News 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences at Animal Kingdom

[celluloid]

I guess it would be wishful thinking that they could build the Encanto ride while leaving Dino running. Then redo Dino once Encanto is done.

DAK is already lacking in attractions, taking out an entire land would make for a couple of tough years.

Don't forget they want to think they are changing going It's tough to be a bug to zootopia that will require downtime too.

 

[DisneyDodo]

You think they would go back to the original Lion King plans they had for AK, rather than just copying whatever they're developing for Paris? Obviously AK wouldn't get an entire land, it would just get the E-Ticket

I don’t believe they can fit the Paris ride in the Africa expansion plot.

Though I do imagine it would be a tough sell to WDW fans if they built an inferior LK ride there unless it opened before the Paris ride was announced. Though perhaps marketing it as part of a larger DAK overhaul could also soften the blow.

 

[doctornick]

Can we get a new nighttime show while they’re at it? It’s absurd that DAK went back to being a half day park.

Honestly, I don’t think the park can justify the longer hours needed for a nighttime show if all of Dinoland USA is shut down being replaced. So I’m guessing a new show debuts when tropical America opens.

 

[aladdin2007]

where was it said an omnimover is coming out of this? just curious. I would love that but just not buying it. They seem to be doing everything but that style and make anymore unfortunately.

 

[JD80]

where was it said an omnimover is coming out of this? just curious. I would love that but just not buying it. They seem to be doing everything but that style and make anymore unfortunately.

Someone is just quoting mickey views. I don't hold much stock in that channel. It's mostly click bait.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The rumors are stating that we’re getting an Encanto omnimover dark ride, with the courtyard area in front of the Casa Madrigal replacing the entirety of Dinorama. A Coco carousel is also apparently replacing the Boneyard (Rio would be a better fit than Coco imo, but whatever)

where was it said an omnimover is coming out of this? just curious. I would love that but just not buying it. They seem to be doing everything but that style and make anymore unfortunately.

An omnimover is pure speculation at this time. Some sort of 'dark ride' *might* be the case, but insiders aren't being specific (and Disney still may change their mind of what they have plan).

Anything Coco is a wild guess based on the concept art which has an area that looks Coco-ish. But a round-tented attraction does scream 'spinner/carousel.'

The one thing that seems sure is that DINOSAUR will be rethemed to Indy.

 

[WaltWiz1901]

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.

It was even going to be one before being cut back to the Omnimover that was ultimately built:

Gonna have to confess that going trackless there would have been preferable to the approach they took instead; the scenes, as has been said numerous times, don't lend themselves very well to a slow-moving chain of vehicles crawling their way around them instead of through them.

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.

Aren't those faults of the programming and set design, not the system itself? LPS is a very flexible system...

...they unfortunately just choose to do the bare minimum with it

 

[MrPromey]

Welcome.

And, no, they won’t be tossing in a show (next to Nemo, no less) and calling it a day. People kept laughing at my posts saying DAK expansion was imminent yet here we are. There will be quite a few projects announced soon.

To be fair to those of us who were laughing, you've been saying that for almost two years since the first (now scrapped) Moana blue sky concept art was shown that you kept insisting was going to be green-lit any day and that they were ready to break ground and possibly have it open in as little as two years which, incidentally, would have been late this year, wouldn't it?

I mean, by continuing to state something was just about to happen, you were eventually bound to be right.

Not trying trying to give you too much crap. I like you and all but come on, man.

 

[MrPromey]

And earth moving, (relatively) soon.

I believe nothing until the ladder makes an appearance on site.

 

[Teddybearre]

I just realized, if these attractions get announced at D23, it’ll be the first time in five years that an attraction for WDW is announced at the event. And if you don’t count Mary Poppins, that’s SEVEN years!

 

[MrPromey]

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.

Somehow, the way they've been managing capacity and crowds has convinced people that if the wait isn't 45-120 minutes, constantly, that the attraction just isn't popular and isn't holding its own.*

Maybe the QUEUE isn't holding its own in current leadership's eyes but I've never paid to go to a theme park excited to waste well over half the day standing in lines.

Anyone else?

*nobody tell that guy that both Pirates and HM were frequently 15 minute waits for more than a decade and that for at least two decades, SE was typically a complete walk-on almost every day outside of holidays after World Showcase opened at 11am prior to current management "improving" the park-going experience.

 

[Gusey]

If they get ride of The Boneyard, TriceraTop Spin & Dinosaurs, in addition to Primeval Whirl already gone, then the Tropical Americas land will not be adding any capacity, but taking it away with current rumors (4 for Dinoland, 3 for Tropical Americas). Of course the attraction lineup is not announced for Tropical Americas, but I'm hoping a version of The Boneyard does remain in some form

 

[Weather_Lady]

My cynical guess: there's no Encanto attraction coming, and even if there is, it will be scaled back and eventually abandoned. At most, Casita will be a lavishly themed gift shop.

Prove me wrong, WDW!

 

[ToTBellHop]

To be fair to those of us who were laughing, you've been saying that for almost two years since the first (now scrapped) Moana blue sky concept art was shown that you kept insisting was going to be green-lit any day and that they were ready to break ground and possibly have it open in as little as two years which, incidentally, would have been late this year, wouldn't it?

I mean, by continuing to state something was just about to happen, you were eventually bound to be right.

Not trying trying to give you too much crap. I like you and all but come on, man.

That’s fair. I can’t defend the frequency with which Disney delays projects. But, they were never going to build nothing, as some suggested.

I’m not blindly throwing darts, though. I was surprised by the switch in projects here but that’s why they brought Vaughn back.

My cynical guess: the rumored "Encanto" attraction will go the way of the Mary Poppins one in EPCOT: not planned to be large-scale to begin with, and eventually scaled back to nothing. At most, Casita will be a lavishly themed gift shop.

Prove me wrong, WDW!

With Iger at the helm, I suspect the first thing to cut would be anything related to, you know, animals. Primeval Whirl will be replaced with something, I’m sure. There’s still time for another IP shift!

 

[flyerjab]

That’s fair. I can’t defend the frequency with which Disney delays projects. But, they were never going to build nothing, as some suggested.

I’m not blindly throwing darts, though. I was surprised by the switch in projects here but that’s why they brought Vaughn back.


With Iger at the helm, I suspect the first thing to cut would be anything related to, you know, animals. Primeval Whirl will be replaced with something, I’m sure. There’s still time for another IP shift!

So your current opinion is that there won’t very likely be any animal additions with this expansion? I noticed that during Bruce’s intro to a Tropical Americas themed land here carefully used words like “guests will enjoy theming and experiences found in this part of the world.” Nothing about new animal exhibits. If there is no educational value regarding the rainforest and its importance as an ecosystem that will be a complete whiff by Iger and his silly IP all the time mandate.

 

[ToTBellHop]

So your current opinion is that there won’t very likely be any animal additions with this expansion? I noticed that during Bruce’s intro to a Tropical Americas themed land here carefully used words like “guests will enjoy theming and experiences found in this part of the world.” Nothing about new animal exhibits. If there is no educational value regarding the rainforest and its importance as an ecosystem that will be a complete whiff by Iger and his silly IP all the time mandate.

I don’t honestly know. There is certainly an option to include some small exhibits. But animal food is more expensive than just planting some palm trees.

 

[flyerjab]

I don’t honestly know. There is certainly an option to include some small exhibits. But animal food is more expensive than just planting some palm trees.

It’s a shame, especially if the effects of deforestation in this part of the world are not integrated into the fabric of this particular expansion. It will just continue to show how Iger doesn’t get the power that an appropriately themed land can have. It’s why I have always loved this park. There is a weight and a bit of gravitas beyond the “hey Everest was a blast now let’s leave” mentality. You can leave this park with a better understanding of how fragile and important this world is if you take in everything. It’s more than just the rides. It always has been.

 

[SirLink]

There have been 2 separate LK projects in development for DAK and WDSP. If DAK gets a LK ride, it will be much smaller in scale than what is likely coming to Paris

It would be cheaper just to clone it if they do plan to do it, plus I do like a good flume ride.

 

[SirLink]

It’s a shame, especially if the effects of deforestation in this part of the world is not integrated into the fabric of this particular expansion. It will just continue to show how Iger doesn’t get the power that an appropriately themed land can have. It’s why I have always loved this park. There is a weight and a bit of gravitas beyond the “hey Everest was a blast now let’s leave” mentality. You can leave this park with a better understanding of how fragile and important this world is if you take in everything. It’s more than just the rides. It always has been.

I think two deforestation rides in one park is taking away a subtle notion to taking out the sledgehammer.

 

[ToTBellHop]

It’s a shame, especially if the effects of deforestation in this part of the world is not integrated into the fabric of this particular expansion. It will just continue to show how Iger doesn’t get the power that an appropriately themed land can have. It’s why I have always loved this park. There is a weight and a bit of gravitas beyond the “hey Everest was a blast now let’s leave” mentality. You can leave this park with a better understanding of how fragile and important this world is if you take in everything. It’s more than just the rides. It always has been.

I’m sure there will be some sort of slapped together conservation message at the very least. WDI may have bled talent but those who remain aren’t that obtuse. Vaughn is certainly an upgrade from the guest perspective. It’s just that Rohde is a wizard at integrating such a message while still allowing a fun ride. I hope the Imagineers assigned to this project aren’t too proud to call him up an exchange ideas.