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

[wdwmagic]

PHOTOS - Zuri's Sweets to open soon in the new Harambe Market

 

[xdan0920]

Quick - they need help at Epcot and MGM stat!

Well done.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

So I was just reading an incredible photo report over on the damouse website. One thing that I learned that was interesting is that apparently everyday, someone (most likely a young someone) is picked to ring an opening bell for this area to announce that the QS food shops are officially opening for the day. Another really nice touch for this part of Harambe.

Now that I love. When people talk about the "Disney difference" or "declining by degrees," THIS is exactly the thing that it refers to - those little extra, unannounced, somewhat hidden little things that make/made Disney special and that have slowly disappeared over the years.

99.9% of people who will ever walk through Animal Kingdom will never know this exists. But for the .1% that do know or are lucky enough to participate, it makes a day at AK all that more special.

 

[Figment2005]

To anyone that defends Dinorama because it's supposed to look cheap, take a look at Harambe Market (and the rest of Africa)... that's an excellent execution of the "supposed to look cheap" theme. The new area looks phenomenal and I stand by my statement that Africa is a better themed land than Cars Land or Diagon Alley.

I respectfully disagree. Both areas are 100% authentic. Dinorama is supposed to look like a roadside carnival, which it does superbly. Africa is supposed to look like a marketplace, which it also does superbly. Just because you do or do not like an area, it does not make the area any more or less authentic.

 

[Kman101]

Don't defend them being cheap. They did a great job for what it is but what it is is cheap carnival games.

 

[doctornick]

Don't defend them being cheap. They did a great job for what it is but what it is is cheap carnival games.

Sure, it's a cheap roadside carnival. And it's an authentic representation of a cheap roadside carnival.

There's plenty of room to criticize the choice of theme while pointing out that it does a good job of depicting the source material. I think the more basic lessen is that they should be doing more lands like Harambe and fewer (or none) that are like Dinorama, not that Dinorama isn't well done for what it is.

Perhaps that nuanced, but I think it's still true.

 

[bigeternity]

Choose life.

 

[MinnieWaffles]

Now that I love. When people talk about the "Disney difference" or "declining by degrees," THIS is exactly the thing that it refers to - those little extra, unannounced, somewhat hidden little things that make/made Disney special and that have slowly disappeared over the years.

99.9% of people who will ever walk through Animal Kingdom will never know this exists. But for the .1% that do know or are lucky enough to participate, it makes a day at AK all that more special.

With the internet, I wonder why the small things dissappeared? People demanding their kids getting special treatment.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I respectfully disagree. Both areas are 100% authentic. Dinorama is supposed to look like a roadside carnival, which it does superbly. Africa is supposed to look like a marketplace, which it also does superbly. Just because you do or do not like an area, it does not make the area any more or less authentic.

I said nothing about authenticity. But you can make things look cheap and still have it look good, that's what happens in Africa that does not happen in Dinorama. Dinorama looks awful even though they successfully executed the theme.

 

[Jon81uk]

I said nothing about authenticity. But you can make things look cheap and still have it look good, that's what happens in Africa that does not happen in Dinorama. Dinorama looks awful even though they successfully executed the theme.

Part of the thing is that it is DinoLand USA and you can see cheap America anywhere, so although Disney made it look like a roadside carnival successfully it isn't an exotic or interesting theme as it is based on the same country you are stood in.
If Disney built Harambe in Africa then it would get similar complaints of looking cheap as it looks like a village down the road. Its not the execution of DinoRama that is the issue, it is that people want something different or exotic compared to what the see everyday.

 

[wdrive]

Part of the thing is that it is DinoLand USA and you can see cheap America anywhere, so although Disney made it look like a roadside carnival successfully it isn't an exotic or interesting theme as it is based on the same country you are stood in.
If Disney built Harambe in Africa then it would get similar complaints of looking cheap as it looks like a village down the road. Its not the execution of DinoRama that is the issue, it is that people want something different or exotic compared to what the see everyday.

I've never thought of it that way before but good point.

I've always viewed it as although both Harambe and DinoLand USA are supposed to look cheap, Dinoland was actually relatively cheap to build whereas Harambe wasn't.

 

[ChrisM]

So I was just reading an incredible photo report over on the damouse website. One thing that I learned that was interesting is that apparently everyday, someone (most likely a young someone) is picked to ring an opening bell for this area to announce that the QS food shops are officially opening for the day. Another really nice touch for this part of Harambe.

They also require the selected child to scream "FAMOUS SAUSAGES".

 

[flyerjab]

Just saw this on the Disney food blog. Some of the treats that will be coming to Zuri's were featured:

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/...-animal-kingdoms-harambe-market-on-june-17th/

 

[RayTheFirefly]

Do we know if Zuri's is a counter, or a shop you can go in?

 

[doctornick]

Do we know if Zuri's is a counter, or a shop you can go in?

Yeah, I was imagining a window, but this sounds more like a shop. And if it is a shop, it might explain the previous confusion where the Harambe Market was reported to get a "merchandise" location.

 

[Jon81uk]

Other places are reporting it will be a candy store and shop.

But those boxed treats look so generic! Why can Universal offer such unique stuff for Harry Potter. Then Disney do a great new counter service area and ruin it with generic looking boxed candy with clip art Simba on it. Why not exclusive art work similar to the FOTLK posters in Harambe?

 

[RayTheFirefly]

Other places are reporting it will be a candy store and shop.

But those boxed treats look so generic! Why can Universal offer such unique stuff for Harry Potter. Then Disney do a great new counter service area and ruin it with generic looking boxed candy with clip art Simba on it. Why not exclusive art work similar to the FOTLK posters in Harambe?

I see your point about the clip art, but I thought the products actually were a nice, unique twist on standard items. And there is unique, new packaging for them. Harry Potter is a huge mythical world described in 7 books, giving them a lot to work with in terms of products, whereas Harambe is just a fictional version of real life places.

 

[Jon81uk]

I see your point about the clip art, but I thought the products actually were a nice, unique twist on standard items. And there is unique, new packaging for them. Harry Potter is a huge mythical world described in 7 books, giving them a lot to work with in terms of products, whereas Harambe is just a fictional version of real life places.

Okay I am being a bit harsh, after looking again, the five pack chocolate bars with the tree of life design is great. But clip art Simba still doesn't look good.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

Okay I am being a bit harsh, after looking again, the five pack chocolate bars with the tree of life design is great. But clip art Simba still doesn't look good.

Agreed. Thankfully, clip art Simba seems to only really appear on the products geared specifically to small children.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

The chocolate bars have great packaging if that's the final design! One package to eat, one for display. Disney does know how to separate me from my money.