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

[999th Happy Haunt]

I think it will be more popular simply because of the IP. Additionally, if done right it should also be more popular because it’s a better ride. IMO.

There’s no guarantee WDW Indy is going yo be as good as Disneyland’s since the only 2 things that will be shared are the IP and vehicle. Saying it’s a better ride now is way too early.

I’d actually be shocked if it came close to Disneyland’s Indy, that ride is such lightning in a bottle perfection.

 

[gorillaball]

There’s no guarantee WDW Indy is going yo be as good as Disneyland’s since the only 2 things that will be shared are the IP and vehicle. Saying it’s a better ride now is way too early.

I’d actually be shocked if it came close to Disneyland’s Indy, that ride is such lightning in a bottle perfection.

Hence, why I said “IF” and even underlined it.

 

[UNCgolf]

Second, i don't believe Disney considered Little Mermaid or Toy Story mania to be e-tickets -- their capital expenditures were a fraction of other true E tickets.

They spent enough on Little Mermaid for it to be an E ticket (over $100 million), although I think it was always planned as a D.

 

[drkarcher22]

He really did a great job portraying him in the Great Circle

 

[HMF]

Pirates is a fully physical, AA and effects masterpiece.

Which is sadly an endangered species in the Disney Theme Parks right now.

 

[HMF]

Yeah, even the weaker WDW version of Pirates is a better overall attraction than Shanghai Pirates for me -- which isn't a knock on Shanghai Pirates; POTC is one of the best rides Disney has ever built.

I would say Shanghai's is more at risk to being dated quicker. Especially since it was intentionally already based on the Johny Depp movies. Whereas with the other four they could tear out those references tomorrow if they wanted to.

 

[HMF]

I'm still doubtful that the Indiana Jones ride will be more popular than Dinosaur simply because of the IP. It'll still have the same location and I'm not sure how popular the IP even is nowadays.

What you think Indiana Jones wasn't more popular in 1998 than now?

 

[HMF]

Two problems with that. One, most if not all of Disney's investments nowadays are E-Tickets. Two, I'd argue that Little Mermaid,

Mermaid was internally described as a High Scale D-Ticket within WDI apparently.

 

[HMF]

I think it'll be cool for Everest to have a sister attraction that focuses on a mythical creature from its respective culture

The essence of Beastly Kingdom lives on spread out across the park

I would have just preferred having Beastly Kingdom.

 

[Brer Panther]

What you think Indiana Jones wasn't more popular in 1998 than now?

Wasn't the most recent film a flop? Though that could be more because of the quality of the film, or its release date, or marketing, than the IP itself...

 

[ChewbaccaYourMum]

I think one of the reasons why Dinosaur was one of my favorite attractions was because of the darkness. Everything super interesting was well-lit, but the rest was in darkness and kept you guessing. With each ride-through you could catch a glimpse of a little more of the scenery, and overall it just did a great job at creating its own “world” and immersing me. I genuinely felt like I could hop off the ride and wander in the forest for hours if the ride ever broke down.

Anyways, maybe not as interesting scenery-wise as other attractions were, but I’d argue that it used darkness really well to immerse you more fully and to add to the thrilling nature of the ride.

Trust me, I've been through two breakdowns where I was escorted off the ride and had to walk out..... it's not forests...it's just unthemed walls haha! Much better in the dark!

 

[veritas55]

They spent enough on Little Mermaid for it to be an E ticket (over $100 million), although I think it was always planned as a D.

I know there isn't a brightline rule on what makes an E ticket -- and I'm not minimizing $100 million as a significant expenditure (much less in 2012 dollars) -- but it remains a fraction of what Disney spends on the rides we can all agree are "E tickets": e.g., Rise of Resistance, Radiator Springs, Guardians, Tron, etc. (I haven't been able to find a reliable cost estimate for Countdown/ Dinosaur, but I suspect, if we controlled for inflation (1998 vs. 2012 dollars), it cost significantly more than Little Mermaid.)

My comment is just in support of the idea that I believe Dinosaur's comparatively low popularity, particularly in a park in need of crowd-pleasing rides, was a factor in the decision to move on from it. And more specifically, that although "low wait/less popular" rides can have a useful function in the parks, I don't think Disney envisioned Countdown/Dinosaur as fulfilling the same function as some of its other non-E ticket rides -- I think they designed and invested in the ride expecting it to have a similar impact and popularity as the Indy ride in DL, but it was a misfire.

 

[WorldExplorer]

I think one of the reasons why Dinosaur was one of my favorite attractions was because of the darkness. Everything super interesting was well-lit, but the rest was in darkness and kept you guessing. With each ride-through you could catch a glimpse of a little more of the scenery, and overall it just did a great job at creating its own “world” and immersing me. I genuinely felt like I could hop off the ride and wander in the forest for hours if the ride ever broke down.

Anyways, maybe not as interesting scenery-wise as other attractions were, but I’d argue that it used darkness really well to immerse you more fully and to add to the thrilling nature of the ride.

And it's not like you couldn't tell where the budget went instead of scenery; the thing was filled with giant dinosaur animatronics. Extremely impressive giant dinosaur animatronics. Disney used to brag you could see the carnotaurus breathing. There is a very real chance these things were the closest any of us will ever get to seeing a real dinosaur (until equivalent quality dinosaur animatronics are made. River Adventures' don't look nearly as good, but apparently there's a park in Asia that's done better animatronics with that IP).

There was literally tons to see in there.

Wasn't the most recent film a flop? Though that could be more because of the quality of the film, or its release date, or marketing, than the IP itself...

Garbage makes tons of money all the time despite being garbage and normally it's specifically because it's attached to a popular IP. Just look at live action Lilo and Stitch. The film being awful shouldn't have mattered if the IP was still big.

 

[Bocabear]

I'm still doubtful that the Indiana Jones ride will be more popular than Dinosaur simply because of the IP. It'll still have the same location and I'm not sure how popular the IP even is nowadays.

I can assure you the Indiana Jones version of this attraction will have huge crowds and be extremely popular... It is a new attraction, I am sure they will do a great job with it... It will be mobbed for years to come....and probably sell more merch than the Dinosaur gift shop sells...IJ is a classic...

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

I can assure you the Indiana Jones version of this attraction will have huge crowds and be extremely popular... It is a new attraction, I am sure they will do a great job with it... It will be mobbed for years to come....and probably sell more merch than the Dinosaur gift shop sells...IJ is a classic...

I think you are probably right about everything here, except the last part.

IJ is a dated IP, and even beyond that, doesn't have a ton of general merch appeal. I mean even during the height of IJ popularity, how many hats and whips are you going to sell to indy fans? Selling toy and stuffed dinosaurs is a universal win for young kids, really independent of the ride itself. I will be interested to see just what merchandise is linked to the ride

 

[SamusAranX]

I think it'll be cool for Everest to have a sister attraction that focuses on a mythical creature from its respective culture

The essence of Beastly Kingdom lives on spread out across the park

I really just don’t feel the same way as some do regarding IJ. Everest as you pointed out is literally the same concept; encountering a mythical creature and showing reverent fear. You’re just adding Indy to it.

 

[FigmentFan82]

I think you are probably right about everything here, except the last part.

IJ is a dated IP, and even beyond that, doesn't have a ton of general merch appeal. I mean even during the height of IJ popularity, how many hats and whips are you going to sell to indy fans? Selling toy and stuffed dinosaurs is a universal win for young kids, really independent of the ride itself. I will be interested to see just what merchandise is linked to the ride

Incorrect, IJ is not dated. The recent video game was very popular and gets great reviews

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Incorrect, IJ is not dated. The recent video game was very popular and gets great reviews

LOL, a franchise from 30 plus years ago, who's movies have only gone down in popularity and watches as the franchise has gotten older, including its last movie getting killed at the box office, and yet the IP isn't dated because it had a first person shooter video game that had some success?

 

[HMF]

Wasn't the most recent film a flop? Though that could be more because of the quality of the film, or its release date, or marketing, than the IP itself...

Yes, It was a financial flop though I did enjoy it. It doesn't change the fact that if they wanted Indy in DAK in 1998, They would have put it there.

 

[SamusAranX]

LOL, a franchise from 30 plus years ago, who's movies have only gone down in popularity and watches as the franchise has gotten older, including its last movie getting killed at the box office, and yet the IP isn't dated because it had a first person shooter video game that had some success?

IJ (the original trilogy) is most certainly a timeless IP in the vein of Disney classics, Star Wars (which incidentally suffers from the same problem; most recent films while having made money, declined in quality and were nowhere near the cultural zeitgeist as the OT and even PT was) and so on. Like in the aforementioned case of Star Wars, just because later productions bombed or had tepid response, doesn’t take away from the original films quality and popularity. And even if we acknowledge the premise as fact, certain IPs were not super popular or timeless yet transcended that because of the quality of the attraction. Pandora is a prime example. A lot of people questioned putting chips on the table for Avatar, given at the time only one film had debuted and anecdotally was nowhere near as culturally engrained as other Disney IPs. But they made it work and the end results are a popular land.