DAK “Zootopia” is being created for the Tree of Life theater

[ToTBellHop]

could a human man live in Little Rodentia? It's a fictional city with neighborhoods built to cater to needs and biomes of specific animals. That could be fun in a theme park.

The animals dress and act like humans. They live in a city that humans would build, not rhinos, rabbits, or foxes.

That's not the case in The Lion King. They're lions acting like lions.

 

[communicorn96]

That's not the case in The Lion King. They're lions acting like lions.

Counterpoint. Lions dont make every animal in the area come to a rock to look at their baby.

I believe they both can have a place in an animal themed park. That's just my opion.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Counterpoint. Lions dont make every animal in the area come to a rock to look at their baby.

I believe they both can have a place in an animal themed park. That's just my opion.

The gazelles know who the boss is, even on Kilimanjaro Safaris.

 

[James Alucobond]

Counterpoint. Lions dont make every animal in the area come to a rock to look at their baby.

There are parts of The Lion King that are naturalistic and others that are animal-Hamlet. The former would be appropriate for Animal Kingdom whereas the latter should not be the focus. For Zootopia, on the other hand, you really need to explore things from outside the scope of the film to begin to scratch at themes appropriate for the park. Yes, you could probably use the characters somewhat appropriately as "hosts" who talk about and comment on animals and biomes from our world through the lens of their parallel world, but it would then have basically nothing to do with the IP aside from being able to shove established characters at you completely divorced from their context and setting.

 

[DonniePeverley]

Just when I think you are out of bad takes, you find a new volume of them to dust off, DP.

Quality take actually. I've been to the land twice, and it was waag waaan rasta. The night experience added more layers to it.

But the nostalga brigrade never want change.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Quality take actually. I've been to the land twice, and it was waag waaan rasta. The night experience added more layers to it.

But the nostalga brigrade never want change.

Please send me a bulleted list of 5 good posts you have made this week.

 

[communicorn96]

but it would then have basically nothing to do with the IP aside from being able to shove established characters at you completely divorced from their context and setting.

I think we're taking things too seriously. The parks exists to sell bubble wands and plushies.

Before the advent of home video, the parks existed to remind people of Disney Media, (now simply called IP.) The Media (IP) existed to promote the parks.

A lot of talent and creativity has gone into the parks and they can be very fun, but at the end of the day they are very elaborate bubble wand strip malls.

Lets not pretend the popular talking animals can't be in the animal park to sell bubble wands.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think we're taking things too seriously. The parks exists to sell bubble wands and plushies.

Before the advent of home video, the parks existed to remind people of Disney Media, (now simply called IP.) The Media (IP) existed to promote the parks.

A lot of talent and creativity has gone into the parks and they can be very fun, but at the end of the day they are very elaborate bubble wand strip malls.

Lets not pretend the popular talking animals can't be in the animal park to sell bubble wands.

You're describing Magic Kingdom.

DAK has historically aspired to be something more, although that is being watered-down now.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

Yes, you could probably use the characters somewhat appropriately as "hosts" who talk about and comment on animals and biomes from our world through the lens of their parallel world, but it would then have basically nothing to do with the IP aside from being able to shove established characters at you completely divorced from their context and setting.

There is no Animal Kingdom-justification for Gazelle singing that song in this show, but I'm sure she will.

 

[Agent H]

I think we're taking things too seriously. The parks exists to sell bubble wands and plushies.

Before the advent of home video, the parks existed to remind people of Disney Media, (now simply called IP.) The Media (IP) existed to promote the parks.

A lot of talent and creativity has gone into the parks and they can be very fun, but at the end of the day they are very elaborate bubble wand strip malls.

Lets not pretend the popular talking animals can't be in the animal park to sell bubble wands.

The park exists to sell bubble wands and plushies great! Let’s tear out the tree of life and replace it with the Zootopia cityscape! Let’s replace expedition Everest with oakan’s sliding sleighs! Let’s fill in the rivers of America and put in a cars ri- oh wait.

 

[communicorn96]

You're describing Magic Kingdom.

DAK has historically aspired to be something more, although that is being watered-down now.

One has to be willing to take off their rose tinted dangly earring. I said parks, I meant all gates.

 

[James Alucobond]

I think we're taking things too seriously. The parks exists to sell bubble wands and plushies.

That is the current view of management and investors, hence the chasing of whatever character can sell the most bubble wands.

It was not always so.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I don’t love zootopia - but there’s nothing wrong with it either. It’s better than turning red that’s for sure.

And as an IP - I think it fits the park better than Avatar.

 

[communicorn96]

The park exists to sell bubble wands and plushies great! Let’s tear out the tree of life and replace it with the Zootopia cityscape! Let’s replace expedition Everest with oakan’s sliding sleighs! Let’s fill in the rivers of America and put in a cars ri- oh wait.

I am not defending it. Obviously we all get attached to certain aspects of the parks, and we can all be a lil critical. The company makes it clear, the parks are not a museum and they're going to constantly change. To keep moving bubble wands.

It was not always so.

When did the Disneyland Emporium open?

 

[Haymarket2008]

from the begining animal kingdom was suppose to have a fantastical element. That dragon's still on a lot of signage. A city of fantastical talking animals makes sense for an animal park.

The fantastical, dragon-filled element basically has been filled by Avatar and the banshees.

 

[James Alucobond]

I am not defending it. Obviously we all get attached to certain aspects of the parks, and we can all be a lil critical. The company makes it clear, the parks are not a museum and they're going to constantly change. To keep moving bubble wands.

There is a bit of a difference between publicly shifting the focus of a park and completely ignoring the supposedly still-honored core tenets of the park. Success notwithstanding, AT LEAST with Hollywood Studios there was a stated move away from a working studio toward the idea of stepping into lands from movies. Similarly, with EPCOT, there was a redefinition of Future World as Worlds Celebration, Nature, and Discovery (again, implementation questionable). If they want to contradict very basic thematic statements from the progenitor of Animal Kingdom, they should explain how they’re evolving the theme, not just pretend like everything is the same as it’s ever been. Thankfully, the switch to Tropical Americas and the minimization of the Zootopia influence have mostly made this unnecessary.

 

[Chester&Hester Enthusiast]

I think we're taking things too seriously. The parks exists to sell bubble wands and plushies.

Before the advent of home video, the parks existed to remind people of Disney Media, (now simply called IP.) The Media (IP) existed to promote the parks.

A lot of talent and creativity has gone into the parks and they can be very fun, but at the end of the day they are very elaborate bubble wand strip malls.

Lets not pretend the popular talking animals can't be in the animal park to sell bubble wands.

You serious? The parks were quite literally designed and built by artists.

Themed design is art is art is art.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think we're taking things too seriously. The parks exists to sell bubble wands and plushies.

Before the advent of home video, the parks existed to remind people of Disney Media, (now simply called IP.) The Media (IP) existed to promote the parks.

A lot of talent and creativity has gone into the parks and they can be very fun, but at the end of the day they are very elaborate bubble wand strip malls.

Lets not pretend the popular talking animals can't be in the animal park to sell bubble wands.

That's really not accurate.

Of course there's always been an element of that, but the parks were also full of things completely disconnected from any Disney media IP. It wasn't the sole purpose.

What you're describing is accurate in terms of how the parks are run today, but that's not what they were like for the first 40-50 years of existence -- unless you think things like stores selling actual antiques, or a park that didn't include any Disney media properties, were somehow solely there for the purpose of promoting Disney IP.

 

[Chester&Hester Enthusiast]

Please send me a bulleted list of 5 good posts you have made this week.

Bad news...

Why they're worrying. I applaud the price rises - keeps the riff raff out.

 

[communicorn96]

You serious? The parks were quite literally designed and built by artists.

Themed design is art is art is art.

Commercial art is still art.