Africa Marketplace expansion coming to Harambe at Disney's Animal Kingdom

ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
flyerjab said:
The one aspect of this that has always had me curious is the fact that Harambe is getting so much attention, but Anandapur is not. I know that technically Asia is getting RoL, but I have always been hoping that there would be some expansion happening in the Asia section as well aside RoL.
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They just opened another walkway there. Otherwise, it had already received a big update since the park opened--Everest and its associated pathway.
 
flyerjab

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
ISTCNavigator57 said:
Asia itself wasn't there when the park opened. It opened in 1999. I remember riding Kali during soft openings in February 1999 and commenting to the questioner afterward that it was too short and needed animals. At least the land sliding truck worked back then...
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I will always agree that KRR should be much longer of an experience. When the queue ultimately outshines the ride, that is a problem. They really should have stuck with the original Tiger River concept. What they have done to expand Harambe, though, has been exceptional.
 
Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
The new marketplace looks amazing! Very well done. I can't wait to see it in person. Animal Kingdom is by far my favorite park in terms of theming alone. Now if only they could do something with Dinorama and the carnival games and TriceraTop Spin. Maybe Zootopia? Didn't someone drop the little nugget that UP would have more of a presence at Animal Kingdom? What happened to that?
 
Jon81uk

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
Is this the first time they have added suggested wine or beer pairings on a quick service menu?

Also just spotted the detail of using old Fanta and sprite logos that are more in keeping with the African theme.
 
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Clamman73

Clamman73

Well-Known Member
1980 Harambe Market...The 1980 refers to when Rohde joined Imagineering?
Harambe1980.jpeg
 
LL2WDW

LL2WDW

Well-Known Member
Kman101 said:
Now if only they could do something with Dinorama and the carnival games and TriceraTop Spin. Maybe Zootopia? Didn't someone drop the little nugget that UP would have more of a presence at Animal Kingdom? What happened to that?
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If you go back to some of the original concept art for DAK, it featured a wooden rollercoaster (and a large one at that) in Dinoland. As I recall, it was themed around a large dig site. If I could imagine an overhaul of Dinoland, it would be that concept for the coaster (a Thunder Mountain-esque ride).

Then I would bring back the Dinosaur Jubilee fossil museum concept that was featured when the park opened, but make it a real building and not a tent. Theme it to the Dino Institute.

So then you have the "classy" Dino Institute with Dinosaur and a large, state of the art, indoor museum; plus the more rag-tag Boneyard and The Dig Site coaster. Finally, plus out the Cretaceous Trail, making it a true walking trail with "discoveries" and animatronics around the corners.
 
Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
LL2WDW said:
If you go back to some of the original concept art for DAK, it featured a wooden rollercoaster (and a large one at that) in Dinoland. As I recall, it was themed around a large dig site. If I could imagine an overhaul of Dinoland, it would be that concept for the coaster (a Thunder Mountain-esque ride).

Then I would bring back the Dinosaur Jubilee fossil museum concept that was featured when the park opened, but make it a real building and not a tent. Theme it to the Dino Institute.

So then you have the "classy" Dino Institute with Dinosaur and a large, state of the art, indoor museum; plus the more rag-tag Boneyard and The Dig Site coaster. Finally, plus out the Cretaceous Trail, making it a true walking trail with "discoveries" and animatronics around the corners.
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Oh, there's a lot they could do with Dinoland. I'd love for them to do almost exactly what you said. I can't tell you how many times I weirdly and sadly look at the concept art for what could of been with Animal Kingdom and sigh. Having a REAL fleshed out Dinoland and Beastly Kingdom would have been amazing.

It still sort of confuses me why they nixed The Excavator, yet they put in Primeval Whirl? I don't mind that type of silly coaster, they're fun, but why not the other? I guess it would have been more expensive than a cheap carnival overlay.

I just don't care to see carnival games in the parks. Like how Universal has them as well. No one is ever playing them and the cast members look bored even though they try and get you excited to try them. Just a waste to me.

If the entire area was themed more like the Boneyard and Dinosaur (I still want them to bring back the name Countdown to Extinction) I wouldn't complain at all. It's the carny roadside I have an issue with, whether it has a "story" or not. It's well done for a cheap carnival but it's not what I want to see in a park so well-themed as Animal Kingdom.

I just hope there's plans, somewhere, to redo that area but I can't see it being a priority to them.
 
Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
Finally watched the video. Man. It looks so good. I like the food options, too. I mean, yes, it's "just" a food marketplace but the park needed it and the theming is just incredibly well done. I also like that I believe you can see the train now in the park.
 
flyerjab

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
LL2WDW said:
If you go back to some of the original concept art for DAK, it featured a wooden rollercoaster (and a large one at that) in Dinoland. As I recall, it was themed around a large dig site. If I could imagine an overhaul of Dinoland, it would be that concept for the coaster (a Thunder Mountain-esque ride).

Then I would bring back the Dinosaur Jubilee fossil museum concept that was featured when the park opened, but make it a real building and not a tent. Theme it to the Dino Institute.

So then you have the "classy" Dino Institute with Dinosaur and a large, state of the art, indoor museum; plus the more rag-tag Boneyard and The Dig Site coaster. Finally, plus out the Cretaceous Trail, making it a true walking trail with "discoveries" and animatronics around the corners.
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The one concept I have plugged numerous times on this site is to move the Nemo show out of the park (not saying it is a bad show, it just doesn't fit anywhere in DAK the way the park is currently configured). I would then team up with the Walking With The Dinosaurs show that was traveling around the country several years back and use that in that space instead. Heck, I would even have some of their smaller dinosaurs (that are people powered) out in the park at times. The dinosaurs that were developed for that show were life-sized versions.

 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
xstech25 said:
Disney has spent tons of $$$ and taken their time to do these additions right - everything they have done at DAK the past few years have been just infrastructure improvements leading up to the new attractions opening - yet they are very expensive and highly detailed. This is the exact opposite approach than with things like Dinoland USA where they just tacked it in there so the park would have more things to do. Overall I think the parks & resorts division is much, MUCH better ran than it was back in the late 90s/early 2000s. This is especially evident when you compare Shanghai Disneyland to Hong Kong (not that HK was ever intended to be as spectacular, but the stuff that was there when they opened was all clones and nothing about the project was particularly exciting).
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Exactly. The tide has turned.

And it helps to have so much creative talent at WDI. Amazing addition to an increasingly amazing park.
 
danlb_2000

danlb_2000

Premium Member

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