DAK “Zootopia” is being created for the Tree of Life theater

[DisneyHead123]

I don't think that was a realistic goal for Walt Disney World, and IIRC, even early diesigns for the park envisioned a Disney section and a mythological/folklore Beastly Kingdom.

I do think there has also been a spirit of compromise and meeting people where they are throughout. You almost never hear Rohdes say a bad word about anyone and he doesn’t seem like a total purist in the sense of “If this can’t be exactly like the mission statement it shouldn’t happen at all.” That said, I think the original themes for AK were laid out pretty clearly and none of them involved cute talking animals (Said as someone who is perfectly happy with cute talking animals, btw. I like the parks more as a form of escapism - but I do think Rohdes is a fascinating thinker and AK is an amazing park.)

I recall students at UCF being a touch creeped out by Animal Kingdom when it opened.

Why? If it was animals in captivity, ok, I get that. Otherwise I don’t think there’s anything remotely “creepy” about AK. (Honestly I feel like “creepy” and “the ick” get overused when people want to disparage something without giving an actual reason. They’re words that are instantly kinda degrading without further discussion.)

 

[FettFan]

You know what I meant. It’s about the specific one shown where it passed through the bloodline through families.

That actually does happen with lions.

A dominant male can take over a pride, then sets to killing all of the male cubs that aren’t his to bring the lionesses into heat and start breeding with them.

And that children is how we got the deleted Scar/Nala subplot that was resurrected for Broadway.

 

[FettFan]

Why? If it was animals in captivity, ok, I get that. Otherwise I don’t think there’s anything remotely “creepy” about AK. (Honestly I feel like “creepy” and “the ick” get overused when people want to disparage something without giving an actual reason. They’re words that are instantly kinda degrading without further discussion.)

The only part that creeped anyone out was Big Red’s corpse on KS, but that was removed before the park opened to the public, replaced with Ranger Wilson reporting that “Big Red is going to be okay!”

The poachers no longer wanted to kill the elephant for her ivory, they just wanted to nab her calf for the exotic animal trade.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

That actually does happen with lions.

A dominant male can take over a pride, then sets to killing all of the male cubs that aren’t his to bring the lionesses into heat and start breeding with them.

And that children is how we got the deleted Scar/Nala subplot that was resurrected for Broadway.

Yeah but that’s not what the movie is about. There are other lions who are far more capable than a young Simba and there was no murdering implied. Again I’m not arguing that lion king should be excluded. I think it fits well, but Lion King at its heart is still Hamlet with Lions (but better).

 

[WorldExplorer]

I feel like once Dinoland closes fully and Zootopia arrives, the park will truly be theme-less, or at least a thematic mess.

Animal Kingdom's themes are conservation, the power of nature (animals and the environment) over human constructions and existence, and transformation through adventure and discovery (getting a "personal call to action"). Also, Animal Kingdom needs animals of the past (1), present (2), and fantasy (3) to meet its remit.

When Everest and Pandora arrived AK had finally fulfilled all 3 of its animal criteria. Now that Dinoland is going we'll have no animals of the past, and in fact the Tropical Americas is only going to oversaturate the park with fantastical animals. We know now that the small animal exhibits have been cut for a playground there so that sucks, and its not like we're gonna be a non-IP extinct wooly mammoth ride anytime soon, so the park is back to missing some of its animals.

Zootopia in no way matches any of themes mentioned above (conservation, nature over humans, personal growth through discovery), and in fact it exists to overwrite the presents of insects in the park, an extremely important part of the real-life animal kingdom and circle of life.

IMO we need a Zootopia Tree of Life replacement ASAP (I know we're not getting one for decades though), some new extinct creatures presence in the park (I'm thinking not dinos but maybe wooly mammoths or something), and the protection of existing animal exhibits in the park (don't let Kilimanjaro lose animal enclosure space to future expansions!). Oh and add some animals to the Tropical Americas please haha. We used to have crocodiles there during Dinoland times.

They cut the animal exhibits for the archeology playground they're building after tearing down the paleontology one. In Animal Kingdom. Wow.

And we're going to be continuously lectured on how that totally fits Animal Kingdom until the day we or our lecturers die.

 

[joanna71985]

Yikes, thought this would be a 2-3 month job.

Winter 2025 was the timeframe back when it was announced at D23 (so it's always been the plan to open then)

 

[DisneyHead123]

The only part that creeped anyone out was Big Red’s corpse on KS, but that was removed before the park opened to the public, replaced with Ranger Wilson reporting that “Big Red is going to be okay!”

The poachers no longer wanted to kill the elephant for her ivory, they just wanted to nab her calf for the exotic animal trade.

Ok, even a fake elephant corpse might be unsettling, although that seems like one specific element and not the whole park.

 

[James Alucobond]

Now that Dinoland is going we'll have no animals of the past, and in fact the Tropical Americas is only going to oversaturate the park with fantastical animals. We know now that the small animal exhibits have been cut for a playground there so that sucks, and its not like we're gonna be a non-IP extinct wooly mammoth ride anytime soon, so the park is back to missing some of its animals.

In today's episode of "well akshully", technically Kevin from Up is still an animal of the past, and he'll be there in two forms (walk-around character and carving in the new carousel). Also, while unlikely, they could go the route of making the focus of Indy some sort of relictual animal rather than a cryptid.

 

[ParadoxPortals]

In today's episode of "well akshully", technically Kevin from Up is still an animal of the past, and he'll be there in two forms (walk-around character and carving in the new carousel). Also, while unlikely, they could go the route of making the focus of Indy some sort of relictual animal rather than a cryptid.

Good points, I would like to see more prominence of extinct animals in the park too though, especially real extinct animals and not fictional creations. Based on current concept art it looks like the mythical quetzalcoatl creature will be the Indy ride's focus animal, so it'll unfortunately be another fantastical creature and not an extinct one.

 

[graphite1326]

After reading most of the posts it seems many of you believe the bugs needed to go. I guess I will be different. I liked the attraction. I really liked waited outside and looking at all the young kids I will see screaming in just a few minutes when the spiders come down. (snicker) I also liked taking someone new in and watch their reaction when the bugs leave (snicker). I know nothing about Zootopia. Never sa it. Not going to see it. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

That being said Bugs life wasn't high on my list of must do attractions. I usually hit it late in the day and if I missed it that was ok.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

In today's episode of "well akshully", technically Kevin from Up is still an animal of the past, and he'll be there in two forms (walk-around character and carving in the new carousel). Also, while unlikely, they could go the route of making the focus of Indy some sort of relictual animal rather than a cryptid.

or both - they could have elements of an archeological dig that is looking for prehistoric animals (or at least uncovers them) but then also for the mythical Mayan god creatures as well

 

[TheMaxRebo]

After reading most of the posts it seems many of you believe the bugs needed to go. I guess I will be different. I liked the attraction. I really liked waited outside and looking at all the young kids I will see screaming in just a few minutes when the spiders come down. (snicker) I also liked taking someone new in and watch their reaction when the bugs leave (snicker). I know nothing about Zootopia. Never sa it. Not going to see it. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

That being said Bugs life wasn't high on my list of must do attractions. I usually hit it late in the day and if I missed it that was ok.

I definitely don't think it *needed* to go and in a vacuum I think it fits better than Zoogether ... but I do get that it wasn't super popular and that kids got scared/there were complaints, etc.

So I do also understand why it is leaving

 

[Advisable Joseph]

Why? If it was animals in captivity, ok, I get that. Otherwise I don’t think there’s anything remotely “creepy” about AK.

The college students, Disney World fans BTW, thought it very strange to have a park with living animals when even Future World had a sci-fi/fantasy feel. (Don't ask why Living Seas got a pass.)

Treating living animals like they were animatronics.

 

[DisneyHead123]

The college students, Disney World fans BTW, thought it very strange to have a park with living animals when even Future World had a sci-fi/fantasy feel. (Don't ask why Living Seas got a pass.)

Treating living animals like they were animatronics.

That seems like a strange thing for an American to be creeped out by, unless, again, it was about animals in captivity. But animals as part of exhibits (sans any captivity concerns)? Had they never been to a zoo? They’re extremely common in this country.

 

[Advisable Joseph]

That seems like a strange thing for an American to be creeped out by, unless, again, it was about animals in captivity. But animals as part of exhibits (sans any captivity concerns)? Had they never been to a zoo? They’re extremely common in this country.

Let's try this: it seemed very strange for Disney Parks to run a zoo.

 

[UNCgolf]

Let's try this: it seemed very strange for Disney Parks to run a zoo.

They weren't the first theme park to have animals.

 

[Advisable Joseph]

That seems like a strange thing for an American to be creeped out by, unless, again, it was about animals in captivity. But animals as part of exhibits (sans any captivity concerns)? Had they never been to a zoo? They’re extremely common in this country.

It rose to creepiness due to animatronics mixed with wild animals on the safari.

But the tone of the park is strange for Disney World. By means of illustration of how the students thought, from an early review in the Orlando Weekly:

Yet it's still the broccoli on Disney's plate; you know it's supposed to be good for you, but it's nowhere near as fun as downing a whipped-cream cake. Kids -- and parents -- expecting to be plopped into the world of "The Jungle Book" will be let down; here there are real lions, not a meet-and-greet with Simba from "The Lion King."

Magic Kingdom is a playground, and Epcot an international bazaar, and Disney-MGM a peek behind movie and TV screens...

The audience [for Animal Kingdom] would seem to be the post-yuppie, post- hippie generation among whom the environment is a cause that reverberates. But the enlightened will see the corporate muscle behind the message and charge the other way. Grandparents will turn out -- it reflects their pace -- but kids can find more fun and stimulation in a science museum, and for a lot less than the $44.52 adult admission charged for anyone over age 9.

To bring this back on topic, an AllEars poll:

82% agree with putting Zootopia in the Tree of Life. And these are "Disney Adults"!

So, if cute animals shouldn't fit, Animal Kingdom would have major thematic problems already: the theme you want isn't coming across.

 

[Agent H]

It rose to creepiness due to animatronics mixed with wild animals on the safari.

But the tone of the park is strange for Disney World. From an early review in the Orlando Weekly:

You mean the animatronic that was removed before the park even opened?

 

[Advisable Joseph]

You mean the animatronic that was removed before the park even opened?

No. Think Little Red

 

[Agent H]

No. Think Little Red

So according to the article you linked to little red was backstage for years and was removed in 2022 to be taken to the jungle cruise (which is very cool by the way. I didn’t know that.) but again that scene hasn’t existed for 13 years. So i still don’t see why this is a problem.