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

[rle4lunch]

LOL, I just realized a long time ago that this ride sucked (glad i can use that in past tense now, ha!) lol. Great concept, poor execusion and no love from DWO makes for a subpar experience.

 

[Movielover]

LOL, I just realized a long time ago that this ride sucked (glad i can use that in past tense now, ha!) lol. Great concept, poor execusion and no love from DWO makes for a subpar experience.

 

[HauntedPirate]

but for the people saying the IP is irrelevant, IMO you're just plain wrong, and even if you're right, it doesn't matter

 

[HauntedPirate]

Perhaps, perhaps not. DL's Indy is consistently at 60 min wait, give take 15 minutes, whereas Dino has had many a 25 min or lower wait time for YEARS. When we visit and go through our LL's for AK, usually it's a waste of a reservation given the fact that we have to wait till our reservation time only to find out the standby line is moving faster than LL when we get there. Same goes for Figment. 80% of the time it's sub 5 mins and a waste of a LL. We visit nearly annualy with our DVC (sometimes twice) and Dino for the last decade has not garnered the demand that Indy had or still gets 30 years after opening.

Location, location, location. One is nearly hidden in the back of a park, the other you can't miss when walking through Adventureland.

 

[gerarar]

The Dinoland entry arch is gone.

From site that shall not be named:

 

[EagleScout610]

You have to consider that this is not going to be the Tony Baxter version (with the giant detailed temple room) and that the timeline for this retheme is a year and a half. I’m sure there will be some set installations, but if you’re expecting the level of detail the Disneyland ride has on the whole, you will be disappointed. We’re also losing a lot of animatronics.

To add to this, I would expect a Tiana's level overhaul for the interior show scenes given the similar timeline. Then again, DINOSAUR has considerably less detailed sets than Splash Mountain did, so maybe I'll be wrong

 

[Movielover]

Location, location, location. One is nearly hidden in the back of a park, the other you can't miss when walking through Adventureland.

This is true... Mostly because at DL you take 1 step in Adventureland and you are already in a different land.

Hopefully the combination of the Encanto ride and taller temple building will lead more people back to the Indy ride.

 

[veritas55]

You have to put it all in perspective. The reason Disney is doing this is not because they’re trying to improve the guest experience or because it’s a good fit for the park. They’re doing it because they believe it’s a popular enough IP to boost attendance to the park and the ride. Dinosaur had many issues, but the giant dinosaur animatronics were not one of them (unless you’re talking to maintenance workers). What we will likely see is a brief attendance spike around the opening window before it settles down to the exact popularity the ride has before.

um, I'll take a bet against that!

 

[Disney Analyst]

Fabricating set pieces wasn’t dependent on the ride being closed.


The issue with doing the giant temple room isn’t the set pieces. Dinosaur has a solid floor in that area, so it would have to be cut out and the structure reinforced as necessary.

I do wonder how solid the floor really is, between the tracks. Watching a low light video, it seems like you go right under, and the chasing AA is below where the lava pit would be.

It could be possible, if the track was built mostly like Indy and the room is broken up using set work vs structural work.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Saying Indiana Jones isn't a popular/relevant enough IP for a ride, while "not understanding" why the Dinosaur (2000) ride is being replaced.... anyway

Continuing to pretend the Aladar statue outside and the two seconds of footage of him in the preshow, which is the sum total of the actual connection to that movie you get when you go on the ride because it was a shoehorned in connection on an original story ride, are in any way relevant...

This was an original concept ride with an awkwardly forced in marketing gimmick that didn't even make it to the ride itself; Dinosaur (movie) popularity isn't important.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I do wonder how solid the floor really is, between the tracks. Watching a low light video, it seems like you go right under, and the chasing AA is below where the lava pit would be.

It could be possible, if the track was built mostly like Indy and the room is broken up using set work vs structural work.

Just to add:

I am pretty confident based on video and layout, that the track is basically already a bridge, just like in Indy.

Watch this and look at the scene where you dive down and then get chased away. It looks pretty wide open under there.

 

[lazyboy97o]

To add to this, I would expect a Tiana's level overhaul for the interior show scenes given the similar timeline. Then again, DINOSAUR has considerably less detailed sets than Splash Mountain did, so maybe I'll be wrong

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure didn’t have scope cut because there was insufficient installation time. Dinosaur also hasn’t spent 30+ years being full of water.

 

[lentesta]

To add to this, I would expect a Tiana's level overhaul for the interior show scenes given the similar timeline. Then again, DINOSAUR has considerably less detailed sets than Splash Mountain did, so maybe I'll be wrong

We might know more at the end of the month. WDI is presenting again on the Indy ride at a Maya archaeology conference at Coronado Springs.

 

[veritas55]

Location, location, location. One is nearly hidden in the back of a park, the other you can't miss when walking through Adventureland.

oh, come on .... do you really believe that is a major factor? That Dinosaur would have the same lines as Indy if only it were near the front of the park? That ignores the fact the Indy is consistently considered one of the best all-time rides delivered by Disney -- and Dinosaur has never been considered a great ride by the majority of the guests.

 

[Timothy_Q]

Continuing to pretend the Aladar statue outside and the two seconds of footage of him in the preshow, which is the sum total of the actual connection to that movie you get when you go on the ride because it was a shoehorned in connection on an original story ride, are in any way relevant...

This was an original concept ride with an awkwardly forced in marketing gimmick that didn't even make it to the ride itself; Dinosaur (movie) popularity isn't important.

IJA and Dinosaur are both original stories, with their leads making only bookend appearances.
Character is presented -> guests go on their own 1st person original story -> we're saved! and the character is there again.

The only difference is every single person on the planet knows who Indiana Jones is, so it feels like an IP ride, while Dinosaur feels like an original ride because no one has a clue who Aladar and the Carnotaur are.

 

[Disney Analyst]

IJA and Dinosaur are both original stories, with their leads making only bookend appearances.
Character is presented -> guests go on their own 1st person original story -> we're saved! and the character is there again.

The only difference is every single person on the planet knows who Indiana Jones is, so it feels like an IP ride, while Dinosaur feels like an original ride because no one has a clue who Aladar and the Carnotaur are.

Frankly the main character is the annoying scientist who want stop talking the ENTIRE ride.

 

[drkarcher22]

I would have just preferred having Beastly Kingdom.

I think with hindsight most would, however just looking at the timeframe of when Animal Kingdom was being built i kinda get why they chose Dinoland. Budget gets slashed, you either pick an area with (relatively) minor theming and an E ticket that will be using a ride system that you already have made and you know for a fact that a film is being made that will (in theory) help promote the area and vice versa.

Compared to Beastly Kingdom which is going to need a far higher budget to theme the area, plus the main E ticket is going to be a heavily themed thrill coaster. I see why Eisner chose the former even if the latter would’ve been better

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

oh, come on .... do you really believe that is a major factor? That Dinosaur would have the same lines as Indy if only it were near the front of the park?

Well Dino already had decent lines - usually getting up 40 minutes during the peak of the day - which isn’t long at DAK because of how guests visit that park.

Yes, it would have had longer wait times if it was more visible.

I think part of what they are trying to “fix” with this land is create a temple facade that will be more visible and draw more people in.

 

[veritas55]

Well Dino already had decent lines - usually getting up 40 minutes during the peak of the day - which isn’t long at DAK because of how guests visit that park.

Yes, it would have had longer wait times if it was more visible.

I think part of what they are trying to “fix” with this land is create a temple facade that will be more visible and draw more people in.

Ok, it wasn't the crappy ride experience. It was the location.
Got it.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Ok, it wasn't the crappy ride experience. It was the location.
Got it.

Maybe nostalgia helps many here, but as someone who experienced Indy multiple times long before I experienced Dinosaur...

Dinosaur feels like another lesser theme park company copied an amazing ride, and did the best they could with the resources they had. It felt (to me) like a weird, alternate universe, copy cat version of a ride. Different (lesser) theming, yet eerily similar if you've ridden both.