Wilderness Explorers @ DAK

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...coming-to-disneys-animal-kingdom-this-spring/

Disney Parks Blog announced today an Up-themed parkwide experience for Disney's Animal Kingdom.

So, seems to be like Agent P/Kim Possible, but park-wide? Interesting idea for a band-aid over DAK's "nothing for kids to do" problem.

Now what will DHS' interactive park wide offering be?

Sorry... couldn't resist.

Rumor I heard was something Star Wars, but take it as just that. A rumor.

They do something similar at DCA:

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...t_cmp=SOC-intDPFY11Q3wildnerness03-08-11@0002

It's not like Kim Possible, simpler and more low tech.

I wasn't suggesting that it was literally the same as Agent P, merely that it seems to be DAK's answer to Sorcerers or Agent P.

I wonder if this is similar to the Discovery Kids thing they used to do. You got stamps for participating in certain activities or finding certain thing in the park. http://stitchkingdom.com/discovery/ Maybe and expanded version with the UP theme.

Why is this necessary?

Animal Kingdom is interesting enough to explore without the use of another childish "interactive" experience.

But what's the harm? I doubt it will ruin any theming and it shouldn't affect any attractions. If it gets other people to explore AK and entertains the children... then bonus! At least it's something else to do and if you're not personally interested in it, maybe it will take a few people out of the queues of the rides you do enjoy.

I saw something like this tested back in Sept. of 2011 I believe. I didn't actually participate in it but I saw some displays and setups and I saw CM wearing the WE badge as well. We asked a CM about it and while she didn't give us much info she was surprised we noticed it and said she would pass that info on to her manager or something!?!

I'm all for it if it brings attention to actual animal exhibits and not monitors. It does however have to be more Kim possible and less sorcerers.. That park has lots of room for exploration.

Agreed. Nobody is forced to participate in this, but as it stands, a lot of people spend very little time in Animal Kingdom. They experience the Safari, EE, and maybe Dinosaur or a show - then they leave. This might encourage families to appreciate the less-frequented trails of AK (like how Agent P gets families to explore the details of World Showcase). It might not be a big deal to me, but I appreciate how these games add some depth to many guests' park experience.

It would be very easy to whine about this: how it's not a ride, how it's just another little game geared to children, etc. But for what it is, I see no reason to criticize it. It's small, it's themed to "Up" (which deserves some park representation IMO), and it seems like a nice fit for AK.

My children like childish things, it's one of the things that makes then children.

I look forward to trying this with my daughter she loves doing the passport stamps in Epcot.

They did a Wilderness Explorer test in Pangani Forest trail many months ago. It was low-tech in nature, and used the same WE logo the blog had today. I would expect a low-tech thing in DAK, anyway, given the park's theme.

I think this is cute because of the tie in to UP and all but in general, what's with all these games being rolled out? I've never gone to the parks and thought, oh a game would make this so much better. As a kid, I was just happy when a line moved, it wasn't crowded, and we were able to go on rides. I hope they're not eating up a lot of money that should be allocated elsewhere to maintenance and just fixing things that need fixing.

This makes more sense than Avatarland. Very pleased to see Up make an appearance.

Disney is certainly acknowledging that their parks need more substance and things to do - I am just perplexed that they think scavenger hunts for children are the answer.

Personally coming from working in a video game studio ... they aren't games ... just scavenger hunts...
Well there was a plan at one stage they were going to add UP characters to the Wonder of Flight show so at least that didn't happen...

But this strikes me the same at Phineas and Furb stuff in Epcot ... it doesn't fit ... the park ... you know there is something more majestic than playing a scavenger hunt in the parks ... and that is viewing the animals.

Sorry I differ from your opinion but the world showcase was a great place for this type of attraction. If done well I think dak could be great as well. I preferred it as Kim possible since it fit better and the agent p voices drive me insane.

It's an addition. I don't know why people complain about these things... If it's not your bag, don't do it.

I think the problem is that Disney promotes these as major additions to parks that need serious work and REAL attraction additions. Rather than seriously tackling that issue, management will view this as a fix. No doubt if there were an upcoming press conference, they would talk for 10-minutes about how this proves Disney is amazing, innovative, and listening to guest feedback about wanting fresh experiences. Ummm..no.