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News 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences at Animal Kingdom
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Earlie the Pearlie
Well-Known Member
People, people. We are forgetting a sad but important fact.
Dinosaur's capacity is not being utilized to its fullest potential. It consistently has 10, 15 minute wait times. During the busiest weeks of the year, it rarely cracks half an hour. Yes, it is not a good thing for capacity to be reduced in any park, especially one as tiny as AK, but it's really not a significant amount of capacity. It would be like if Epcot was only Future World and they decided to close Living with the Land (Walt forbid). Yes, it would take away some capacity, but it's just not going to matter very much. Maybe waits at Avatar, Everest, and Kilimanjaro go up by 10 minutes, max.
I'm not trying to be overly positive here. I absolutely agree with the sentiment that Disney should prioritize expansion. But it seems to me from the general rumors flying around that this project is going to be immediately followed up by expansion anyway.
I know there is a lot of love for Dinosaur, but Indy is just objectively so much better (just watch lights on POVs!). And if Disney redoes the story to incorporate themes of preservation, and it seems like they will, then I think this is going to work out great.
All this to say that I don't think that Dinosaur closing is going to have very much impact on the capacity of AK. Pandora will still be open, and that does most of the heavy lifting anyway.
Dinosaur's capacity is not being utilized to its fullest potential. It consistently has 10, 15 minute wait times. During the busiest weeks of the year, it rarely cracks half an hour. Yes, it is not a good thing for capacity to be reduced in any park, especially one as tiny as AK, but it's really not a significant amount of capacity. It would be like if Epcot was only Future World and they decided to close Living with the Land (Walt forbid). Yes, it would take away some capacity, but it's just not going to matter very much. Maybe waits at Avatar, Everest, and Kilimanjaro go up by 10 minutes, max.
I'm not trying to be overly positive here. I absolutely agree with the sentiment that Disney should prioritize expansion. But it seems to me from the general rumors flying around that this project is going to be immediately followed up by expansion anyway.
I know there is a lot of love for Dinosaur, but Indy is just objectively so much better (just watch lights on POVs!). And if Disney redoes the story to incorporate themes of preservation, and it seems like they will, then I think this is going to work out great.
All this to say that I don't think that Dinosaur closing is going to have very much impact on the capacity of AK. Pandora will still be open, and that does most of the heavy lifting anyway.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
You only get a wait, even a small one, if the demand exceeds the attraction’s capacity.
It is also important for parks to have slack when other experiences inevitably go down.
peter11435
Well-Known Member
Was just about to say this. If dinosaur is operating with any wait at all, which it is, then it is already maximizing its capacity.
flyerjab
Well-Known Member
I think this move makes perfect sense…from Disney’s (Iger’s) perspective. This part of the park is less visited so its potential operating capacity is seldom achieved. Also, next year, Epic Universe will draw some attendance from WDW and I think DAK will suffer more than the other 3 WDW parks.
Now what is the best way to have some sort of response to EU. Follow it up with an expansion. Hmmm…which park 1) needs a better attraction lineup, 2) won’t need as much site prep work, and 3) can utilize some pre-existing infrastructure -with the latter two points hopefully cutting down on construction a bit?
We can argue the use of IP till we are blue in the face. That is a mandate that isn’t changing. But if WDW wants some sort of collective response to EU, this could be the “quickest” way for WDW to do start. Open an expansion at a park where existing infrastructure can be used for rides, shops and eating locations. That SHOULD cut down on construction timelines. Using the rumored IPs makes sense because they are WAY MORE popular than the total lack of any identifiable IP in this location. Face it, Indy, Encanto and possibly Coco are all very popular IP. This is designed to draw more guests to this corner of the park, and if done well it most certainly will. Construction may cost less and the cost of operating and upkeep will be satisfied by increased attendance in this part of the park.
My only question is will there be ANY animal representation anywhere? Or any mention of the rainforest? It will be interesting to see if that b happens.
Now what is the best way to have some sort of response to EU. Follow it up with an expansion. Hmmm…which park 1) needs a better attraction lineup, 2) won’t need as much site prep work, and 3) can utilize some pre-existing infrastructure -with the latter two points hopefully cutting down on construction a bit?
We can argue the use of IP till we are blue in the face. That is a mandate that isn’t changing. But if WDW wants some sort of collective response to EU, this could be the “quickest” way for WDW to do start. Open an expansion at a park where existing infrastructure can be used for rides, shops and eating locations. That SHOULD cut down on construction timelines. Using the rumored IPs makes sense because they are WAY MORE popular than the total lack of any identifiable IP in this location. Face it, Indy, Encanto and possibly Coco are all very popular IP. This is designed to draw more guests to this corner of the park, and if done well it most certainly will. Construction may cost less and the cost of operating and upkeep will be satisfied by increased attendance in this part of the park.
My only question is will there be ANY animal representation anywhere? Or any mention of the rainforest? It will be interesting to see if that b happens.
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
Nothing will beat the Carnotaraus animatronic roaring at you in person, and the simulated chase that follows. It's a very well done effect that has worked every single time I've been on the attraction.
Is what it is though. Just wish they were adding first before replacing. The 15 minute wait indoors, followed by the 5 minute ride is exactly what one needs when navigating the hot and humid park.
CJR
Well-Known Member
I could honestly see them getting started with the PW plot right away and keeping Dinosaur open a bit longer since it wouldn't be hard to route people to the west pathway, closing just TriceraTop Spin. Then, once it gets further along, close Dinosaur, but you'll have a new high capacity attraction already well underway, minimizing the impact.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
That's kind of precisely why it can afford it in the short term. Attendance is already down. It's not going back up until they open something new anyway, and the shortest distance between them and that is retheming something existing.
If it helps any, this version of Indiana Jones will be different and is shaping up to be very good. I don't want to lose Dinosaur! but it does seem like this will be a worthy successor.
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
It's totally gonna be a trackless dark ride. Disney doesn't do non-trackless dark rides anymore. I think the most recent one was Journey of the Little Mermaid, and if it were being built today, I guarantee that it would be a trackless dark ride as opposed to an omnimover.
In addition, the ride vehicles move incredibly slowly (especially detrimental to Shanghai's Zootopia ride, which is supposed to be a frantic chase through the city but is more like a slow crawl through the city) and the new trackless dark rides constantly park the ride vehicles in front of screens, making them feel less like dark rides and more like glorified simulators.
They are.
Yes, they are three popular IPs. They are also IPs that do not belong in Animal Kingdom since, y'know, they're not about animals. Same reason why putting Moana in Animal Kingdom was an awful idea.
I doubt it.
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
Just watched Mickey Views videos where he described the Encanto attraction as a C-Ticket omnimover. So take that for what you will. Better than a meet and greet or show but not a trackless dark ride of flume ride.
On a separate note following COVID Animal Kingdom went through a self fulfilling death spiral.
> Shorter hours/no evening hours
> No regular nighttime Pandora
> No nighttime show
Even when park hours are extended...
> No night safari
> No late evening entertainment/characters
Also...
> Entertainment remains reduced, none in Asia, less in Africa, less meet and greets
Please correct me but from memory in 2019 Animal Kingdom was the second most visited WDW park and had been for a year or two. Yes it was riding some Pandora hype but the way they reopened the park after COVID was as if it was operating pre-Everest not post-Pandora.
If they can relaunch the park like they did with Pandora with supporting evening attractions/entertainment there is no reason why the park can't hold its own again. I do worry than a rethemed Indiana Jones, Coco spinner and an Encanto book report ride won't generate that much long lasting hype though. It all feels a bit New Fantasyland.
On a separate note following COVID Animal Kingdom went through a self fulfilling death spiral.
> Shorter hours/no evening hours
> No regular nighttime Pandora
> No nighttime show
Even when park hours are extended...
> No night safari
> No late evening entertainment/characters
Also...
> Entertainment remains reduced, none in Asia, less in Africa, less meet and greets
Please correct me but from memory in 2019 Animal Kingdom was the second most visited WDW park and had been for a year or two. Yes it was riding some Pandora hype but the way they reopened the park after COVID was as if it was operating pre-Everest not post-Pandora.
If they can relaunch the park like they did with Pandora with supporting evening attractions/entertainment there is no reason why the park can't hold its own again. I do worry than a rethemed Indiana Jones, Coco spinner and an Encanto book report ride won't generate that much long lasting hype though. It all feels a bit New Fantasyland.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Yes. Unless they’ve decided to use the Pandora expansion plot for something else.
Teddybearre
Active Member
To be completely honest, I was kinda hoping for it to be a trackless dark ride since I feel like that would’ve fit the storyline more, however I don’t mind an omnimover at all, nor do I mind it not being e-ticket either (anything is better than that show speculation). I keep having to remind people in communities like this that parks need smaller attractions to keep things balanced, and a cute little Encanto ride sounds perfect, especially if they’re already planning a separate e-ticket for something else.
DisneyDodo
Well-Known Member
Don’t forget no KiteTails.
But yea, it’s clear that things are going to get even worse at DAK before they get better. We’ve already seen Disney try to coax people away from MK with their recently announced discounted ticket deals (3-day no-MK, 4-day 1-day-per-park), but I suspect we’ll see even more extreme measures aimed at diverting people towards DAK while a bunch of attractions are down there and EU is open. Things like a free DAK day added to x-day tickets or free park-hopping to DAK after 2pm with a standard ticket, etc.
Remember: For a time, DHS was down to only 4 rides.
flyerjab
Well-Known Member
Here’s the thing…top brass does not care anymore about this approach to parks. End of story. Would I love it if they were adding a truly unique land here with little to no IP that had an animal trail, a water ride through a tropical rainforest and maybe a show about the legend of the Madrigal House? Absolutely! I LOVE the animal trails in DAK and I’m my mind count them as attractions. When people post on the boards here that DAK doesn’t have enough rides, I always laugh to myself as the wild life here is the most important theme (or was).
You can certainly state your claim that the assumed IP does not fit because they are not concerned with animals. That is hardly a prophetic statement. But since I know that Iger and Co. have seen a theme park down the road be completely turned around by inserting an IP-based land into it, that seems to be all he cares about. It is all branding all the time now. I just refuse to lay on my fainting couch clutching my pearls about it. This is the new direction for parks it would seem. And there is no rule book, philosophical tome or religious scripture that says thou shalt not divert from a parks original mission statement.
Not saying I am a fan of this new world. It’s just what it is.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
So am I reading this correctly, there will be no net gain in terms of attractions? Just a retheme of what's already there?
James Alucobond
Well-Known Member
There will be an Encanto (or whatever) attraction. Whether you want to count that as a gain or not since it's technically replacing Primeval Whirl is up to you, but it's a gain over what's in the park now.
DisneyDodo
Well-Known Member
They still do plenty of boat rides, but you’re right otherwise.
However, Disney’s warehouse-style LPS rides require large footprints that probably wouldn’t be afforded here. Which means one of two things:
1. They’ll buck the trend and go with a different ride system (omni would be most likely/logical)
2. This ride will follow the Mystic Manor trackless approach, with fuller and more intimate show scenes.
It’s a win-win
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
I assume you're drawing from another source, perhaps one that gave more details about what was planned for the Encanto area. I confess I didn't get "attraction" anywhere in the Disney corporate puffery (quoted in the wdwmagic article) about "a land filled with authentic experiences . . . placemaking and storytelling . . . beautiful region to explore . . . bringing all of that to life."
James Alucobond
Well-Known Member
It has been pretty explicitly suggested by the folks typically in the know earlier in this thread. You're correct that Disney themselves have said nothing about the actual content of this land beyond the broadest of strokes.I assume you're drawing from another source, perhaps one that gave more details about what was planned for the Encanto area. I confess I didn't get "attraction" anywhere in the Disney corporate puffery (quoted in the wdwmagic article) about "a land filled with authentic experiences . . . placemaking and storytelling . . . beautiful region to explore . . . bringing all of that to life."