What the heck is Dinoland U.S.A?

[Brummyboy92]

Hey all,

I've recently returned from my first trip the WDW, spending 3 weeks spread across Disney, Universal & seeing family in Jacksonville. Had an amazing time, and Disney met my expectations....ish.

I imagine this has been discussed to death here, but what is going on with Dinoland U.S.A? More importantly, why does it even exist?

Animal Kingdom was the park I was most looking forward to experiencing, a beautiful Oasis which seems to have a clear identity. Avatar was incredible, Kilimanjaro Safari was unique and fun, and it was just an all round pleasant park to walk around. When I went into Dinoland, I could not believe my eyes, just how out of character it felt in comparison to the rest of AK. It feels like a fun fair slapped on top of car park, and nowhere near up to the standard the rest of the park has set. Even worse Primeval Whirl was shut all day, and as the park is kind of lacking in the rides department, it was one less ride to go on. The main Dinosaur ride was a lot of fun, however it did not make up for overall experience of the area.

What's the plan here, surely this has to go at some point soon? As mentioned the Animal Kingdom is the one park in my eyes which has a clear theme, in comparison to the others, with less crossover. Are there plans to rebuild this as something better? Even if they stuck with the Dino theme would be fine, it just needs to be on the scale of the new lands we are seeing being built now, with amazing theming and attractions.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

You have to understand the backstory to appreciate it.

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

Dinoland USA is a mess - that's what it is.

Dino-Rama literally is themed to be a cheap carnival on top of a car park. The Imagineers did the best they could with the orders they were given (build rides that add up to X capacity on X budget), but it just wasn't possible to produce anything that meets the high standards set by the rest of the park. As a result, it is absolutely a net negative for the park, because it suddenly removes you from the otherwise beautiful environment that would make up your entire day.

Something is going to happen to it, perhaps relatively soon, but it can't be soon enough.

 

[ppete1975]

pretty sure theres an post or 100 about it around here somewhere

 

[Jon81uk]

Its designed to celebrate the kitschy roadside attractions of middle America. Some dinosaur bones were found and Chester & Hester cashed in on the tourists and set up a funfair. That is the theme in the same way that the area round Dumbo is a circus, or Harambe is an African village.

Just because an African village is less common to an American doesn't mean it is "better" themed, Chester & Hesters Dino-rama (which is only a small part of Dino-land USA) does recreate very well a funfair on a carpark next to a rural gas stations gift shop. Its just being themed to a part of America doesn't look as "interesting" as being themed to a part of Africa.

I agree that the main areas of Dinoland do look better than Chester & Hesters and the rides there are not really worth existing (you did not miss out by Primeval whirl being closed), but the theming is exactly what it is meant to look like.

 

[Master Yoda]

You have to understand the backstory to appreciate it.

This^^^

From the Disney Wiki page.

DinoLand USA is set in the fictional Diggs County. In the early 1940s, the county consisted of ranch and farmland. Here, an elderly couple named Chester and Hester owned a rundown gas station along Highway 498. In 1947 however, things changed in Diggs County. At this time amateur fossil hunters found dinosaur bones in the area and their discovery led scientists and graduate students to flood into Diggs. Initially, the new residents stayed at an old fishing lodge, however when time travel was invented in the 1970s, the Dino Institute was founded. The new modern building became the central location of dinosaur research and time travel.

In order to capitalize on the dinosaur craze, Chester and Hester began selling various souvenirs at their gas station. It quickly became evident that the merchandise business was more profitable than selling gasoline. Using their profits from souvenir sales, Chester and Hester decided to build a roadside amusement park, in order to profit from the influx of tourists coming to the area to see the Dino Institute. From this idea, Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama was born. Besides featuring midway style carnival games, the amusement park also features Chester and Hester’s own “time machine”- Primeval Whirl. Although the Dino Institute has tried to by Chester and Hester's land in order to raze the buildings, their decedents have refused to sell.

The biggest problem is this backstory story is very poorly communicated in the land itself. Most people just look at Dino-Rama as a cheep carnival and don't think about the story behind it.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

3 weeks in the area.. to say i'm jealous would be an understatement!

When I went for the first time in a decade (Feb 2019), I thought a lot of the same things you are - with the exception of Dinosaur being a "fun" ride. (Indiana Jones Adventure is miles ahead compared to the dark, barely working animatronic Dinosaur). A complete renovation would be OK with me so long as they don't reskin Dinosaur and keep the general setting of that E-ticket.

But yeah, it's supposed to be a carnival. It's just really, really poor for a Disney themed area.

 

[xdan0920]

This^^^

From the Disney Wiki page.



The biggest problem is this backstory story is very poorly communicated in the land itself. Most people just look at Dino-Rama as a cheep carnival and don't think about the story behind it.

Well the story is just a justification for poor/cheap(disney cheap at least) design. It is a cheap carnival. The land stinks out loud.

Edit to add....

The only worse area in WDW is Toy Story Land.

 

[Master Yoda]

Well the story is just a justification for poor/cheap(disney cheap at least) design. It is a cheap carnival. The land stinks out loud.

Edit to add....

The only worse area in WDW is Toy Story Land.

How would you have done it and kept it as a cohesive land?

 

[xdan0920]

How would you have done it and kept it as a cohesive land?

I dunno.

I don't design themed lands, as you know. But, I would probably have just had a dinosaur themed land that didn't have a pavement carnival plopped into the middle of it. Dinosaurs rule. It shouldn't be hard for these creatives to come up with something awesome.

 

[Brummyboy92]

That makes a lot more sense, as I had no idea any actual thought went into the theme/backstory, however it's not good enough in my eyes. There are plenty more suitable themes I can think of, perhaps Australia if they wanted to stick with the continent theme?

I don't claim to have the answer, but it was a real let down overall and felt like you were walking into a completely different park. (And not in a good Star Wars way).

 

[Heppenheimer]

How would you have done it and kept it as a cohesive land?

In my imaginary world where the Walt Disney company actually lets me comes up with these ideas, I would have themed it on Australia or South America. Add another animal trail and basically keep Dinosaur, but theme it to the appropriate continent. If Australian, place the land in some dusty Outback station. If South American, because the jungle theme is represented in Asia and Africa, set it in either the Pampas, Patagonia or the Andes. There, Disney Company, I'll take that check for coming up with a better theme in 5 minutes over my lunch.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

How would you have done it and kept it as a cohesive land?

I dunno.

I don't design themed lands, as you know. But, I would probably have just had a dinosaur themed land that didn't have a pavement carnival plopped into the middle of it. Dinosaurs rule. It shouldn't be hard for these creatives to come up with something awesome.

How about a mix between a modern / futuristic designed town, in the middle of a prehistoric looking jungle built around a world-famous dino museum (Dinosaur)? (Sunset blvd is already similar in that it was built around Hollywood Tower Hotel). The town is now beat up and rundown due to a terrible secret. Dinosaur, being said terrible secret, could be converted to an abandoned museum with a terrible history due to a hidden portal to the pre-historic times (think, similar to Stranger Things).

The Dinosaur ride itself could get a major refurbishment, keeping the Carnotaurus as the center of the story, but adding another carnivore or two to spice things up.

I just thought of this in 5 - 10 minutes, but could do a lot better if I was payed by Disney to make this my career.

 

[Master Yoda]

In my imaginary world where the Walt Disney company actually lets me comes up with these ideas, I would have themed it on Australia or South America. Add another animal trail and basically keep Dinosaur, but theme it to the appropriate continent.

How does that fit in with the Dino-Land story? It would be like tacking on an Antarctica section to Asia.

 

[Heppenheimer]

How does that fit in with the Dino-Land story? It would be like tacking on an Antarctica section to Asia.

It wouldn't be themed to Dino-Land, we would scrap that theme altoghter.

 

[lazyboy97o]

How would you have done it and kept it as a cohesive land?

You ask this as though there were never other concepts for the land. The Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama concept is an addition and change in direction. It was concocted to justify the addition of some off-the-shelf rides that Joe has proudly claimed can be cleared out in 24 hours.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I'm sorry but I dont care what the backstory was. It still is an area that just doesnt fit with your expectations for what Disney is capable of putting into that park. It feels like they got to that part and just got lazy. Where is the creativity?

 

[NickPytlinski]

i actually quite like it.

but i understand the point you are making.

The meet n greet is always so quiet in dinoland USA which is a positive point.

 

[ObscurityPoint]

To put it into the simplest way- Dinoland USA is the next part of DAK that needs to be completely bulldozed and overhauled with the exception of Dinosaur (which needs a good year long refurb itself). The land is a time capsule of the worst of the Eisner era. It has the same design/mindset as early DCA (taking the cheapest carnival rides possible and claiming that a run down carnival is “the theme”). The only reason it exists is due to the budget being lost with the failure of EuroDisney. Heck, when it opened, the entire land was sponsored by Mcdonalds. That’s right. A Disney theme park with an entire land dedicated to dinosaurs and Mcdonalds. Remnants still remain, as seen in the pipes in Dinosaur and the smell inside Restaurantosaurus or whatever its called. The area is a joke, and I’m surprised to see how long it has lasted considering the recent updates of this generation with new Fantasyland, Pandora, SWGE, Epcot, DS, and more. I really hope the dinosaur theme remains in the park, as an entire land dedicated to dinosaurs would eat up guests (no pun intended), but it may be hard to pull off considering Universal’s success with the Jurassic World franchise. I could still see this becoming Indy land at some point, but who knows. I’m just saying that I’m prepared for the monstrosity that is Primeval Whirl to never reopen, and for the gates to this section of the park to close soon and pull a Camp Minnie Mickey type refurb into an entirely new experience.

 

[Hula Baloo]

That makes a lot more sense, as I had no idea any actual thought went into the theme/backstory, however it's not good enough in my eyes. There are plenty more suitable themes I can think of, perhaps Australia if they wanted to stick with the continent theme?

I don't claim to have the answer, but it was a real let down overall and felt like you were walking into a completely different park. (And not in a good Star Wars way).

The first time I saw Dinoland I was really confused as well. I liked the Dinosaur ride, but didn't understand the carnival theme. Australia sounds cool, but I think South America would be a good option as well. However, I would want one of these to be a whole new land instead of replacing Dinoland. Hoping Dinoland will someday get a refurb and remove the carnival.