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

[WorldExplorer]

Disney knows what modern parkgoers want in an Encanto ride. It's Mirabel and Luisa and "WE DON'T TALK ABOUT BRUNO NO NO NO", not Antonio talking to us about jaguars and toucans. It takes place DURING the first act of the movie, and very little of that first act has to do with animals.

These discussions always end up being a ping pong game between two contradictory concepts:

- People do not want *thing the park is actually about*, they only care about IP.

- Disney will definitely bait and switch people by taking attention away from the thing people want to see in favor of stuff people do not care about.

- Why can't they just focus on the thing actually relevant to the park if they're going to just use the characters as a brief segue and focus on what's supposed to be there anyway? Because people do not want "thing the park is actually about*, they only care about IP.

People defending the use of poorly fitting IPs will go back and forth between the two even though they logically don't fit together. Best case scenario this claim is just blatantly encouraging Disney being deceptive, but it's okay because we all know minimizing the IP to focus on stuff that fits won't happen. It never does. It won't this time. It won't happen next time.

It's especially stupid for Encanto, where the kid talking to animals is supposed to be a very impressive, cool power to rub in Mirabel's face her not getting anything. Animals are cool enough to be a recognizable cool super power in a film, and cool enough to supposedly carry the ride after some token Encanto stuff that definitely will not be the focus, but we must include the Encanto stuff because otherwise no one will care. What sense does that make?

The same concept applies to the Indiana Jones ride, which is going to be a ride about Indiana Jones, not a ride about a mythical being. You can tell, because if it wasn't about him, we wouldn't need him here. That exact same "RUN! NATURE IS BEHIND YOU AND TICKED" concept is over in Asia raking in the merchandise dough and still being featured in commercials. No one complains about it. Legitimately perfect fit, and they felt it was fine building it with Dinosaur already there and doing the same thing so you can't even argue that it would be redundant to have two rides like that because that was what they already did and ran for decades with. It would be a good fit here, too. Heck, go ahead, they can still make it more of an adventure than a horror like they're doing already, totally doable with lighting and music alone. But they're not doing that, because the ride isn't going to be about the mythical being. It's going to be about Indiana Jones.

"Well, no one likes Dinosaur so they can't do that concept again." Okay. Then that's just an admission that the ride is going to be about Indiana Jones and not the mythical being because otherwise I don't see much of a distinction between what's being offered. Remove him and it's a ride about a big, scary thing you encounter in the jungle. You know...like Dinosaur. Maybe you can argue making it less scary (weenification) is going to be a big help in drawing people, but again, don't need Indy to do that.

Funny no one thought to just port the ride over when they built the park if Indy's clearly such a perfect fit. Actually, funny how none of the rides in Animal Kingdom had any human animatronics until now even though they had the technology for it back then. Hm...

 

[HauntedPirate]

THIS (at worst) is tied-for-first-place the BEST thing Disney ever did for me in my entire life. .....

One of the best things that ever happened in my entire life.

Particularly/Especially/Most frequently so at EPCOT 1.0 (but there were other examples):

it stoked the overwhelming desire, that should exist in everyone, ....

for me to strive like never before to become a better person...

to make sure I am making the contribution to the world that I was meant to make.

Be quiet, you money-dispensing meatsack, and pony up for LLPP, popcorn buckets, self-congratulatory cupcakes, and dumbed-down experiences. Beekuz the genurul publik lieks all this stuf!!

 

[Incomudro]

Dumhing down by removing the ride that featured a few mannequins in ancient norway, followed by a three headed troll and some animals, then a grand finale of plunging by an oil rig followed by a dated film that was an infomercial?

Was the ride dumb though?
I'll admit, I always considered it to be a less than full blown dark boat ride.
And while I don't hate Frozen, arguably a ride based on a few scenes of that film is aimed at a different demographic than one that taught some culture and history of the land it was located in.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

All of this is off-topic, I know, but I would forgive the crowbarring of Frozen in Norway if they went in and themed it to Frozen 2. Tonally far more in line with the folklore and mystique of that region.

But Frozen 2 was a horrible movie. It lacked the heart and charm of the original. A total waste of time and effort.

 

[Pizza Moon]

Is Animal Kingdom really the last park with a unified mission statement?

Disney-MGM Studios is gone, California Adventure also. EPCOT as well. Many changes have been positive, many negative, but it seems we are moving to “lands” as the new theme park basically.

I guess DisneySea still is, Fantasy Springs is like its own thing if we’re totally fair. So AK, DisneySea, and I guess Europa Park too are really all that’s left of like specific themed parks.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Is Animal Kingdom really the last park with a unified mission statement?

Disney-MGM Studios is gone, California Adventure also. EPCOT as well. Many changes have been positive, many negative, but it seems we are moving to “lands” as the new theme park basically.

I guess DisneySea still is, Fantasy Springs is like its own thing if we’re totally fair. So AK, DisneySea, and I guess Europa Park too are really all that’s left of like specific themed parks.

DisneySea is definitely changing, especially with Springs there.

Add in Duffy palooza… all the shops selling merch (the same merch in every store pretty much) that have nothing to do with the lands or park…

And the eventual changes coming up for Aquatopia area…

 

[Pizza Moon]

But Frozen 2 was a horrible movie. It lacked the heart and charm of the original. A total waste of time and effort.

That’s Disney’s filmmaking in general.

I watched Zootopia 2 and I was seriously floored that it’s getting as much praise as it is, but at least it is better than the slop we’ve been getting.

Look at Mufasa, the Lilo and Stitch remakes, the soul is just sucked out of everything, bland color palettes, zero heart, everything is ruled by an HR committee. Even with Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin marking a step up in terms of art direction, they’re derivative, social engineering, playing it safe, and generally not in good ways. The only remake I can really say was done well is probably Jungle Book, and it’s really been since Tangled/Wreck it Ralph since Disney Animation has been on fire, but the drop off post-Moana is actually mind blowing. Complacency and corporate politics will do that.

Moana 2, Wish, Strange World, Raya, Frozen 2, I mean so many of these movies are just pathetic excuses of writing, obviously Pixar’s culture was shredded after Disney acquired it too. I think this stretch is far worse than Disney in the 70s/80s/2000s.

I still can’t get over that the message of Raya is “TrUsT EvErYonE.”

 

[Pizza Moon]

DisneySea is definitely changing, especially with Springs there.

Add in Duffy palooza… all the shops selling merch (the same merch in every store pretty much) that have nothing to do with the lands or park…

And the eventual changes coming up for Aquatopia area…

I haven’t been in a bit, so I really don’t know how it is on the ground but I know they’ve obviously pushed IP more. The Duffy crazy is legitimately on another stratosphere which is intriguing, though Soarin’ is IP free, as will be the new Space Mountain so they’re clearly not just focused on IP, but obviously DisneySea is losing some of its identity, but outside of Fantasy Springs which is basically its own thing to draw a similar audience from the other park, and it makes sense. The park is pretty consistent as a whole, and the finished product for Fantasy Springs outside of the hotel is so ridiculously well-done. I’m glad they did what they did.

I’d welcome an Aladdin ride in Arabian Coast more than anything, how that hasn’t happened is confusing; does Disney just hate Aladdin? How does TRON get two rides before it? Do we know what they’re doing for Aquatopia?

 

[HMF]

Is Animal Kingdom really the last park with a unified mission statement?

Pre-Avatar, yes.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I haven’t been in a bit, so I really don’t know how it is on the ground but I know they’ve obviously pushed IP more. The Duffy crazy is legitimately on another stratosphere which is intriguing, though Soarin’ is IP free, as will be the new Space Mountain so they’re clearly not just focused on IP, but obviously DisneySea is losing some of its identity, but outside of Fantasy Springs which is basically its own thing to draw a similar audience from the other park, and makes sense, the park is pretty consistent as a whole, and the finished product for Fantasy Springs outside of the hotel is so ridiculously well-done I’m glad they did what they did.

I’d welcome an Aladdin ride in Arabian Coast more than anything, how that hasn’t happened is confusing; does Disney just hate Aladdin? How does TRON get two rides before it? Do we know what they’re doing for Aquatopia?

I mean the theming in the park is impeccable, in terms of what has been built. But it definitely doesn’t feel as cohesive as I assume it once was, at least it didn’t to me. Honestly, as someone who isn’t a big shopper, I was surprised how much the shops took me out of it all. It’s the most generic, one note merch I’ve seen in a Disney park.

(Apart from the amazing Lost Boys hats)

 

[Pizza Moon]

Pre-Avatar, yes.

I honestly think Pandora elevates it, sort of like how Indiana Jones Adventure elevated Adventureland at Disneyland or Cars Land at California Adventure, or Jules Verne at Tokyo DisneySea.

Most IPs unfortunately either are complete shoehorns or just okay fits.

I assume Tropical Americas will fall into the just-okay camp where there’s consistency but not, obviously meshing flawlessly with AK’s mission statement or the feel they the other lands bring, but at least it isn’t a complete shoehorn like Frozen: Ever After or Zootopia: Better Zoogether, it’ll be Ratatouille at best, though in the context of the land, and not in the context of the park’s mission statement itself, and certainly not Pandora-level.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

Except they're down from their 2019 peak and are now apparently at best flat and at worst heading in the wrong direction.

It's not all pixie dust and popcorn buckets right now.

you mean their peak just after adding rides like Frozen?

 

[Brer Panther]

That exact same "RUN! NATURE IS BEHIND YOU AND TICKED" concept is over in Asia raking in the merchandise dough

You mean "that nondescript coaster that maybe is themed to India or whatever"?

 

[WorldExplorer]

You mean "that nondescript coaster that maybe is themed to India or whatever"?

I truly believe that if it wasn't such a specific structure that's hard to retheme that would be heading out, too.

Iger doesn't see the value in it, no IP, permanently broken, and frankly for a rollercoaster that's advertised regularly and literally impossible to miss the wait times aren't super impressive.

One thing's for sure: if it ever goes, we can be assured no one ever really liked it and Sven's Snowy Adventure is going to be a much better fit for the park. "You've all been asking them to fix the yeti for years and now you're complaining they're removing the problem?"

 

[HMF]

"You've all been asking them to fix the yeti for years and now you're complaining they're removing the problem?"

At this point that might be more likely to happen than a fixed Yeti.

 

[WorldExplorer]

At this point that might be more likely to happen than a fixed Yeti.

I don't expect it to ever be fixed; it'll be broken until either they close the ride or they close Animal Kingdom, however far in the future that may be.

 

[FettFan]

Assuming they plan to drop Temple of the Forbidden Eye right into Dinosaur, yes?

Meso-American. So we will either get the Crystal Skull Temple from Tokyo (and pleasant memories of the last “okay” IJ movie),

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/societyofexplorersandadventurers/images/c/c0/Unnamed-0.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20201215005549

or an encounter with an impressive 20-foot-tall animatronic of Quetzalcoatl the Winged Serpent, which will break down after 1-2 years and will be covered with a screen when TDO bean counters decide it’s too costly to actually repair.

 

[Pizza Moon]

Meso-American. So we will either get the Crystal Skull Temple from Tokyo (and pleasant memories of the last “okay” IJ movie),

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/societyofexplorersandadventurers/images/c/c0/Unnamed-0.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20201215005549

or an encounter with an impressive 20-foot-tall animatronic of Quetzalcoatl the Winged Serpent, which will break down after 1-2 years and will be covered with a screen when TDO bean counters decide it’s too costly to actually repair.


View attachment 900065

Well, that's pessimistic.

 

[Brer Panther]

the wait times aren't super impressive.

Honestly, what DOES still have a wait time long enough that Disney considers it un-replaceable? I'm sure Toy Story Mania, Soarin', Frozen Ever After, Peter Pan, and the stuff built since 2018 (simply because they're new) still have long lines, but what else do I have to be worried about?

 

[HMF]

I don't expect it to ever be fixed; it'll be broken until either they close the ride or they close Animal Kingdom, however far in the future that may be.

Is DAK on PETA's hit list?