DAK Dinosaur Appreciation Thread

[Model3 McQueen]

I mean minus the abandoned part that is pretty much the story. The Dino institute is half a museum.

Yeah it's very similar so not much would have to change, but I believe it'd be enough to breathe new life into the story and area. It'd need a new preshow, maybe with a more sinister but upbeat tone. Give the ride a killer theme song from Danny Elfman or Michael Giacchino, or perhaps even Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Ramin Djawadi) It'd be fun, at least it is in my head lol.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Since audio is a good way to appreciate it in memory. Here are a few loops and audio of the area..









And now for a Gone but not Forgotten piece of defunct History..

 

[WorldExplorer]

I was watching Extra-Terror-Estrial videos a while back and read that they had "guest" voices making snarky remarks in the show, which sounds like a terrible idea. It made me really appreciate the fact that Dinosaur, despite taking along wacky-dino-guy Seeker as a narrator, keeps the jokes out of it and sticks to its serious tone until the very end. I guess you could point to the sauropod burping as jokey, but honestly until someone on here called it a burp I thought it was just a weird noise. And they took out Seeker's response to it, so it doesn't really play like a joke.

I've thought a lot about the odd horror-nested in humor-nested in horror-nested in humor thing that Dinosaur has going on. It's one of the scariest things they've made, in the back of a serious contender for silliest land they've made (and even before Chester and Hester it was still pretty silly), with a funny preshow, frightening boarding area and ride, then after it's over you watch the silly security footage of Seeker trying to find a dinosaur in the institute.

Sometimes I wonder if maybe Seeker is a left over from the calm dinosaur safari concept (which, admittedly, makes the land tie together better, with the thrill being Excavator) and that's why it's such a whiplash...but then I remember the silly robot they had introducing Alien Encounter when it first opened and I realize that at one point it was normal.

Also Dr Seeker is an icon and I love him dearly, and that load station is so beautiful and thematic and vibey, I love it so much. No-one ever talks about how richly-detailed the Time Rovers are either, they may be the most detailed and unique ride vehicle designs I've ever seen. A lot of the buttons and switches on the back off the Rovers can actually be flipped and manipulated and one time in the load station I was messing around with them for a whole minute haha. Good times. A classic ride I'm gonna sorely miss, and I think Animal Kingdom will genuinely be worse off for not having once it's gone.

The boarding area is so great; it really strikes the feeling that something bad is about to happen into you! I think it's the combo of the constant warning noises and how pretty much everything is labeled (a lot of them being labeled with MORE warning signs) so it looks unbelievably complex and very dangerous. Plus the "Dino-Institute Welcomes You" sign, which clashes super hard with the tone of the area and so come off as very foreboding.

A lot of the buttons and switches on the back off the Rovers can actually be flipped and manipulated and one time in the load station I was messing around with them for a whole minute haha.

I've never been so happy to press a non-functional button in my life!

And now for a Gone but not Forgotten piece of defunct History..

I've been wondering for years why Hester didn't have an intro spiel; that's an amazing find! I guess it must've broken? That's so weird they didn't use it for at least the last three years of the land existing.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I've been wondering for years why Hester didn't have an intro spiel; that's an amazing find! I guess it must've broken? That's so weird they didn't use it for at least the last three years of the land existing.

There was also Chester said the saftey Spiel for Primevil Whril just before you go up the lift you can hear it pretty well on this one..And Hester would say it ad you exit.. I clearly remember her distinct Buh-Bye when you got off..

 

[Nottamus]

Went on one time this week as a farewell.

I will always remember the ride as on our first trip we made it to the “warning” about health conditions blah blah blah - and we chickened out! Didn’t ride it!

Came back 6 months later and it turned out to be one of our favorites.

Sad to see it it go, at the same time looking forward to progress. New.

 

[WorldExplorer]

This is old news at this point, but let the record show that Disney eventually realized they can cash in on removing attractions and gave Dinosaur new merchandise.

Edit: I tried to put in a link to an article about the new stuff, it won't work. I don't know if that's the site people keep saying we can't refer to. Sorry to link to Facebook, but it's the only other post about it I can find.

It sold out mostly within a few days, except the water bottles which clung on for a few weeks but have since disappeared. The pin is not limited edition so should come back, and it's about darned time because no one can convince me there was more demand for a Kali River Rapids pin than a Dinosaur one.

I'm not crazy about the designs (and already have a lot of stuff), but did choose to get the pin so now I have one featuring the carnotaurous to go with the anniversary one with the igaunadon.

It's nice to see it happen, but I do wish it happened earlier.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Only one time they had a creative shirt for the attraction and it was this one..
Photo from Parkeology

It's a shame they didn't have more creative merch for this considering how long it's been here .

 

[WorldExplorer]

Yeah, it's not a very good merchandise line, with the old, recycled art and a tagline that never really caught on. I would've at least gone with a Seeker line somewhere.

They do still have the hand puppets, which are funny. The article is inaccurate, since some of the dinosaur toys in the store (including the puppets) are exclusive Dinosaur branded toys, and they sell RC time rovers. That stuff is kid oriented, but I would be lying if I said I didn't own a puppet and a carnotaurous.

I'm also glad we had the Dino-Rama plushes while we did. They were great souvenirs if you could get them.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Yeah, it's not a very good merchandise line, with the old, recycled art and a tagline that never really caught on. I would've at least gone with a Seeker line somewhere.

They do still have the hand puppets, which are funny. The article is inaccurate, since some of the dinosaur toys in the store (including the puppets) are exclusive Dinosaur branded toys, and they sell RC time rivers. That stuff is kid oriented, but I would be lying if I said I didn't own a puppet and a carnotaurous.

I'm also glad we had the Dino-Rama plushes while we did. They were great souvenirs if you could get them.

Ah yes the latex funky smell puppets...

At least the McDonald's kids meal hand puppets where the most sturdy and quite detailed hand puppets..I have at least 2 of The Carnotaurus..

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Throughout the life of Dinosaur, the items were never that good, which I always found disappointing…when my oldest DD was about 10, she always wanted to be a paleontologist & was always disappointed whenever we walked through the gift shop…she actually found an awesome vest at T-Rex which she wore until she outgrew it…

 

[gerarar]

It sold out mostly within a few days, except the water bottles which clung on for a few weeks but have since disappeared. The pin is not limited edition so should come back, and it's about darned time because no one can convince me there was more demand for a Kali River Rapids pin than a Dinosaur one.

I was there mid-July and all that was left were the magnets and water bottle. I really wanted the pin which was sold out already.

Talked to a couple CMs there and a manager. They said the pin won't be restocked and coming back but the shirt and hat will, which did just last week. I did get the magnet.

My lengthy post in the Encanto thread about Dinosaur and merch situation:

Got to ride Dinosaur x4 times in a row on July 18th.
Every effect was working perfectly on the ride except the chasing 2nd carnotaurus AA. It was in B-mode, placed stationary near the ride-vehicles path, but its head was still moving. Every other AA was working.

Very glad to see the ride is still being maintained well and almost pretty much the same condition when I was last there this past March.

At the gift shop, almost all the new Dinosaur merch was gone. I really wanted the pin, but according to CMs it was sold out a couple days before my visit..
Only the magnet and water bottle was remaining. They did say the shirt and hat will be restocked...in fact that looks to be true as of a couple days ago!

Thus, I got the magnet because I wanted at least something to commemorate one of my all-time favorite rides at WDW..

Gonna try to have one more visit next month before my AP expires. Then it will be time to have my final goodbyes to my beloved Dinosaur ride..
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