News Wakanda joins Coco, Zootopia, and Encanto on Disney Parks' future blue sky expansion list, reveals Josh D'Amaro

[osian]

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Indeed. As shown by the dedication plaque, it is what is says on the tin. Animal Kingdom is about animals.

Conservation, Adventure, Exploration....these are *aspects* of animals (real, ancient or imaginary) that you could apply to individual attractions or stories you want to tell about particular animals, but it's projection, misdirection, indirection or whatever to then say that those are the aims of the park therefore more attractions based on adventure, but not necessarily animals, are fitting. Those associated aspects are being used to justify what they want to do, as if that's the main aim of the park, not the animals.

 

[LittleBuford]

Indeed. As shown by the dedication plaque, it is what is says on the tin. Animal Kingdom is about animals.

Conservation, Adventure, Exploration....these are *aspects* of animals that you could apply to individual attractions or stories you want to tell about particular animals, but it's projection, misdirection, indirection or whatever to then say that those are the aims of the park therefore more attractions based on adventure, but not necessarily animals, are fitting. Those associated aspects are being used to justify what they want to do, as if that's the main aim of the park, not the animals.

The plaque doesn’t even mention conservation. “Balance, harmony and survival” are invoked in a “Circle of Life” sort of way, but no reference is made to humans working to protect animal kind.

 

[osian]

The plaque doesn’t even mention conservation. “Balance, harmony and survival” are invoked in a “Circle of Life” sort of of way, but no reference is made to humans working to protect animal kind.

And there is one memorable scene in Dinosaur that so aptly shows how brutal survival (or not) can be in the animal world.

 

[LSLS]

The plaque doesn’t even mention conservation. “Balance, harmony and survival” are invoked in a “Circle of Life” sort of of way, but no reference is made to humans working to protect animal kind.

It also makes no mention of adventure. But on the 25th anniversary, Vahle said:

The idea behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom was to have a place where we could celebrate the magic of nature, invigorate conservation efforts by caring for animals that were endangered in the wild, and educate guests on ways they could help support that mission.

I don't know, calling a an AZA accredited park about "Adventure and exploration" just seemed weird to me, since, like I said, Animals and conservation have always seemed to be at the forefront of what the park is all about.

 

[LittleBuford]

It also makes no mention of adventure.

"Thrill[ing] at the drama" is conceptually close to adventure.

But on the 25th anniversary, Vahle said:

Yes, well, it sounds nice and makes everyone feel better about keeping animals in captivity. But that's a topic for another thread.

 

[LittleBuford]

Here's the guide map from when the park first opened:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Adventurer’s Guide: Opening Day (1998)

The opening-day guide map.

mousemuseum.wordpress.com

The word "adventure" is splashed all over it. Indeed, the map calls itself an "Adventurer's Guide".

 

[James Alucobond]

I think people are being a bit obtuse about the exact wording here, particularly since an opening day dedication isn’t the same as a mission statement anyway.

 

[LittleBuford]

I think people are being a bit obtuse about the exact wording here, particularly since an opening day dedication isn’t the same as a mission statement anyway.

I'm not sure if mine is among the posts you're referring to, but to be clear, yes, I realise conservation is important to Animal Kingdom's ostensible mission (though I personally think it's more rhetorical than genuine), but I also think adventure is there in the mix and has been since the outset. I'm not sure why it's being framed as an either/or choice.

 

[MR.Dis]

Sounds like lots of people getting worked up over semantics. Disney has always evolved and changed, EPCOT was never supposed to be what it turned out to be and the renovation really seems to be far from what the park was when it first opened. Hollywood Studios was originally MGM Studios with actual studios. The big picture is do they add to the park and add to the paying customer's experience--I am hopeful but really do not expect much.

 

[James Alucobond]

I'm not sure if mine is among the posts you're referring to, but to be clear, yes, I realise conservation is important to Animal Kingdom's ostensible mission (though I personally think it's more rhetorical than genuine), but I also think adventure is there in the mix and has been since the outset. I'm not sure why it's being framed as an either/or choice.

No, I agree with you. I just mean that people are looking at exactly what was said that one time and refusing to acknowledge that a) Eisner probably didn’t regurgitate the entire mission statement and b) many things are implied by the statement even if not said in precisely the same language someone is using here.

So yeah, I think you’re ultimately correct; just not sure it’s worth the effort to dissect the dedication when the problem is that some folks are taking it a bit too literally.

 

[SpectreJordan]

It's really a mixture of adventure, exploration, animals & conservation.

The design of the park has an intrinsic sense of adventure through its use of African & Asian villages instead of just having animal habitats be the park. I feel like it's an evolution of Adventureland but with important messages.

I do hope they at least try to fit whatever IPs they use for South America in with the animal aspect of the park. At least to the level that Everest does. If they actually use Indy & Encanto, then Indy could have a mythological beast/animal god in the ride & Encanto could show off some South American animals.

It's not impossible but it's also very easy for them to ignore that & just have Indy after some random artifact or Encanto be about the songs. Hopefully they have some integrity & have animals be apart of the attractions.

It'd be nice if they could slip in a third attraction that's an original idea, but I doubt it.

 

[aladdin2007]

Everything now has to be an "adventure" park so they can throw in what they want, where they want, whenever they want, and not have to follow a creative theme or formula, sadly.

 

[HauntedPirate]

It's really a mixture of adventure, exploration, animals & conservation.

The design of the park has an intrinsic sense of adventure through its use of African & Asian villages instead of just having animal habitats be the park. I feel like it's an evolution of Adventureland but with important messages.

I do hope they at least try to fit whatever IPs they use for South America in with the animal aspect of the park. At least to the level that Everest does. If they actually use Indy & Encanto, then Indy could have a mythological beast/animal god in the ride & Encanto could show off some South American animals.

It's not impossible but it's also very easy for them to ignore that & just have Indy after some random artifact or Encanto be about the songs. Hopefully they have some integrity & have animals be apart of the attractions.

It'd be nice if they could slip in a third attraction that's an original idea, but I doubt it.

They'll spend $2 billion on two rides and gloat like there's no tomorrow about their creativity and limitless storytelling potential of their franchises but the park will still not have a net-new ride addition.

 

[pdude81]

They'll spend $2 billion on two rides and gloat like there's no tomorrow about their creativity and limitless storytelling potential of their franchises but the park will still not have a net-new ride addition.

Our strength is in telling parkgoers this story about building new attractions in the future. They keep falling for it!

 

[Incomudro]

How do dinosaurs fit that mission, though?

Dinosaur the ride doesn't fit that mission, and I don't believe that's the entire premise of the park.
Dinosaurs do fit the park however, and I find it to be a disgrace that they are going to remove them.

 

[Brer Panther]

Indeed. As shown by the dedication plaque, it is what is says on the tin. Animal Kingdom is about animals.

Conservation, Adventure, Exploration....these are *aspects* of animals (real, ancient or imaginary) that you could apply to individual attractions or stories you want to tell about particular animals, but it's projection, misdirection, indirection or whatever to then say that those are the aims of the park therefore more attractions based on adventure, but not necessarily animals, are fitting. Those associated aspects are being used to justify what they want to do, as if that's the main aim of the park, not the animals.

And what are the Indiana Jones movies, Encanto, and Coco about? HUMANS. Not animals. HUMANS. Hence, none of them should be receiving a land in Animal Kingdom.

It's not impossible but it's also very easy for them to ignore that & just have Indy after some random artifact or Encanto be about the songs.

That's probably what they're going to do. The Encanto ride will probably just be Frozen Ever After again - focus on the songs, no actual plot.

 

[LittleBuford]

Everything now has to be an "adventure" park so they can throw in what they want, where they want, whenever they want, and not have to follow a creative theme or formula, sadly.

It was being framed that way back when it opened in 1998. See my post above.

 

[ToTBellHop]

And what are the Indiana Jones movies, Encanto, and Coco about? HUMANS. Not animals. HUMANS. Hence, none of them should be receiving a land in Animal Kingdom.

That's probably what they're going to do. The Encanto ride will probably just be Frozen Ever After again - focus on the songs, no actual plot.

Humans are animals. We need only get concerned when they announce a ride about singing trees.

 

[SpectreJordan]

And what are the Indiana Jones movies, Encanto, and Coco about? HUMANS. Not animals. HUMANS. Hence, none of them should be receiving a land in Animal Kingdom.

That's probably what they're going to do. The Encanto ride will probably just be Frozen Ever After again - focus on the songs, no actual plot.

Ideally an Encanto ride in DAK would be about us getting invited to the house but Antonio's animals get loose & we have to go through the house getting them out of the rooms. They could use some native Central/South American animals that aren't as commonly known throughout the rest of the world like coati. They could probably shoehorn the songs in that way too.

But yeah they could just as easily Frozen it too.

 

[_caleb]

From what Josh I saying the last day or so about Indy in Animal Kingdom, its sounds like the land expansion hasn't even got past the Blue Sky phase yet.

It may be me but I find it 1000 times more annoying that they announce and don't get cracking on building for years. I would rather they just don't announce until they are ready to build.

Blue sky announcements are free advertising, market testing of ideas, and goading of competitors. You might not like it, but most of Disney's audience don't follow these things as closely as those of us around here. What does it hurt?