News Rafiki's Planet Watch is closing Oct. 21st will reopen in Summer 2019

[jt04]

Borrowed time or in need of a serious rethinking of what is in there. They're building a whole pavilion of interactive exhibits over at Epcot so clearly, they haven't gotten out of the game. How hard would it be for them to throw a few into that building and actually give people something to do out there besides pet goats?

I kind of wonder what the original plan was for this area. Was this just a holding space like the inflatable tent building with museum-like stuff in it they had where Chester & Hester ended up? It seems like there must have been more that they were going to do back there to justify the staggered delivery of people by train, especially with the hike you've still got back to the building from the train station.

I think the train was a precursor to a phase 2 land that never happened. Planet Watch was a Plan B budget special with moderate success.

See also CMM, Dinorama, and shortened KRR.

 

[peter11435]

I think the train was a precursor to a phase 2 land that never happened. Planet Watch was a Plan B budget special with moderate success.

See also CMM, Dinorama, and shortened KRR.

You really like to make up stuff that’s not true

 

[jt04]

You really like to make up stuff that’s not true

I stated that as my opinion. And I do think I am right. I just can't believe they would build such an expensive ride to take guests to such a minor cardboard cut out land.

Now if my theory is incorrect and Martin feels compelled to drop in with some historical knowledge then we all will be better educated.

Savvy?

 

[peter11435]

I stated that as my opinion. And I do think I am right. I just can't believe they would build such an expensive ride to take guests to such a minor cardboard cut out land.

Now if my theory is incorrect and Martin feels compelled to drop in with some historical knowledge then we all will be better educated.

Savvy?

Most of us are already well educated on the history of those projects.

 

[jt04]

Most of us are already well educated on the history of those projects.

By all means feel free to share with the new folks. And me.

 

[MrPromey]

I think the train was a precursor to a phase 2 land that never happened. Planet Watch was a Plan B budget special with moderate success.

See also CMM, Dinorama, and shortened KRR.

Yeah, my thought was that it was a placeholder the same way what was there before Dinorama* and the way Camp Minnie Mickey was. I kind of assumed it was the beginning of something to be built out or a building that they planned to reuse as part of something else completely different down the road. Could easily have seen them doing this to get the infrastructure in place before animals and guests complicated things.

I guess that could still be the case but here we are 20 years later so I'm guessing whatever plans they had then have more or less been shelved, even if something else does eventually happen with the area some day.

*I accidentally called it Chester and Hester but have fixed it, now

 

[MrPromey]

Most of us are already well educated on the history of those projects.

Most of us are already well educated on the history of those projects.

Please share because I'm not new around here but not familiar with the history of this particular one and that was what I was wondering about in my post that he was responding to.

Like him, that area never felt like it justified the expense of the setup for the ride out there or the half-mile walk from the station to get to, to me. I understand that stateside, at least, this was a major upgrade in development for a park in terms of size and theme depth even before adding in animal care considerations so I understand why it was opened with more than one placeholder thing. It would make sense for this to be another one of those and I always thought that's what it was.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Another mention on the Jim and @lentesta show about Zootopia 4-5 years from now.

 

[GlacierGlacier]

Another mention on the Jim and @lentesta show about Zootopia 4-5 years from now.

The likelihood of a plan decreases exponentially with years out. I'm not giving any Zootopia rumors credence until I hear it's in the "very soon" category - and even then, I don't want to.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Another mention on the Jim and @lentesta show about Zootopia 4-5 years from now.

The likelihood of a plan decreases exponentially with years out. I'm not giving any Zootopia rumors credence until I hear it's in the "very soon" category - and even then, I don't want to.

Disney didn't know what spine renovation plan to go with two years after announcing it. So, I find it hard to believe there's anything more than a white-board, blue-sky chatter about cloning the international Zootopias to somewhere in WDW.

But that's the kind of shaky stuff Jim passes off as something that's going to happen. You know, like Monstropolis in DHS.

 

[lentesta]

Another mention on the Jim and @lentesta show about Zootopia 4-5 years from now.

Having done 3- to 5-year strategy documents for a large corporation, anything more than 2 years out is probably aspirational.

 

[Kman101]

Please share because I'm not new around here but not familiar with the history of this particular one and that was what I was wondering about in my post that he was responding to.

Like him, that area never felt like it justified the expense of the setup for the ride out there or the half-mile walk from the station to get to, to me. I understand that stateside, at least, this was a major upgrade in development for a park in terms of size and theme depth even before adding in animal care considerations so I understand why it was opened with more than one placeholder thing. It would make sense for this to be another one of those and I always thought that's what it was.

I hate the dismissive tone of some people. It's not hard to offer an explanation.

 

[Kman101]

Another mention on the Jim and @lentesta show about Zootopia 4-5 years from now.

It seems this won't die.

Is there TRUE talk about this @marni1971 or @Magic Feather (sorry to bother you both but this Zootopia thing is NOT going away)

 

[marni1971]

It seems this won't die.

Is there TRUE talk about this @marni1971 or @Magic Feather (sorry to bother you both but this Zootopia thing is NOT going away)

Nothing I’ve heard about (which of course isn’t nearly everything)

 

[HauntedPirate]

Zootopia is like an S... never mind. Not a family-friendly example. But it's the only one that seems applicable. It just WON'T GO AWAY...

 

[Bocabear]

I would have forgotten it ever existed if it weren't for people on here always talking about it...
I th9ought it was largely forgettable and felt like a TV show...Not a real movie... Cute but forgettable.

 

[Kman101]

Nothing I’ve heard about (which of course isn’t nearly everything)

Thank you. I truly do hate to bother you but this rumor just will not die, LOL. I guess time will tell :/

 

[Rteetz]

Another site is reporting this will reopen in August now with new exhibits. The rainforest area will be gone and areas that focus on Disney animation and the connection to nature will debut.

 

[Disney Maddux]

Another site is reporting this will reopen when Half-Life 3 comes out with new exhibits. The rainforest area will be gone and areas that focus on Disney animation and the connection to nature will debut.

Fixed it for ya.

 

[Wngo905]

Another site is reporting this will reopen in August now with new exhibits. The rainforest area will be gone and areas that focus on Disney animation and the connection to nature will debut.

Read that yesterday when a friend asked me about it. What stuck out to me was the information about the reopening and plans were coming from a CM standing out front of the normal access point for the train... Not that I am saying a CM in front of the entrance might not be correct, but I would prefer to hear confirmation from someone else up hire than that before reporting it (if I had a website.)