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

[arich35]

Re-posting this from November 2024 so we can see where the newly-announced playground is going:

How do you expect the size of the playground compared to the Boneyard?

 

[Scott the Lawyer]

The stuff near the crane is sheet pile. They may be creating a new retaining wall further back.

I guess this confirms that the new rides are just going to be a Pile of Sheet.

 

[lentesta]

How do you expect the size of the playground compared to the Boneyard?

The look comparable.

Disney hasn't said it yet, but I expect some sort of natural shade and a water feature in the play area.

The water feature would go hand-in-hand with the ride story likely being based on water.

 

[EagleScout610]

You would hope, considering even if the Boneyard, Triceratops, and carnival games are/were minor attractions, you're still losing a lot in a park with not a ton to begin with, with ITTBAB also gone. They need to open something new before just closure after closure, especially considering the admission price isn't discounted (lol) to make up for all these things being closed.

I'll admit I forgot about Tough to be a Bug even closing

 

[KDM31091]

I'll admit I forgot about Tough to be a Bug even closing

Yeah, so the park is down that already, plus the minor elements in Dino Rama, soon to be plus the Boneyard. They cannot just keep taking away without opening anything in a park that for some is already pretty hard to justify cost wise if you're just going for a day or two. Since we know they won't do a discount to offset the lack of attractions, one would think they won't close Dinosaur until/unless Zootopia is ready, but who knows.

 

[Bocabear]

Seems like they won't close Dinosaur until Encanto is ready. I thought the park had actual expansion space they could build on without having to close and replace rather than just grow....

 

[EagleScout610]

Seems like they won't close Dinosaur until Encanto is ready. I thought the park had actual expansion space they could build on without having to close and replace rather than just grow....

I'm getting the vibe that after Zootopia opens Dinosaur is going down. Since rethemes/rebuilds seem to take 1.5 - 2 years recently that puts both Encanto and Indy opening in 2027.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Oh, good. That section of the park isn't sad and empty enough yet. Have they considered closing Restaurant O'saurus as well, so it can just be a walled hallway to Dinosaur for a few months while the music loop continues to acknowledge stuff that isn't there anymore?

In the docs I've seen there's no space called out for animal exhibits.

I continue to be shocked that other people are shocked. It's almost like animals aren't a priority in this land...

 

[rle4lunch]

The look comparable.

Disney hasn't said it yet, but I expect some sort of natural shade and a water feature in the play area.

The water feature would go hand-in-hand with the ride story likely being based on water.

Do you think it will be comparable in height? My older kids still like the bigger slides that the boneyard has(d).

 

[Ayla]

Oh, good. That section of the park isn't sad and empty enough yet. Have they considered closing Restaurant O'saurus as well, so it can just be a walled hallway to Dinosaur for a few months while the music loop continues to acknowledge stuff that isn't there anymore?



I continue to be shocked that other people are shocked. It's almost like animals aren't a priority in this land...

I expect a closing date anytime now for the restaurant.

 

[Agent H]

I'll admit I forgot about Tough to be a Bug even closing

Well of course you forgot it didn’t happen!

 

[lentesta]

Do you think it will be comparable in height? My older kids still like the bigger slides that the boneyard has(d).

Good question. No height requirement mentioned in the docs I've seen, for that or the Encanto ride.

 

[MJL92]

Good question. No height requirement mentioned in the docs I've seen, for that or the Encanto ride.

With the Encanto ride presumably going vertical this summer, think we finally get some details at the D23 event in August?

Maybe some mention of whatever that mystery "epic universe revenge announcement" is?

 

[DisneyHead123]

I continue to be shocked that other people are shocked. It's almost like animals aren't a priority in this land...

I think it's because the question of animals in captivity is a bit different than questions of theming, how well the parks are funded, etc. (Probably very influenced by the Blackfish documentary and the broad impact it had on animals in theme parks, if you're interested. The impact of that documentary was so huge it resulted in a $65 million investor lawsuit against SeaWorld.)

I see pros and cons to the idea of animals in captivity. Clearly, it can be done horribly. But there can be benefits, especially when the animals in question are rescue animals who are being rehabilitated or are not candidates for release into the wild. For people who will never go to the African savanna, seeing animals in person may influence their thinking about the value of nature. But again, I cut Disney a lot of slack on this particular topic, because I think it's very different than other questions regarding park theming.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

I’m definitely disappointed there aren’t any animal enclosures, but not surprised.

Maybe there could eventually be a phase two on the Nemo plot with some animal enclosures (And selfishly I want an Up suspended dark ride).

 

[ChewbaccaYourMum]

I know we're in Animal Kingdom, but I kind of don't think in the year 2025 I care too much about seeing animals in enclosed spaces.

I give Disney a break for it with the Safari and the walkthroughs, because there is plenty of documented proof they go above and beyond there with very wide spaces.

I don't know, just my 2 cents.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

The no-animals thing is two pronged.

On one hand, I have no doubts it is partly a question of budget. Animal care is expensive, as is the creation of new environments and care facilities.

On the other hand, it’s also a question of how to navigate this in a post-Blackfish world. While Disney has received great praise for their animal care, they also have not opened new exhibits since the conversation of animals in theme parks became mainstream (that I know of anyway please correct me if I’m wrong).

Animal Kingdom is not a zoo. It is a theme park with zoo elements. This creates a bit of a different conversation among the public. While SeaWorld and other animal based theme parks scale back on the animals, Disney increasing could have just been a talk they didn’t want to have in the PR circuit.

It sucks as AK I think is one of the best facilities in the world for animals, but I’m just not sure that this is a conversation Disney wants a slice of at the moment.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

In the Cars thread there was some discussion of Indiana Jones' fit here. I wanted to respond but not in that thread...

Indiana Jones is an archaeologist. It doesn't make thematic sense for him to be searching for a mythical animal. That's not his job. What is his goal? To find the animal and put it in a zoo?

"It belongs in a museum" is Indiana Jones' credo. He has nothing to do with animals; rather he deals with the animals he encounters...which are usually an inconvenience for his mission, whatever it may be.

This is absolutely a stretch for Animal Kingdom. They should have used Shanghai's Pirate-tech and replaced the stunt show with an Indiana Jones boat ride. That's the UNIQUE Indy ride I want. Does ANYONE think that would have been worse than retheming an existing, fantastic ride?

And on the subject of uniqueness: guess what, no matter what you're passing by, those CTX-Rovers are still going over the same ride path, and that's a huge distraction for me, especially because I love Dinosaur so much. There is nothing they can do to make this different enough from Dinosaur (or even the other Indiana Jones rides at DL and TDS) to make it truly UNIQUE.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Also think it is harder to keep the areas open later if they have animals - though I am sure it depends on the specifics of that animals in question and perhaps they could be moved at night, etc.

But one thing I am hoping for is this new land increases demand/crowds and thus motivates to keep the park open later and then adding a night time show as I loved AK at night

 

[TheMaxRebo]

With the Encanto ride presumably going vertical this summer, think we finally get some details at the D23 event in August?

Maybe some mention of whatever that mystery "epic universe revenge announcement" is?

I am curious what will be at DD23. Not sure if there will be a new land model (maybe fore Monstropolis?) but I was at the 2021 event and they had the ride vehicle for Guardians there that people could sit in - maybe they have something for the Encanto ride?