DAK 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences at Animal Kingdom

[UNCgolf]

In the pre-show? Sure, definitely should be one. But it's very difficult to justify an animatronic on a coaster you speed by in less than 3 seconds unless it has very minimal movement.

Yeah, I think the issue with the on-ride experience in CR (from a theme/story perspective, that is) isn't a lack of AAs -- it's that the use of projections/screens is bad.

They make sense for an indoor coaster, but the execution in CR is awful.

 

[Bocabear]

In the pre-show there could be an AA or two.... even if it is just Rocket.... And then atr the end of the coaster portion on your way to the station, rather than just a projection of the Guardians thanking you, it might be cool if there were actually a guardian or two physically there... It would flesh out the experience...Like when they finally added the Tres Amigo to the Where Is Donald attraction in EPCOT...that little bit of animatronic at the end completely changed the ride... It felt complete....

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Yeah, I think the issue with the on-ride experience in CR (from a theme/story perspective, that is) isn't a lack of AAs -- it's that the use of projections/screens is bad.

They make sense for an indoor coaster, but the execution in CR is awful.

How is it awful? Looked fine to me.

 

[wedenterprises]

Guardians is a very good ride. The coaster is fun, the queue is immersive and the pre-show is great. Would I prefer it in another park? Maybe. Would I prefer it to have more nods to UoE and be about energy? Yes. But, I am not complaining about it existing. Please give us more of that level of attraction.

The only thing I would change about Guardians is making it more obvious that it's a World Showcase style pavilion. To me, it's the most clever thing about the attraction because it's the only reason it makes sense in Epcot.

On a side note, I would have preferred if Tron and Guardians swapped places.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Yes it would include site work, and thats not exactly something extravagant.

The price tag on Guardians was way too high for what we got. If the Encanto/Indy stuff turns out like that...yikes.

Agreed. Sometimes we fixate on cost a bit more than we should. They can obviously afford it. Guardians is probably my family’s favorite WDW addition from the last 5 years and they’ve opened quite a few rides in that interval.

We can't deny the price point is ridiculous, but it's also the best ride in EPCOT in the eyes of most people. It's not perfect (missing the AAs that were promised as an example), but it's pretty great. I actually believe that once it's taken off virtual queue, EPCOT becomes a better park.

It would be interesting to see a dissection of that $450 million. The warehouse building structure itself is easily 8 figures. The coaster is probably $50 mil+. I have no idea what the site prep work would have cost, but that's probably one of the places where the money just dissolves.

 

[dreamfinding]

I like Guardians. It has snuck its way into my top 3 coasters list (between WDW, DL and USF). I’ve ridden 26 times (and kept track of songs). I really wish we had a Rocket AA somewhere, but the ride does fine without it.

Do I think it was built in the wrong park? Yes.
Can I enjoy it while realizing that fact? Yes.

 

[dreamfinding]

We can't deny the price point is ridiculous, but it's also the best ride in EPCOT in the eyes of most people. It's not perfect (missing the AAs that were promised as an example), but it's pretty great. I actually believe that once it's taken off virtual queue, EPCOT becomes a better park.

Part of me wonders what is going to happen to CR once TT closes for refurb.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I like Guardians. It has sneaked its way into my top 3 coasters list (between WDW, DL and USF). I’ve ridden 26 times (and kept track of songs). I really wish we had a Rocket AA somewhere, but the ride does fine without it.

Do I think it was built in the wrong park? Yes.
Can I enjoy it while realizing that fact? Yes.

 

[dreamfinding]

snuck just looks weird

 

[Bocabear]

Guardians needs more of a "Xandar Pavilion" after the coaster...not just a walk back into the hot sun. There should be a better shop and covered area outside the exit doors for waiting for your party etc...Would be a great place to do a few Xandar plants,and perhaps a Xandarian snack kiosk... Complete the experience as a pavilion would...not just the premise at the entrance and then forget about it after the coaster.... And the actual merch for the attraction is kind of dismal...and not avilable anywhere else including Creations and World Of Disney...

 

[dreamfinding]

Guardians needs more of a "Xandar Pavilion" after the coaster...not just a walk back into the hot sun. There should be a better shop and covered area outside the exit doors for waiting for your party etc...Would be a great place to do a few Xandar plants,and perhaps a Xandarian snack kiosk... Complete the experience as a pavilion would...not just the premise at the entrance and then forget about it after the coaster.... And the actual merch for the attraction is kind of dismal...and not avilable anywhere else including Creations and World Of Disney...

My only issue: the courtyard area doesn’t seem large enough for a food cart. I agree about the vegetation- think about all of the different plants in Pandora, an alien world.

The merch issue has been ongoing for years. Most of the parks/attractions used to carry their merchandise only. Tell me why I could buy a figment pin in DAK back in January

 

[Professortango1]

In the pre-show? Sure, definitely should be one. But it's very difficult to justify an animatronic on a coaster you speed by in less than 3 seconds unless it has very minimal movement.

There's plenty of opportunities for practical effects at the start and end of the attraction, but the simple fact is that Disney took a pre-existing concept (Big Bang Coaster) and slapped on Guardians IP. The ride is fun, but the theme and concept is incredibly forced and lazy. I hate Mission BO, but that feels more like a Guardians attraction and its a cheap retheme.

 

[C33Mom]

I like Guardians. It has snuck its way into my top 3 coasters list (between WDW, DL and USF). I’ve ridden 26 times (and kept track of songs). I really wish we had a Rocket AA somewhere, but the ride does fine without it.

Do I think it was built in the wrong park? Yes.
Can I enjoy it while realizing that fact? Yes.

We are DLR locals (who usually have APs) and we fly to WDW 2-3 times a year just for Cosmic Rewind (we used to go every 18-36 months). Yes, we go to 3-4 parks while we’re out there but we go (and purchased APs and pay for deluxe resorts) because our whole family really enjoys Cosmic Rewind—Tron and EE are fun but I wouldn’t fly to Florida for them. I don’t really think CR “belongs” in EPCOT (and wish it at least did a little more education about actual energy concepts and not just cosmic generators)—but it is a LOT of fun and draws coaster enthusiasts with its unique experience. It took me years to stop being mad about Maelstrom, but I’ve accepted EPCOT will keep changing away from its original vision. They already have a Rocket animatronic for Mission Breakout so I’m surprised they didn’t put one somewhere within the CR attraction (don’t know what the cost breakdown is between original design imagineering and actual construction).

Incidentally, I am not sure we’ll keep visiting EPCOT as often once Cosmic Rewind goes off VQ. I expect that line to be bananas (presumably worse than TT) and the current paid FP system only allows you to buy your way out of it once per day.

 

[UNCgolf]

How is it awful? Looked fine to me.

Because the story is stupid (and often completely incomprehensible)?

It could be completely removed and it would not affect anyone's enjoyment of the ride. That's why I call it an execution failure.

Doesn't mean the ride itself is bad (it obviously isn't) but it's certainly not one of Imagineering's better efforts from a theme/story perspective. The ride would actually be improved if it was just stars, nebulae, etc. without the Celestial etc.

 

[UNCgolf]

Guardians needs more of a "Xandar Pavilion" after the coaster...not just a walk back into the hot sun. There should be a better shop and covered area outside the exit doors for waiting for your party etc...Would be a great place to do a few Xandar plants,and perhaps a Xandarian snack kiosk... Complete the experience as a pavilion would...not just the premise at the entrance and then forget about it after the coaster.... And the actual merch for the attraction is kind of dismal...and not avilable anywhere else including Creations and World Of Disney...

To be fair, Energy was never really a full pavilion the way Land, Seas, World of Motion, Imagination, and Wonders of Life were. It was always just the attraction -- although the attraction was 45 minutes long.

 

[LSLS]

Because the story is stupid (and often completely incomprehensible)?

It could be completely removed and it would not affect anyone's enjoyment of the ride. That's why I call it an execution failure.

Doesn't mean the ride itself is bad (it obviously isn't) but it's certainly not one of Imagineering's better efforts from a theme/story perspective. The ride would actually be improved if it was scenes of space without the Celestial etc.

HA, I've thought the same thing. It's an interesting place to be where I agree with others it's the best thing put into the parks in a long time (even in the wrong park), but the theme and story are almost pointless. I love the ride, but after 4 or 5 times on the ride, I remember the planet, and the music, and still wouldn't know how we defeated the big bad guy if I wasn't told here.

 

[DCLcruiser]

To be fair, Energy was never really a full pavilion the way Land, Seas, World of Motion, Imagination, and Wonders of Life were. It was always just the attraction -- although the attraction was 45 minutes long.

It had dinosaurs, so I was hooked.

 

[easyrowrdw]

Guardians is a very good ride. The coaster is fun, the queue is immersive and the pre-show is great. Would I prefer it in another park? Maybe. Would I prefer it to have more nods to UoE and be about energy? Yes. But, I am not complaining about it existing. Please give us more of that level of attraction.

The pre-show(s) is the biggest thing I would change about Guardians. A big room with nothing, a big room with two videos, then another big room with two more pre-shows, followed by a line that squeezes everyone. Having to get through all that makes me want to ride it less.

 

[Casper Gutman]

The pre-show(s) is the biggest thing I would change about Guardians. A big room with nothing, a big room with two videos, then another big room with two more pre-shows, followed by a line that squeezes everyone. Having to get through all that makes me want to ride it less.

Yup. Not to mention an incoherent story, awful forced humor (in a ride for a genuinely funny IP), and a badly botched centerpiece effect done much, much better at a Las Vegas Hilton a couple decades ago.

The coaster itself is fun. Everything around it, the stuff Imagineering is supposed to excel at, is just awful. It’s a huge indictment of the design team.

I actually think Mission: Breakout is excellent. I’d never want it to replace Florida’s ToT, of course, but it’s more than fine in California.

 

[Professortango1]

Yup. Not to mention an incoherent story, awful forced humor (in a ride for a genuinely funny IP), and a badly botched centerpiece effect done much, much better at a Las Vegas Hilton a couple decades ago.

The coaster itself is fun. Everything around it, the stuff Imagineering is supposed to excel at, is just awful. It’s a huge indictment of the design team.

I actually think Mission: Breakout is excellent. I’d never want it to replace Florida’s ToT, of course, but it’s more than fine in California.

Yeah, I have some big problems with it. First, it feels just like Ghost Galaxy+. It's better than Ghost Galaxy but feels VERY similar in terms of seeing a giant monster in space swiping at us via screens.

The lack of physical effects makes fans less likely to travel for it. If there's an amazing physical effect in an online ride-through, I usually think "wow, I need to see that in person!" If I see a screen on a ride-through, I assume that it looks similar to what I just experienced, seeing a thing on a screen. An entire series of pre-show rooms made up of nothing but characters appearing on screen means the only draw is the coaster itself. And if I'm a coaster-head, I'm heading to a park with a better coaster line-up than Epcot.

I actually think WDW's TOT would have been a better fit for Mission BO. It fits the park better as the park is now centered around stepping into franchises where DCA is still California-centric. The slower paced first elevator portion would have ensured proper show scenes instead of bouncing in front of the same one screen over and over. The 5th Dimension Room allows space for AA's and an adventure feeling as we flee from one lift to another through cross-fire and alien mayhem.

Plus, I also admit that I find the DCA version of Tower to be an overall improvement on the original, so its a best of both worlds for me. And the third win would be preserving Epcot's identity for a little bit longer.