DHS Disney Animation-Inspired Experience Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

[Andrew C]

Half the land was literally a parking lot with carnival games.

Wasn't this also you?

"Disney parks specifically and the entire Disney brand in general were built on the idea that children deserved quality entertainment, not cheap low-effort slop like this."

Asking honestly what was "more than fine" about Dinoland?

I would say everything about the land is pretty awesome except the Dino-Rama part. Theme, detail, story was on point. I just think all of that gets overlooked by many due to Dino-Rama.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Asking honestly what was "more than fine" about Dinoland?

In its prime - dinoland was full of life - Lucky the Dinosaur was very cool, the jugglers that used to perform there were quite good.

Disney is getting really good at letting something rot and then go “oh look how bad this is… we can fix it!”

Now in this case…. I personally believe Tropical Americas will be an improvement for the park as a whole. But it’s still a replacement and not an expansion.

 

[mattpeto]

I would say everything about the land is pretty awesome except the Dino-Rama part. Theme, detail, story was on point. I just think all of that gets overlooked by many due to Dino-Rama.

Which unfortunately was half the land.

Dinosaur (compared to IJA), Nemo show and Restaurantosaurus all forgetable to me.

The Boneyard was probably the #1 play area, I'd rank it above TSI honestly. Still not worth salvaging the land for it.

ETA: TriceraTop Spin and Primeval Whirl - you can put those in the forgetable stack too with the others above.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Dinoland gets a lot of retroactive love because of the little details and intricate storyline, but it’s been the weakest link at DAK since Camp Mickey Minnie closed, and one of the weakest in the resort.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Dinoland gets a lot of retroactive love because of the little details and intricate storyline, but it’s been the weakest link at DAK since Camp Mickey Minnie closed, and one of the weakest in the resort.

The challenge with the Dinorama part is that there was a ton of attention to detail put into it - but it is detail that goes unnoticed/over the head of the average guest. So if you get into the lore and understand why it is done to look cheap then it is cool, but most people just think it looks cheap and is cheap and not worthy of being in a Disney park ... for the majority of guests this is going to be just such a huge upgrade and make it a destination when it was an area skipped but at least a portion of the guests

 

[Bocabear]

If they had skipped the parking lot detail and added another ride or two instead of carnival games and made it less a temporary looking carnival and more like a Route 66 tourist attraction that was not temporary, it might have worked better...all in all. An Autopia style mini jeep ride that kids culd drive that went around a landscape with dinosaur fossils and dig-site settings would have been a great replacement for Primeval Whirl...and would have been a great addition to the kid-friendly lineup...and with electric jeeps there would be no noise and smell, and it would only be the second kid-drivable attraction at the resort.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Half the land was literally a parking lot with carnival games.

Wasn't this also you?

"Disney parks specifically and the entire Disney brand in general were built on the idea that children deserved quality entertainment, not cheap low-effort slop like this."

Asking honestly what was "more than fine" about Dinoland?

I understand that Dinoland was designated an acceptable target for contempt among Disney fandom, but I found it a witty, highly detailed land featuring the kind of genuinely funny satire modern Disney is utterly incapable of producing.

The “parking lot” was an integral part of the humorous design of the land. I would have preferred a dark ride here of course, but Triceratops was actually one of the nicer, more detailed flats in WDW -I’ll take it over Carpets any day.

I’m not a fan of playgrounds, but the Boneyard was large enough, elaborate enough, and themed enough that it approached Sawyer in rising above the mere designation of “playground.” It will certainly prove superior to whatever little play areas get plopped in AC or Cars.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Dinoland gets a lot of retroactive love because of the little details and intricate storyline, but it’s been the weakest link at DAK since Camp Mickey Minnie closed, and one of the weakest in the resort.

Hot Take alert:

Not considering the rides themselves, I found it more enjoyable and interesting to spend time in Dinoland then in Avatar or even Asia. I’m not saying Dino is BETTER, but I do think it was laid out better and had more little details to discover.

 

[Cranky Kong]

Dinoland covered an extremely broad subject: dinosaurs as a whole. Dinosaur/Countdown covered the actual extinct animals. Restaurantasaurus and the Boneyard covered the paleontology aspect. Dino-Rama covered the pop-culture conception of "dinosaurs". The roadside tourist trap is an important part of the history of "dinosaurs" as a concept, and well, is a key human construct interspersed within the natural landscape of the USA, which Dinoland represented.

I understand Dino-Rama was not a hit for everyone, and to some it was even an eyesore. But the reasoning behind it and the care put into crafting it were as clear as any other part of DAK for those who looked. I actually do think that Donald's Dino-Bash did more harm than good, at least in terms of improving the land's reception with repeat guests. The entire land except for the outer courtyard of Dinosaur became a gaudy mess with an odd selection of tunes. I pine for the pre-Dino-Bash Dinoland, even better if you get Lucky and some streetmosphere back. . .

 

[Cranky Kong]

Oh, and to get things a bit more back on topic, while segue-ing from AK talk. . .

Do you all think they will/should remove the Animation Academy from Rafiki's now that there will be one back in Studios?

 

[Gusey]

Triceratops was actually one of the nicer, more detailed flats in WDW -I’ll take it over Carpets any day.

This sentence pretty much sums up the Disney fan vs Disney Park Fan debate when it comes to IP at the parks. Triceratop Spin and Magic Carpets had the exact same ride system (to the point that Triceratop is just a reskinned Magic Carpets built as part of a 2 for 1 build) yet one themed to a Dinosaur that doesn't fly and one themed Aladdin's flying Carpets was received differently to one another

 

[lazyboy97o]

This sentence pretty much sums up the Disney fan vs Disney Park Fan debate when it comes to IP at the parks. Triceratop Spin and Magic Carpets had the exact same ride system (to the point that Triceratop is just a reskinned Magic Carpets built as part of a 2 for 1 build) yet one themed to a Dinosaur that doesn't fly and one themed Aladdin's flying Carpets was received differently to one another

Yes, because theme parks are spatial experiences, not just a series of familiar images.

 

[mattpeto]

Oh, and to get things a bit more back on topic, while segue-ing from AK talk. . .

Do you all think they will/should remove the Animation Academy from Rafiki's now that there will be one back in Studios?

I think there’s definitely a chance at that.

I’ll be curious if there is a phase 2 coming at AK after TA.

At the very least, a nighttime show should be in the works. Maybe Rafiki becomes something new, but train could be an issue.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh, and to get things a bit more back on topic, while segue-ing from AK talk. . .

Do you all think they will/should remove the Animation Academy from Rafiki's now that there will be one back in Studios?

Probably depends if they have something else to put at Rafiki's.

I think the parks could support two locations that do this and do think it is still a bit of a draw to get people to take the train/something to do while out there.

Ideally they change it up to something that is even more of a draw (no pun intended) but I think they keep it vs having nothing as pretty low cost offering and need as many things to offer at AK until Tropical Americas is done

 

[seabreezept813]

This is the worst thing that could happen to my favorite off-the-path restroom.

Just like the lightning McQueen bathrooms…

 

[seabreezept813]

On this week's Disney Dish, Jim has some new details on The Magic of Disney Animation 2 - Electric Boogaloo.

Jim says this, the new show for Disney Junior, and the current Mermaid show is the 10-year plan for Animation Courtyard.

The most likely candidate for the new show in the Disney Junior space is Bluey, especially with Disney releasing the upcoming Bluey movie in 2027.

I thought these were more like 5-year placeholders. 10 years is a long time.

The new Mermaid and Villains shows are rated very highly (4.5 stars, much higher than the things they replaced). So the thinking might be that this is good enough.

I actually think it might be one of the best options. Hollywood Studios is a park that has amazing rides but just feels like it needs more variety. If it were an omnimover through Once Upon a Studio that would be incredible. But walk throughs are fun and I think Universal is majorly beating Disney at the little magical details game. So it could play out nicely in this kind of design.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

This sentence pretty much sums up the Disney fan vs Disney Park Fan debate when it comes to IP at the parks. Triceratop Spin and Magic Carpets had the exact same ride system (to the point that Triceratop is just a reskinned Magic Carpets built as part of a 2 for 1 build) yet one themed to a Dinosaur that doesn't fly and one themed Aladdin's flying Carpets was received differently to one another

For casual park goers, Flying Carpets at MK benefits from being in a more prominent location in a heavily attended park. It's impossible to miss and very eye catching, which makes it attractive to its key demographic.

But its flaws are not just aesthetic, it's the placement of the ride and the cheap partial conversion of that corner of Adventureland into the Aladdin-ish Bazaar. It's not that's it's a bad idea for a flat ride, but the execution is lacking.

A near identical version of the ride exists at WDSP and gets a fraction of the ridership while doing nothing to improve that park's visuals besides having a wall that hides backstage views. The queue that runs behind this wall is even worse.

Contrast this with how the ride looks and where it is in DisneySea. Same basic idea, but you don't see this version get the same dismissal from Disney park fans. The worst thing I can say about is is the placement on the outskirts of Arabian Coast and the high walls bordering some the ride don't make for the best views.

 

[HMF]

I understand Dino-Rama was not a hit for everyone, and to some it was even an eyesore. But the reasoning behind it and the care put into crafting it were as clear as any other part of DAK for those who looked. I actually do think that Donald's Dino-Bash did more harm than good, at least in terms of improving the land's reception with repeat guests. The entire land except for the outer courtyard of Dinosaur became a gaudy mess with an odd selection of tunes. I pine for the pre-Dino-Bash Dinoland, even better if you get Lucky and some streetmosphere back. . .

To be honest there is another land in another park that was built around the same time that really should have been bulldozed but instead got Pixar characters slapped onto it and is sadly still operating. I will let you folks guess what it is.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

A near identical version of the ride exists at WDSP and gets a fraction of the ridership while doing nothing to improve that park's experience

To be fair…. It’s beautiful at night!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

To be fair…. It’s beautiful at night!View attachment 874208

All of WDSP looks 3x better at night