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

[veritas55]

From a mathematics standpoint you really can't call Dinosaur underperforming because it was a fully utilized attraction; they weren't sending out empty vehicles (which does happen on other Disney attractions, like Little Mermaid).

That has nothing to do with the ride quality -- I think Indiana Jones will be a better attraction than Dinosaur was -- but from a parks operations perspective the switch isn't going to change much for Animal Kingdom. Tropical Americas as a whole will, though.

Well, I believe Disney looks at more than just does a ride send out empty vehicles.

They are interested, particularly nowadays, in lightning lane sales, which have a very strong correlation to demand (which is correlated to waiting times). Dinosaur's lightning lane sales were a tiny fraction of FOP, Guardians, Rise, Tower, etc.

Disney surely considers the appeal/ demand of the ride in terms of whether it has an impact on guests desire to return. Part of the ROI analysis of these rides is whether they help create an impression and a desire of "I want to go back and ride that again..." Consider the impact and effect of FOP on most guests vs. Dinosaur.

Finally, I don't think Disney wants super long lines (despite the cynical take that they do to increase LL sales), but some lines are effective because they help spread crowds out, especially in a park with few rides, like Animal Kingdom. The decreased demand of Dinosaur correlates to greater lines at FOP, Kiliminjaro, etc.

 

[HauntedPirate]

oh, come on .... do you really believe that is a major factor? That Dinosaur would have the same lines as Indy if only it were near the front of the park? That ignores the fact the Indy is consistently considered one of the best all-time rides delivered by Disney -- and Dinosaur has never been considered a great ride by the majority of the guests.

Yes. I never said "same lines", but you keep on keeping on.

The switch from CTX to tie into a very, very "meh" movie was a mistake that should have been corrected 15+ years ago. The ride had the bones (pardon the pun) to be more than management allowed it to be.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Some always bring up size as why we can't just endlessly expand the parks. The parks weren't deisgned to just add more and more layers outside the original design. These parks weren't designed for that.

@tommyhawkins just had a good read on his substack about building a 5th gate and how it should be designed for expansion with the infrastructure to support it.

The parks were designed with expansion in mind. There’s also the ability to layer experiences the way they are at Disneyland but is rarely done at Walt Disney World. That things have been handled poorly doesn’t negate the need to increase capacity.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Some always bring up size as why we can't just endlessly expand the parks. The parks weren't deisgned to just add more and more layers outside the original design. These parks weren't designed for that.

@tommyhawkins just had a good read on his substack about building a 5th gate and how it should be designed for expansion with the infrastructure to support it.

A lot of the parks were designed for expansion. Animal Kingdom was. It’s an incomplete park even as it currently stands. You have this massive field north of Kali that was supposed to be a part of that ride and Asia. You could fit a whole land in there, or at the very least two solid rides.

When talking about under-utilized space in Animal Kingdom, there’s a boat load of things to consider before looking at any rides or animal enclosures. The park is one of the most unnecessarily sprawled out parks in terms of guest pathways. You have a giant lagoon nearly the size of Rivers of America that has absolutely nothing in it. You have Finding Nemo the musical with a mere 6 showings a day, and it wasn’t even popular when I was a kid. You have a plot behind Everest. You have an extremely long pathway from Pandora to Africa with backstage area on the left that could be relocated and used for a new land.

They aren’t doing this because Dinosaur is under-utilized capacity. They’re doing this because it’s a cheap way to get eyes on the park for a couple of years before it falls into the exact same slump it’s been in since 2020.

 

[JD80]

The parks were designed with expansion in mind. There’s also the ability to layer experiences the way they are at Disneyland but is rarely done at Walt Disney World. That things have been handled poorly doesn’t negate the need to increase capacity.

I didn't mean they weren't designed to be expanded at all. I merely stated that they weren't designed to just expand outwards in any direction just because of "space". We all know they have expansion pads.

Edit:
Before the inevitable parsing of my words - yes parks can be expanded in any direction because anything really is possible with time and money. But it's not realistic or smart or intrinsic to the original design of the park.

Examples of this are things like TRON to some degree. And potentially Piston Peak and Villains land.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I don't think people were necessarily skipping the ride or that dinosaurs turned anybody off.

I totally skipped it whenever I was in DAK. I've complained about this ride for years and years on these forums for the whiplash. Being suddenly thrown hard left and right is a horrible mechanic. It's not "thrill," it's "annoying," or "needing spinal surgery." Same with Space Mountain.

There was nothing, IMO, worthy enough to draw me into the ride to put up with the dumb shakiness of the ride.

Also, fake dinos look fake to me. I don't have clue why people scream at obviously not-real dinos. But I have the same disdain for the halloween masks on pistons in the Haunted Mansion cemetery scene. Or the totally fake and cheesy dementors and spiders in Forbidden Journey. Or the totally fake spiders that used to drop in ITtbaB. <shrug>

Anyway, no one should think this ride was totally beloved by WDW fans. Nor totally hated. It's ok if there is a difference of opinion.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I totally skipped it whenever I was in DAK. I've complained about this ride for years and years on these forums for the whiplash. Being suddenly thrown hard left and right is a horrible mechanic. It's not "thrill," it's "annoying," or "needing spinal surgery." Same with Space Mountain.

There was nothing, IMO, worthy enough to draw me into the ride to put up with the dumb shakiness of the ride.

Also, fake dinos look fake to me. I don't have clue why people scream at obviously not-real dinos. But I have the same disdain for the halloween masks on pistons in the Haunted Mansion cemetery scene. Or the totally fake and cheesy dementors and spiders in Forbidden Journey. Or the totally fake spiders that used to drop in ITtbaB. <shrug>

Anyone, no one should think this ride was totally beloved by WDW fans. Nor totally hated. It's ok if there is a difference of opinion.

Whenever I rode it… I’d get off a yearn to be riding Indiana Jones at Disneyland

Same with Pirates at Magic Kingdom, I’d get off
and think “I wish I was at Disneyland right now”.

 

[virtualangel]

do we actually know what the new Indy will look like? or is this just what you suspect will happen?

we have almost no idea lol this is just people being salty disney is pouring a lot of money and research into this attraction and from what im hearing its very physical based. i wouldn't be shocked if we get more than quetzalcoatl as an animatronic (im thinking camozotz too). its very possible we get the temple scene as well. im excited to learn more abt this ride im just still upset it killed off my favorite ride in the resort! lol

 

[veritas55]

Yes. I never said "same lines", but you keep on keeping on.

The switch from CTX to tie into a very, very "meh" movie was a mistake that should have been corrected 15+ years ago. The ride had the bones (pardon the pun) to be more than management allowed it to be.

Fair enough. I don't dispute it would be more popular in a better location or that there were plenty of ways to salvage it without throwing all the dinosaurs out.

Honestly, I was not (and am not) in favor in putting Indy in that location in this park -- Indy makes much more sense in an Adventureland. I just think Indy is a likely greater improvement over the existing Dinosaur ride, and I understand why they made this decision (in other words, it doesn't rise (for me) to the level of boneheaded, what are they thinking, level of, say, dropping a Cars ride into the frontierland, for instance, or theming Guardians into Epcot (even though I love that ride))

 

[FigmentFan82]

Everest average is 29 minutes vs. 22.
I believe Everest has less riders per hour too.

There are many may people who do not ride Everest because it’s too intense for them. I’d wager Dino had more people willing to ride it

 

[DrStarlander]

I'm excited about Tropical Americas if they continue the Joe Rohde style of immersive theming. I'm hoping these white round tables and yellow umbrellas are not representative of the approach they're actually taking -- it would be a shame if this ended up feeling like the pool area of a Caribbean resort. I want it to feel like I'm in an actual village, with mismatched rustic wood tables and chairs and makeshift shade covers from local natural-materials. Not a dozen matching dining sets in aluminum and fiberglass ordered from outdoor-furniture.com

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Had CTX / DINOSAUR opened with a large expansive scene (maybe at dusk?) to introduce to you the world of Dinos before turning into darkened paths and close encounters, it would have been much more effective. And imagine the real "uh oh" factor, when you went down that pitch black area.

Did it not? The opening forest was the largest and most open scene in the ride. It’s not as big as Indy’s big open room of course, but the ride only gets tighter and darker from there.

 

[rle4lunch]

Whenever I rode it… I’d get off a yearn to be riding Indiana Jones at Disneyland

Same with Pirates at Magic Kingdom, I’d get off
and think “I wish I was at Disneyland right now”.

yes, and yes. don't leave off IASW off that list either, or SM, or.,. I'll stop now. I love WDW but their clones are lacking.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Did it not? The opening forest was the largest and most open scene in the ride. It’s not as big as Indy’s big open room of course, but the ride only gets tighter and darker from there.

No, there was one Dino immediately in front of you. Some concept art shows the "wide shot" idea, but it was not built that way.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I didn't mean they weren't designed to be expanded at all. I merely stated that they weren't designed to just expand outwards in any direction just because of "space". We all know they have expansion pads.

Edit:
Before the inevitable parsing of my words - yes parks can be expanded in any direction because anything really is possible with time and money. But it's not realistic or smart or intrinsic to the original design of the park.

Examples of this are things like TRON to some degree. And potentially Piston Peak and Villains land.

Choosing to just [poorly] expand out is just that, a choice. It is possible to add capacity and expand offerings without making that choice.

 

[Disney Analyst]

He has spoken.

 

[SamusAranX]

Plot twist: the mythical creature will a dinosaur that Indy is hunting. There. Everyone is happy

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

Dinosaurs had to go. They were a contributing factor to the over cohesiveness on Animal Kingdom.

 

[FettFan]

He has spoken.

That TA was always meant to replace Dinoland even when Rohde himself drew up the prospectus almost two decades ago is surprising to me.

I’ve long vouched for building TA in the expansion area between Kali and Planet Watch….I’m wondering what they’re saving that for.

Australia, perhaps?

 

[Disney Analyst]

That TA was always meant to replace Dinoland even when Rohde himself drew up the prospectus almost two decades ago is surprising to me.

I’ve long vouched for building TA in the expansion area between Kali and Planet Watch….I’m wondering what they’re saving that for.

Australia, perhaps?

Certainly shows this has been thought about for a long time.