News Primeval Whirl, Stitch's Great Escape and Rivers of Light permanently closed

JMcMahonEsq

Well-Known Member
I was just there at AK before labor day, but sadly I am blanking a bit on the layout. Given the popularity of the Pandora Expansion at AK, and the fact that over the course of the next several years there is to be 4 separate sequels, is there anyway to leverage an expansion of Pandora into this section of the park? I mean the existing Pandora section of the park is amazing, and still drives crowds, and 4 new movies is a hell of a lot of IP and merchandising tie ins to not take advantage of. Even if it is not directly connected (and I will be going to look at a map of the park after this post) it is recollection that the rumors of the Avatar sequels involved different area's of Pandora and possibly different species/living conditions. If the two sections are not contiguous, and can't be made so you could play that off as traveling to the different living environments of Pandora.
 

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
I was just there at AK before labor day, but sadly I am blanking a bit on the layout. Given the popularity of the Pandora Expansion at AK, and the fact that over the course of the next several years there is to be 4 separate sequels, is there anyway to leverage an expansion of Pandora into this section of the park?
They're completely different spokes with the Oasis between them. There wouldn't be an obvious way to connect them. I have no idea what the situation backstage looks like, but they should consider overhauling and enhancing Na'vi River Journey and adding something else to the existing area before subsuming another section of Animal Kingdom, in my opinion.
 

JMcMahonEsq

Well-Known Member
They're completely different spokes with the Oasis between them. There wouldn't be an obvious way to connect them. I have no idea what the situation backstage looks like, but they should consider overhauling and enhancing Na'vi River Journey and adding something else to the existing area before subsuming another section of Animal Kingdom, in my opinion.
Yeah, after typing the response I went and looked at the park again and it just doesn't lend itself to connection those two areas. You could operate them both seperatelly as different area's of Pandora I guess, but you lose the flow.

I couldn't agree more about Na'vi. I think its one of the better dark water rides. Excellent blend of animatronics and screens, a pretty good story/sequence of traveling down the river together....just about a minute or two too short.

While I can see the idea of building out Pandora section first, before subsuming another section, I figure with the Dino plot being ripe for re-development, from a budget standpoint it makes sense to do that first, prior to expanding an already busy/successful spoke of the park.
 

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
While I can see the idea of building out Pandora section first, before subsuming another section, I figure with the Dino plot being ripe for re-development, from a budget standpoint it makes sense to do that first, prior to expanding an already busy/successful spoke of the park.
I’m not sure I’d consider it ripe for redevelopment. It’s lost a ride, but it was one very few people liked anyway. I at least get the impression that Dinosaur is still fairly popular, so it’s not like generic dinoland is a problem thematically. Just put something less awful in place of the carnival portion of the area.
 

J4546

Well-Known Member
I’m not sure I’d consider it ripe for redevelopment. It’s lost a ride, but it was one very few people liked anyway. I at least get the impression that Dinosaur is still fairly popular, so it’s not like generic dinoland is a problem thematically. Just put something less awful in place of the carnival portion of the area.
pretty much. If they redeveloped the carnival area and built that concept rollercoaster the excavator....that would be cool.
 

ULPO46

Well-Known Member
One of the original proposals for future expansion had flight of passage being similar to the Pterandon Flyers on the other side of I-4. Where guest would be "flown" on a banshee across the Park to a future expansion. Of course cost and scale as well as theming prohibited this idea. What you see today was what was completed. A future expansion is a possibility but there's just way too much IP to work with just to focus on one subject. Moana will stay at EPCOT. As for Nemo a future "re-imagined" show will replace the old show of course this is all up in the air give or take that the pandemic finally comes under control as theater in the wild is an indoor theater. We have to remember it's been nearly 13 years since the original Avatar film was released, if and if it's a box office flop, which is doubtful, current upper management could reconsider the future of said development. Case in point everyone was hoping that 2012's John Carter would be a box office success for Disney which would have had Mission:Space get a John Carter IP Overhaul. Remember while fan's are placed into the idea pitch, money is a massive factor for all and future projects if the IP isn't a success it won't be expanded extended even if it's a popular area.
 

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Interesting thought.

Since the permit isn’t a demolition and it’s confirmed Nemo is coming back, what if they’re going for a cheap “Crush’s Coaster” returned?

It wouldn’t be good, but the circular vehicle definitely lends itself well.

I can definitely see an exec seeing this tweet and opting for the cheapest option possible to make it happen.


I’m down with combining the Nemo theater and the Dinorama plot into an undersea area with Crush’s coaster in a Sea (or maybe Australia/Oceana) land with the rest of Dinoland remaining as is.
 

J4546

Well-Known Member
if they built a new road that went around the massive lake south of dinoland and flipped the backstage docks/marina to the eastern side of the river, freeing up that area for a suspended launch coaster that skims across the lake and goes into the jungle around it dipping into the trees and around the volcano i also decided to put in there....anyways get rid of the backstage road between Dinosaur and the new ride showbuilding, opening it up for guests to have a cool viewing area of the lake with coaster flying over it....that would be cool. Also retheme the entire parking lot dinoland area as well.
 

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doctornick

Well-Known Member
I want to see an extinct animals (non-dino edition) family friendly ride on this footprint. I also think the next big move for DAK should be a Ta Lo attraction, ideally w/Shanghai Pirates tech.

I feel like a Ta Lo attraction/area would work, but would probably feel somewhat superfluous along with Pandora. I'd favor putting a third attraction in Pandora and adding a new land based on Australia or South America (or at least new attractions to existing lands).

I continue to feel that Mystic Manor would be a perfect add to DAK in terms of the type of attraction it is. Put an appropriate façade and say that Lord Mystic retired to Harambe or Anandapur.
 

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
I feel like a Ta Lo attraction/area would work, but would probably feel somewhat superfluous along with Pandora. I'd favor putting a third attraction in Pandora and adding a new land based on Australia or South America (or at least new attractions to existing lands).

I continue to feel that Mystic Manor would be a perfect add to DAK in terms of the type of attraction it is. Put an appropriate façade and say that Lord Mystic retired to Harambe or Anandapur.
We did our DAK buildout show last week, and I'll put some of my ideas below:

So the assumption / understanding is that Disney doesn't want to use European mythological animals because they're heavily represented over at Universal. My wish would be that the stretch from roughly the Gibbons to Theater in the Wild would be the mythological section. My cringe-worthy name was "Beastly SEAport" and it would focus on mythological animals inspired by Asian mythology / supernatural. I'd eliminate Kali River Rapids and put Mystic Manor between the gibbons and Everest. Then I'd put a Ta Lo attraction (ideally Shanghai Pirates tech) on the Theater in the Wild footprint (and the area behind it). I also think that area needs a dining establishment, and a mythological / supernatural area would be a welcome area for an Adventurer's Club type establishment.
 

DisneyDodo

Well-Known Member
We did our DAK buildout show last week, and I'll put some of my ideas below:

So the assumption / understanding is that Disney doesn't want to use European mythological animals because they're heavily represented over at Universal. My wish would be that the stretch from roughly the Gibbons to Theater in the Wild would be the mythological section. My cringe-worthy name was "Beastly SEAport" and it would focus on mythological animals inspired by Asian mythology / supernatural. I'd eliminate Kali River Rapids and put Mystic Manor between the gibbons and Everest. Then I'd put a Ta Lo attraction (ideally Shanghai Pirates tech) on the Theater in the Wild footprint (and the area behind it). I also think that area needs a dining establishment, and a mythological / supernatural area would be a welcome area for an Adventurer's Club type establishment.
Unless you count hippogriffs and other Potter creatures as “European mythological animals,” they don’t really have that great a presence anymore at Uni.

Certainly not as big a presence as, say, dinosaurs…
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
Unless you count hippogriffs and other Potter creatures as “European mythological animals,” they don’t really have that great a presence anymore at Uni.

Certainly not as big a presence as, say, dinosaurs…
I have to count a Ukrainian Ironbelly as one, yeah a potter creature
 

Karakasa

Well-Known Member
Both Ta Lo and a Raya attraction would fit in well with Asia, that's for sure. I'd personally not mind a "Beastly Kingdom" based less around European folktales and more on myths from Africa, pre-colonial Americas, Oceania and of course Asia. Lot more unique to explore there. Could of course squeeze in a walkaround unicorn or something like that, though.

I'm however kind of against a Nemo land in Animal Kingdom because... there's already a Nemo land, in Epcot. TotW does kind of stick out like a sore thumb, being neither particularly Asian or prehistoric, which is unfortunate. Maybe the current updated Nemo is a stopgap until they can figure out something to do with it? Removing Primeval Whirl does seem like a good time to try to retheme Dinorama, if ever, and using the land TotW is on could make room for more Dinoland stuff. In particular, since Disney is going on ahead with making more media pertaining to Ice Age after the Fox acquisition, they could easily put an Ice Age themed ride in there, then say Dinoland is less about only dinosaurs and more about prehistory in general. I'd sooner prefer Ice Age in Dinoland than Indiana Jones or a Zootopia replacement, anyway, lol.

Sidenote... Kinda tired of the Donald theming going on in Dinoland right now. It was fun for the 20th anniversary of AK, but it's overstayed its welcome at this point.
 

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