, but they have since been removed (Photo: Disney)

WestJet’s Frozen-themed Plane

WestJet’s Frozen-themed special livery (Photo: BriYYZ, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

A second Disney-themed livery joined WestJet’s fleet in 2015 with the introduction of the airline’s Frozen-themed aircraft. This paint job is also on a Boeing 737-800: a 15-year-old aircraft registered as C-GWSV.

The special livery features characters from Disney’s 2013 hit animated film “Frozen”. The tail and rear of the aircraft feature the two sisters at the heart of the story – Elsa and Anna – against a dark blue backdrop. Elsa appears to be casting an icy spell towards the front of the aircraft, which transitions to a warm beachy image. Olaf the anthropomorphic snowman can be seen bathing in the sun. Like WestJet’s first Disney aircraft, the Frozen-themed livery also has Walt Disney World titles and the resort’s distinctive castle – this time in sandcastle form.

The front of WestJet’s Frozen-themed Boeing 737-800 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

The paint job took 21 days of 12-hour rotations with painters working around the clock. Approximately 170 gallons of paint in 23 different colors were used, with sparkles added to the paint in some areas of the aircraft.

For the first few years of the special livery’s existence, the interior of the plane also had special Frozen-themed touches. Decals and headrest covers mirrored the cold-to-warm theme on the outside of the aircraft and each overhead bin had a unique themed decal. As is the case with the “Disney Magic” plane, these interior flourishes have since been removed.

The interior of WestJet’s Frozen-themed aircraft previously featured special decals (Photo: Disney)

Liveries To Be Retired

WestJet has confirmed that its two Walt Disney World liveries will be retired later this year. “In this case, the co-branded liveries will be updated following a natural transition in our contract agreements with Disney Parks & Resorts,” the airline said in a statement

Multiple other airlines also have livery partnerships with Disney parks. For example, Alaska Airlines has had eight Disneyland-themed special liveries since 2004, including a Star Wars livery and its latest addition to the lineup, titled “Mickey’s Toontown Express.” Meanwhile, Japan Airlines has a longstanding partnership with Tokyo Disney Resort, leading to several special liveries as well.

Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Andrew Chen

Andrew is a lifelong lover of aviation and travel. He has flown all over the world and is fascinated by the workings of the air travel industry. As a private pilot and glider pilot who has worked with airlines, airports and other industry stakeholders, he is always excited to share his passion for aviation with others. In addition to being a writer, he also hosts Flying Smarter, an educational travel podcast that explores the complex world of air travel to help listeners become better-informed and savvier travelers.

Latest posts by Andrew Chen (see all)

• Air Canada Begins Regional Bus Operations - May 2, 2024
• JetBlue Introduces New Inflight Entertainment Platform - April 25, 2024
• FAA To Require More Rest Time for Air Traffic Controllers - April 19, 2024