News Coco Boat Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure

[Disney Irish]

I think the only water shown in Coco was that scene where Miguel got thrown into a cenote by Ernesto. That could work if they were going for a book report re-telling of the movie.

That is a stretch in my opinion.

 

[mickEblu]

Yes but just because water ride was the ride profile they chose doesn't mean its required to have a "thrill" element such as a drop. That is just what some fans have put on the ride as an expectation after announcement.

When I think of "water" and "death" I think of the River Styx, which is a "lazy river" vibe not "thrill". And Coco doesn't have any different vibe to it when crossing the Marigold Bridge from the land of the living to the land of the dead. So I don't see where there will be this "drop" when the story doesn't even provide that.

What I meant was is the story/ setting certainly calls for some suspense or a little bit of thrill. Since they choose a water ride it is their responsibility to tailor the water ride to best tell that story and meet or surpass guests expectations.

 

[wityblack]

I don't understand the clamoring for a drop on this ride. I was terrified of the drop in Pirates as a 6 year old. I doubt they would want to isolate some of their core audience. California Adventure is already lacking quality rides that appeal to young kids or the whole family, and Disney just took another beloved family film and put it in a ride that has an age-restrictive drop. Yes a drop can be fun for some, but people who are into thrills are less likely to be obsessed with Coco.

 

[wityblack]

Within its existing footprint, that is pretty close to it for "expansion". But as they are expanding into other DLForward plots its not technically "landlocked", as that is the whole point of DLForward, to allow more room for future growth as needed.

They should build a second California Adventure on top of the first one. It's free real estate.

 

[Disney Irish]

What I meant was is the story/ setting certainly calls for some suspense or a little bit of thrill. Since they choose a water ride it is their responsibility to tailor the water ride to best tell that story and meet or surpass guests expectations.

Isn't there other ways to provide suspense on a water ride without an actual drop? And I don't think "thrill" is in the story or setting, so not really warranted in this case.

 

[mickEblu]

Isn't there other ways to provide suspense on a water ride without an actual drop? And I don't think "thrill" is in the story or setting, so not really warranted in this case.

There are other ways. Personally, based on the story/ setting I thought a suspended ride made more sense which would have limited the opportunity for physical thrills. However, when you combine the setting/ story of Coco and a boat ride the expectations become that there will be a drop. It’s not just about the story or just about the ride system. It’s the expectations that the combination of the two create. I’m not sure if a role like this exists at WDI but I think there should be a Guest satifiscation/ Ride experience psychologist of sorts. Someone who just specializes in that. All imagineers should have a little bit of that on them but someone who is solely focused on that.

 

[Disney Irish]

There are other ways. Personally, based on the story/ setting I thought a suspended ride made more sense which would have limited the opportunity for physical thrills. However, when you combine the setting/ story of Coco and a boat ride the expectations become that there will be a drop. It’s not just about the story or just about the ride system. It’s the expectations that the combination of the two create. I’m not sure if a role like this exists at WDI but I think there should be a Guest satifiscation/ Ride experience psychologist of sorts. Someone who just specializes in that. All imagineers should have a little bit of that on them but someone who is solely focused on that.

I think WDI picks ride systems based on a few factors, such as IP and story.

But as I mentioned when I think of "water" and "death" and "Coco" I don't get the automatic expectation of a thrills and a drop, even when combined with a flume ride. I get a "lazy river" expectation. As I'm pulling from the story told in the movie and mythology in general. And "crossing over" never comes across as a "thrill" to me.

 

[mickEblu]

I think WDI picks ride systems based on a few factors, such as IP and story.

But as I mentioned when I think of "water" and "death" and "Coco" I don't get the automatic expectation of a thrills and a drop, even when combined with a flume ride. I get a "lazy river" expectation. As I'm pulling from the story told in the movie and mythology in general. And "crossing over" never comes across as a "thrill" to me.

Id say you are in the minority IMO

 

[Timothy_Q]

While a drop would be fun (and could certainly be tied into the story) DCA already has more than enough thrill elsewhere, and is also in the process of adding another 3 new rides with varying levels of thrill

What DCA desperately needs is more classic dark rides, especially with Monsters on the way out

 

[Disney Irish]

Id say you are in the minority IMO

Ok

 

[mickEblu]

While a drop would be fun (and could certainly be tied into the story) DCA already has more than enough thrill elsewhere, and is also in the process of adding another 3 new rides with varying levels of thrill

What DCA desperately needs is more classic dark rides, especially with Monsters on the way out

IMO what DCA needs are rides the whole family can enjoy together. Key word being "enjoy." DCA has a few thrill rides that exclude the young ones and grandparents and then it has a bunch of flat rides. Not much in the middle. A Coco boat ride with a drop would check a lot of boxes at DCA. Not to say the whole family won't enjoy a Coco ride without any thrill but a drop or two makes it more fun for the whole family and also goes a long way in making the ride more exciting/ repeatable. Especially if it doesn't have the long ride time. Honestly I'm not sure how great the satisfaction scores will be on a Coco ride 6 minutes or under with no thrills. Especially with those guaranteed long wait times.

 

[Touchdown]

ok, here’s my shot at a story with drops:

Marigold Bridge is a lift, entering land of the dead, Going to Ernesto’s is also a lift. Minor drop escaping Ernesto’s followed by the major drop occurring to transition you back to Santa Cecelia at the end. I won’t simplify the story or give other scenes but that’s how I would structure it.

 

[wityblack]

IMO what DCA needs are rides the whole family can enjoy together. Key word being "enjoy." DCA has a few thrill rides that exclude the young ones and grandparents and then it has a bunch of flat rides. Not much in the middle. A Coco boat ride with a drop would check a lot of boxes at DCA. Not to say the whole family won't enjoy a Coco ride without any thrill but a drop or two makes it more fun for the whole family and also goes a long way in making the ride more exciting/ repeatable. Especially if it doesn't have the long ride time. Honestly I'm not sure how great the satisfaction scores will be on a Coco ride 6 minutes or under with no thrills. Especially with those guaranteed long wait times

The whole family? A drop excludes young kids. And Coco is a movie aimed at young kids.

 

[D.Silentu]

I think a drop, sized akin to the second decline in pirates, would be fun. Having the drop brightly lit as well would take away the worry most kids would have about it. That being said, I don't think this is that kind of a ride. I think we might have seen some art or heard about it by now as a selling point. As we haven't, I would say that implies a very gentle boat ride meant to scare no one outside of skelephobics.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

I told it "bad bot" and bonked it on the head:

Ride	Disney Resort Park	Year Built	Length (min)	Avg. Wait Time (min)	Boat Size (riders)	True AAs (est.)	Major Animated Figures (est.)	Cost Today (USD, est.)	Drops/Thrill Elements?	Pre-Show (Y/N & Duration)	AA vs Animated Figure Footnotes
Na’vi River Journey	Animal Kingdom	2017	4.5	51	8–12	1	6–8	~$200M	No	No	Only the Shaman is a true AA; rest are projections or basic motion elements
Frozen Ever After (HK)	Hong Kong Disneyland	2023	5	55	16	20–25	5	~$300M	Yes – small backward drop	No	A1000-class AAs (Elsa, Olaf, Marshmallow); some figures are screen or mapped effects
Tangled	Tokyo DisneySea	2024	5	N/A	16	15–20	3–5	$250–350M	No	No	Mostly stylized AAs of main characters; lantern scenes may rely on scenic effects
Frozen Journey (Tokyo)	Tokyo DisneySea	2024	6.5	N/A	16	20–30	5–8	$300–400M	Yes – backward segment	Yes – ~2 min	Higher AA count than EPCOT; several key figures enhanced; hybrid Olaf, Marshmallow likely
Mystic Manor	Hong Kong Disneyland	2013	7	N/A	~8	40–50	3–5	~$150M	Yes – fast motion, spin	Yes – ~1.5 min	Albert is a true AA; much of the animation comes from projection-mapped environments
Gran Fiesta Tour	EPCOT	2007	7	9.1	8	3	5–6	~$30–50M (overlay)	No	No	Uses original 3 Caballeros AAs; remaining characters appear on video or projected
El Río del Tiempo	EPCOT	1982	7.5	N/A	8	50–70	2–3	~$900M (adj.)	No	No	Most figures are repetitive mechanical AAs; very limited screen use
Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage	Tokyo DisneySea	2001 (rev. 2007)	~10	N/A	8	30–40	3–4	$80–120M	No	No	Nearly all figures are stylized AAs; few projected elements like the genie
Pirates: Battle for the Sunken Treasure	Shanghai Disneyland	2016	~10	N/A	8	40–60	10–12	~$200M	Yes – high-speed motion & drops	Yes – ~2.5 min	Jack, Barbossa are true AAs; many characters are projection-mapped or on massive screens
It’s a Small World	Disneyland	1966	15	18	16	300+	5–6	~$500M (adj.)	No	No	All singing children and animals are true AAs with simple repetitive motion

How is El rio del tiempo 50 AAs? The only AAs were in the “iasw” esq scene and that’s still in the GFT version.

 

[britain]

I think WDI picks ride systems based on a few factors, such as IP and story.

But as I mentioned when I think of "water" and "death" and "Coco" I don't get the automatic expectation of a thrills and a drop, even when combined with a flume ride. I get a "lazy river" expectation. As I'm pulling from the story told in the movie and mythology in general. And "crossing over" never comes across as a "thrill" to me.

And WDI probably has a lot of institutional memory of trying to fit Coco into El Rio Di tempo, which does not have a drop and works just fine.

 

[mickEblu]

The whole family? A drop excludes young kids. And Coco is a movie aimed at young kids.

You re right. I guess I’m imagining the countless rides on POTC with young kids and the fact that it has no height requirement. Do you have kids?

 

[truecoat]

They should build a second California Adventure on top of the first one. It's free real estate.

And line the bottom side with rows and rows of fluorescent bulbs.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

I'm telling you, the footprint for this will be the same as Gran Fiesta Tour. I'd bet my bottom dollar on it.

 

[CoastalElite64]

I'm telling you, the footprint for this will be the same as Gran Fiesta Tour. I'd bet my bottom dollar on it.

They would've changed GFT to Coco instead. This will have to be more grand to sell tickets.