News Date set for reopening of Rafiki’s Planet Watch along with new Animation Experience

No Name

Well-Known Member
Certainly a more bizarre location for an animation academy, but nonetheless I’m very happy to see its return of sorts, even if I have to wait behind all the fastpassers. I see an animation academy might be coming to Epcot, which is again a more bizarre location, but I’m not complaining.

But why not in DHS?? That would make the most sense and help with the greatest capacity strain. Anyway, still good news.
 
Last edited:

WondersOfLife

Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
I feel like Epcot’s version of animation academy (if it is getting one) may be more technology based rather than pencil/paper based?

Tablets are lit, fam.
 

MaximumEd

Well-Known Member
I’d say the reason the animation academy is going here and possibly Epcot is to do what ever is possible to pull people away from SW:GE and a perpetually overcrowded MK. If not to explicitly pull them, then at least to give folks something else to do when they see wait times at HS and MK after the end of August and go, “Nope.”
 

GlacierGlacier

Well-Known Member
I have never actually been to this are in AK, have I missed out or have I not missed much?
It's not much, but it's nice. If you've got a decent amount of time to kill before your next fastpass (1-2 hours, to be generous) it's a neat way to spend some time.

Petting zoo area, train that takes you past some animal care facilities for Kilamanjaro, functional animal hospital that you get to see things happening in, etc.

And air conditioning.
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
It's not much, but it's nice. If you've got a decent amount of time to kill before your next fastpass (1-2 hours, to be generous) it's a neat way to spend some time.

Petting zoo area, train that takes you past some animal care facilities for Kilamanjaro, functional animal hospital that you get to see things happening in, etc.

And air conditioning.
But quite a hike from the train station..... Hope they put something in that area to see or do.
 

Castle Cake Apologist

Well-Known Member
I have never actually been to this are in AK, have I missed out or have I not missed much?

From a design standpoint, it's woefully dated. Very late-90s local zoo pavilion. There's a lot of cool stuff in it, though. The animal hospital is worth it alone, assuming anything is going on that day.

The Song of the Rainforest attraction is a true hidden Disney treasure, but I fear they've ripped it out as part of this re-theme. 😭 It was the last hold-out of an era where WDI really really liked making attractions with binaural audio.

Not bad Disney, not bad! (ThumbsUp!)

Quite unrelated, but your photography is fantastic!
 

Fox&Hound

Well-Known Member
Yay! I have missed the animation academy since it left DHS and this seems like a great place for it. Kudos, Disney! I might actually get back on this train for an animation class. Does this mean they added a new room for this experience like they had at DHS with the stadium seating and the presenter up front? Or is it just in a corner of that main lobby area? Anyone know specifics?
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
A minor presence in a probably-temporary pavilion hardly seems like a toehold to me, but sure.

I am quite interested to have you expand on how Zootopia is a perfect IP for Epcot, though.

As opposed to DAK or the MK of courss. It isn't necessarily the best ip for FW but it is the only logical place for it.

If they were ever to do a pavilion dedicated to Zootopia FW would work very well.

IMO.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom