News Morocco Pavilion redevelopment

[LittleBuford]

So should they not have had Cultural Reps at DAK and DAKL all this time sharing their culture? The Lodge has one of the largest African art collections outside of Africa, and there was even a tour you could take by cultural reps to show and explain it to you. Is all that voided because the hotel has Animal in the name?

I think I’ve stated at least twice now that I’m arguing for additional representation at Epcot, not the removal of anything at Animal Kingdom.

 

[LittleBuford]

Very true, but northern Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, South America, and Australia have literally nothing.

India is represented at Animal Kingdom, for what that’s worth, and some would count Morocco culturally, if not geographically, as part of the Middle East.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

So should they not have had Cultural Reps at DAK and DAKL all this time sharing their culture? The Lodge has one of the largest African art collections outside of Africa, and there was even a tour you could take by cultural reps to show and explain it to you. Is all that voided because the hotel has Animal in the name?

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that. This came about more as a discussion about whether it was worthwhile to represent certain parts of the world at World Showcase if they were also represented at Animal Kingdom. One thing I would say is that they should keep the focus on humans' relationship with nature in their showcasing of human culture at AK. Otherwise I do think they can end up falling into that issue of associating certain cultures with the natural world and others with 'civilisation'. DAKL seems fuzzier to me in the context of this discussion as it is supposed to be themed to a lodge in Africa and somewhat separate from the theme parks.

A counter case might be somewhere like Australia, where I think you could make the argument that it wouldn't do much to broaden out World Showcase's representation of the world and might, in fact, be more interesting for DAK. I say that as an Australian, too!

 

[James Alucobond]

India is represented at Animal Kingdom, for what that’s worth, and some would count Morocco culturally, if not geographically, as part of the Middle East.

I had always seen the area in Animal Kingdom as more of a fusion of Nepal and Tibet, but I honestly have not done any research into what the actual influences were.

 

[Ragerunner]

Take the Aladdin ride at MK and install it in an indoor space in Morocco. Add some projection mapping to the walls while you ‘fly’ over Agrabah and you will have a packed Morocco pavilion (at a very low investment cost). This would also relieve some congestion at the MK, give more seating area for the Dole Whip stand and remove a duplicated ride system in the park.

 

[Robbiem]

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that. This came about more as a discussion about whether it was worthwhile to represent certain parts of the world at World Showcase if they were also represented at Animal Kingdom. One thing I would say is that they should keep the focus on humans' relationship with nature in their showcasing of human culture at AK. Otherwise I do think they can end up falling into that issue of associating certain cultures with the natural world and others with 'civilisation'. DAKL seems fuzzier to me in the context of this discussion as it is supposed to be themed to a lodge in Africa and somewhat separate from the theme parks.

A counter case might be somewhere like Australia, where I think you could make the argument that it wouldn't do much to broaden out World Showcase's representation of the world and might, in fact, be more interesting for DAK. I say that as an Australian, too!

I think Australia or a wider Australasia would make a great area of Animal Kingdom. There are so many unique flora and fauna in that part of the world but I doubt modern Disney would be interested in marsupial or barrier reef exhibits for example so we’d end up with another finding nemo ride

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I think Australia or a wider Australasia would make a great area of Animal Kingdom. There are so many unique flora and fauna in that part of the world but I doubt modern Disney would be interested in marsupial or barrier reef exhibits for example so we’d end up with another finding nemo ride

I might be biased, but I really think it would be a natural next addition to Animal Kingdom. With so many ecosystems and unique wildlife, it would have been a great fit that could lend itself to both rides and animal exhibits. It's also one in the current climate that they could do and with minimal care avoid any controversy about cultural appropriation, etc. To keep this vaguely on topic, I'm less convinced Australia would be a great addition to World Showcase as I don't think it would really add anything particularly unique in terms of architecture or culture.

My impression, though, was that it has never had much support internally and, more specifically, that Australia/New Zealand was not somewhere that particularly sparked Joe Rhode's imagination. Now with the IP mandate, I doubt we'll get any more "real world" lands at Animal Kingdom for the foreseeable future.

 

[UNCgolf]

I might be biased, but I really think it would be a natural next addition to Animal Kingdom. With so many ecosystems and unique wildlife, it would have been a great fit that could lend itself to both rides and animal exhibits. It's also one in the current climate that they could do and with minimal care avoid any controversy about cultural appropriation, etc. To keep this vaguely on topic, I'm less convinced Australia would be a great addition to World Showcase as I don't think it would really add anything particularly unique in terms of architecture or culture.

My impression, though, was that it has never had much support internally and, more specifically, that Australia/New Zealand was not somewhere that particularly sparked Joe Rhode's imagination. Now with the IP mandate, I doubt we'll get any more "real world" lands at Animal Kingdom for the foreseeable future.

I'm concerned that the current version of AK is the best it will ever be. I think any expansion, at least under current management, will make the park worse. Pandora was a success in spite of itself because of Joe Rohde, but he's gone.

I'd love an Australia area with a similar attention to detail that the rest of the park received, but I won't be holding my breath.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I'm concerned that the current version of AK is the best it will ever be. I think any expansion, at least under current management, will make the park worse. Pandora was a success in spite of itself because of Joe Rohde, but he's gone.

I'd love an Australia area with a similar attention to detail that the rest of the park received, but I won't be holding my breath.

I have exactly the same worry, particularly as I think it's currently the strongest park at WDW largely by virtue of being the one that most clearly represents the best of what Imagineering can do.

Also agree on Pandora. I honestly still think it was a bad choice for the park, but Joe Rhode seems to have been someone with sufficient internal influence and creative vision to turn it into something compelling that more or less fits. Hard to see anyone else like that around who can do anything like that with whatever difficult addition is proposed in the future. I don't have any illusions something like Australia, South America, etc. would be approved today.

 

[UNCgolf]

I have exactly the same worry, particularly as I think it's currently the strongest park at WDW largely by virtue of being the one that most clearly represents the best of what Imagineering can do.

Also agree on Pandora. I honestly still think it was a bad choice for the park, but Joe Rhode seems to have been someone with sufficient internal influence and creative vision to turn it into something compelling that more or less fits. Hard to see anyone else like that around who can do anything like that with whatever difficult addition is proposed in the future. I don't have any illusions something like Australia, South America, etc. would be approved today.

I completely agree with all of this.

Pandora could have been a disaster in the wrong hands, but Rohde managed to make it work. I don't think that will be the case for any future IP-based expansions, at least not to the same extent. Of course some IPs would work better than others (Zootopia would be a complete disaster), but I wouldn't expect to see any of them integrated as well as Pandora is into the greater whole of the park.

 

[Stupido]

I'd love an Australia area

imagine Disney built an Australia area, with a "great barrier reef boat tour" that gets attacked by a Great White, only to be thwarted by a chipper skipper with a grenade gun?

Ugh, i'll never forgive Universal Orlando for ripping up Jaws for Transphobic J.K. Rowling.

 

[UNCgolf]

imagine Disney built an Australia area, with a "great barrier reef boat tour" that gets attacked by a Great White, only to be thwarted by a chipper skipper with a grenade gun?

Ugh, i'll never forgive Universal Orlando for ripping up Jaws for Transphobic *** J.K. Rowling.

Universal has a long history of replacing older rides with something new. I'd rather have Earthquake and the original Kong ride than what's there now too. Normally I'd think E.T. and Revenge of the Mummy didn't have long left (unfortunately, since they're the two best rides in that park), but they may get a reprieve since Universal is building a whole new park.

 

[TikibirdLand]

imagine Disney built an Australia area, with a "great barrier reef boat tour" that gets attacked by a Great White, only to be thwarted by a chipper skipper with a grenade gun?

Ugh, i'll never forgive Universal Orlando for ripping up Jaws for Transphobic *** J.K. Rowling.

Without the Harry Potter franchise, Universal would be in a world of hurt. Say what you will about JK, her books and movies are one of the best loved franchises in the last couple of decades. And, the team at Universal has done a great job of bringing the movies to life. I'm very impressed by what they've done. It blows Pandora out of the water -- and still does.

 

[Bocabear]

I completely agree with all of this.

Pandora could have been a disaster in the wrong hands, but Rohde managed to make it work. I don't think that will be the case for any future IP-based expansions, at least not to the same extent. Of course some IPs would work better than others (Zootopia would be a complete disaster), but I wouldn't expect to see any of them integrated as well as Pandora is into the greater whole of the park.

Rohde managed to make it work, but Pandora still feels very unfinished...It is lacking another attraction or possibly an overhaul to the boat ride to make it more engaging. I would not call Pandora a slam dunk as a whole. It needs more... As does Galaxy's Edge...Good start but lacking warmth , joy and humor.
The Universal parks were so much more successful with their interpretations of Harry Potter's world...

 

[Ponderer]

Also agree on Pandora. I honestly still think it was a bad choice for the park, but Joe Rhode seems to have been someone with sufficient internal influence and creative vision to turn it into something compelling that more or less fits. Hard to see anyone else like that around who can do anything like that with whatever difficult addition is proposed in the future. I don't have any illusions something like Australia, South America, etc. would be approved today.

Certainly Joe Rohde was a prime driver on it, but there‘s no way that James Cameron - noted hyper-perfectionist - didn’t push for as much immersion and detail as he could get. And he was gonna get it whether Joe Rohde was there or not, because for whatever Western ideas we have about the success or influence of Avatar, its financial and cultural impact was *massive* in much of Asia and, to a lesser extent, South America. It was playing in South Korea theaters for years. They renamed a mountain range in China for it and the Chinese government shut down screenings because they were worried it was taking on a religious fervor. Pandora was going to be a major, major international draw. And that’s really why we have it. I’m only surprised they haven’t replicated the land in Shanghai.

 

[Robbiem]

Certainly Joe Rohde was a prime driver on it, but there‘s no way that James Cameron - noted hyper-perfectionist - didn’t push for as much immersion and detail as he could get. And he was gonna get it whether Joe Rohde was there or not, because for whatever Western ideas we have about the success or influence of Avatar, its financial and cultural impact was *massive* in much of Asia and, to a lesser extent, South America. It was playing in South Korea theaters for years. They renamed a mountain range in China for it and the Chinese government shut down screenings because they were worried it was taking on a religious fervor. Pandora was going to be a major, major international draw. And that’s really why we have it. I’m only surprised they haven’t replicated the land in Shanghai.

I’m surprised Pandora hasn’t been built at one or more overseas parks. It would be a good fit in Shanghai (with star wars in hong Kong) and in Paris where I’d love to see a mermaid lagoon style inside land

 

[RSoxNo1]

I’m surprised Pandora hasn’t been built at one or more overseas parks. It would be a good fit in Shanghai (with star wars in hong Kong) and in Paris where I’d love to see a mermaid lagoon style inside land

I don't know if this was fanboi dreams or something grounded in reality, but I read a concept for a DisneySky resort in Tokyo that would have Pandora and Galaxy's Edge as anchors.

I'm guessing the hope was that Pandora could be built elsewhere.

 

[Magicart87]

Take the Aladdin ride at MK and install it in an indoor space in Morocco. Add some projection mapping to the walls while you ‘fly’ over Agrabah and you will have a packed Morocco pavilion (at a very low investment cost). This would also relieve some congestion at the MK, give more seating area for the Dole Whip stand and remove a duplicated ride system in the park.

That makes too much sense. So it ain't gonna happen.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Take the Aladdin ride at MK and install it in an indoor space in Morocco. Add some projection mapping to the walls while you ‘fly’ over Agrabah and you will have a packed Morocco pavilion (at a very low investment cost). This would also relieve some congestion at the MK, give more seating area for the Dole Whip stand and remove a duplicated ride system in the park.

Before they do that, I'd like to see them relocate TriceraTop Spin to Toy Story Land, give it a new paint job / new molds for the dinos, call it Trixie's TriceraTop Spin and open up all of Dinorama for new development.

 

[nickys]

Before they do that, I'd like to see them relocate TriceraTop Spin to Toy Story Land, give it a new paint job / new molds for the dinos, call it Trixie's TriceraTop Spin and open up all of Dinorama for new development.

Great idea, but it has to be called Rex’s Dino Spin for me. Rex deserves some love.

Or use the various characters from Toy Story as the ride vehicles.