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

[cjkeating]

If Lion King isn't appropriate for the park, than there are very few IPs that would work for the park. The fact that it's been in the park since inception already contradicts this opinion.

Joe Rohde has been consistent on his themes of the park:

• The intrinsic and superior value of nature (An overgrown temple with animals residing inside exemplifies this without outwardly stating it)
• Personal Call to Action (all this has to be is a parting message at the end of the ride)
• Transformation through adventure (this is probably the most generic of the themes)

One of the signature songs from the Lion King is the Circle of Life. It's an underlying theme of the movie. Now, does Festival of the Lion King hit that message home particularly hard? No, not really. To that I say, "Yeah, but still."

believe it was on The Season Pass podcast where Tony Baxter used Indiana Jones as an example of an IP that could have a story treatment that would work in each of the four WDW parks.

I think the approach Tony Baxter highlighted re: Indy is the concern people have about Lion King. Will the LK ride be the DAK story treatment of the MK story treatment?

As far as we know for Paris the "Lion King Land" will feature a book report Lion King Splash Mountain style ride. Would this fit in Africa at DAK? I don't think so?

Does a 'local travelling production' of the Lion King a real life musical set in a real life town in a theater building matching the aesthetics of Harambe fit? I think it does.

 

[HMF]

Ultimately, when you have a park like Disney's Animal Kingdom, you will have to create more things out of whole cloth in order to tie those new attractions back to the themes of the park. Since that's a non-starter for today's Disney company, you need to pick the stories and the parts of those stories that work. For me personally, there are story treatments for Encanto and Indy that seem to work.

If Coco is a Oaxacan carousel with the Coco name attached, I'll take that too. That's a tie back to real world culture and their stylistic interpretation of animals that has already been represented in the architecture of the park.

So, We just surrender thematic integrity in the name of the IP mandate? I would rather the park stay completely stagnant. As I said in my article, with Rohde gone the park will go the way of EPCOT and DHS. Just a place to stick IP's with no rhyme or reason.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

So, We just surrender thematic integrity in the name of the IP mandate? I would rather the park stay completely stagnant. As I said in my article with Rohde gone, the park will go the way of EPCOT and DHS. Just a place to stick IP's with no rhyme or reason.

All of these fit DAK perfectly

 

[celluloid]

All of these fit DAK perfectly

If you toss in the term perfectly, I would say one should define what perfect in this case is.


Does Monsters Inc Laugh Floor fit Tomorrowland perfectly?

 

[Bill Cipher]

Personally, I love the theme of *half* the land. What I call the “institute side” of the land that progresses from Boneyard to Restaurantosaurus to Dinosaur is fantastic and has this great “woodsy” and “lived in” feeling. Really great and refreshing to have all of this dino stuff that isn’t Jurassic Park. Take some time before it all closes to read some of the bulletin boards in the restaurant and around the boneyard and land in general, great world building.

The Dinorama side is what it is, the giftshop and some of the other surroundings are well themed but Dinorama is truly not a great theme even though it’s does exactly what it’s trying to do. It shouldn’t bring down the really great half of the land. I think expanding the digsite theming to the Dinorama plot would be great and so thematically appropriate for the land and park as a whole.

I absolutely agree with all of this. If the Dinorama plot had been replaced with a well themed addition to Dinoland's theme (like the Excavator coaster) then people would likely appreciate the details in the rest of Dinoland's offerings more. The carnival half really drags down what is otherwise a really in-depth original concept containing compelling world building. It's a shame that the existing original concepts in the parks are rarely allowed to be expanded upon or improved because of the IP mandate. Test Track 3 with WoM influence seems to be an outlier due to sponsor money.

 

[Gusey]

Just going to say that the "Coco" carousel sounds like it'll be like Journey of Water, an attraction that is tied to an IP but only loosely. Journey of Water features Te Fiti and some characters in the rockwork, but is mainly about the water cycle than Moana. It sounds like Disney can market this alebrije carousel as a Coco Carousel by having one of the creatures by Pepita, but that could be all the Coco there is

 

[KDM31091]

So, We just surrender thematic integrity in the name of the IP mandate? I would rather the park stay completely stagnant. As I said in my article with Rohde gone, the park will go the way of EPCOT and DHS. Just a place to stick IP's with no rhyme or reason.

This exactly. It just becomes a hodgepodge of IP with a (often very loose) thread to tie it together or attempt to do so.

I just can’t see any of the proposed additions or changes having the wow factor Disney would presumably want, not going to generate that much excitement when you are retheming an existing attraction. It’s not going to draw the numbers like brand new additions would. I don’t think it will move the needle as much as they want it to. They need to stop being cheap and start putting in actual new spaces, new lands.

An expanded, well executed improvement upon Dinoland would almost certainly be well received whether it had IP or not.

 

[Brer Panther]

So should we just make a list of which IPs "fit" Animal Kingdom and which don't?

 

[James Alucobond]

So should we just make a list of which IPs "fit" Animal Kingdom and which don't?

No. You should make a list of Animal Kingdom's themes and ensure that any attraction built, regardless of IP, can satisfy them. There is no IP that will always magically fit unless you carefully consider the content of the attraction and whether it relates back to Animal Kingdom.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The IP mandate is, what, a decade old by now?

The die is cast.

For weal or woe, (almost) all new attractions will be IP based. Current attractions without a Disney IP will always be 'in danger' of being rethemed to a Disney IP.

What's surprising is that some people are still surprised by this.

Sure, it's OK to not like it. But, if you want new attractions, especially in a park that's in need of new attractions, you're going to get one of Disney's top ten IPs.

I trust attempts will be made to make it 'fit' the park/land. How successful that will be is yet to be seen. And each attraction will have its own success rate.

And until one knows the actual 'story' of a new attraction, one won't know how successful it will be. But if one wants to yell at a cloud or a black box... knock yourselves out.

 

[LSLS]

The IP mandate is, what, a decade old by now?

The die is cast.

For weal or woe, (almost) all new attractions will be IP based. Current attractions without a Disney IP will always be 'in danger' of being rethemed to a Disney IP.

What's surprising is that some people are still surprised by this.

Sure, it's OK to not like it. But, if you want new attractions, especially in a park that's in need of new attractions, you're going to get one of Disney's top ten IPs.

I trust attempts will be made to make it 'fit' the park/land. How successful that will be is yet to be seen. And each attraction will have its own success rate.

And until one knows the actual 'story' of a new attraction, one won't know how successful it will be. But if one wants to yell at a cloud or a black box... knock yourselves out.

That's true, though I'm not convinced it needs to be a top 10 IP (I doubt Tiana falls into that category, nor Coco). But, I'm also not convinced they pick the ones that best fit either. While everyone hated Zootopia, I think most liked Moana in there. Maybe Indy still remains the other ride (cause really his adventures can be anywhere with a story). I think the one everyone is struggling with is Encanto right now. Again, not my movie at all, but it just feels like there could have been better IP to draw on for even a Tropical America area.

But I also think you get to the issue of why closing down Dino to do this would be an issue. If it's a new land, it'd be real easy to have a walkthrough animal area, and then just 1 ride based on IP (and if you went Moana, add in a really nice splash pad as well). Since nothing was removed, it's a net gain. But when you are removing things, you are shoehorning yourself into needing to add at least the same amount of things taken away. Now you need to figure out 3 or so things to add, and you really can't do them all for a singular IP.

 

[MisterPenguin]

That's true, though I'm not convinced it needs to be a top 10 IP (I doubt Tiana falls into that category, nor Coco). But, I'm also not convinced they pick the ones that best fit either. While everyone hated Zootopia, I think most liked Moana in there. Maybe Indy still remains the other ride (cause really his adventures can be anywhere with a story). I think the one everyone is struggling with is Encanto right now. Again, not my movie at all, but it just feels like there could have been better IP to draw on for even a Tropical America area.

But I also think you get to the issue of why closing down Dino to do this would be an issue. If it's a new land, it'd be real easy to have a walkthrough animal area, and then just 1 ride based on IP (and if you went Moana, add in a really nice splash pad as well). Since nothing was removed, it's a net gain. But when you are removing things, you are shoehorning yourself into needing to add at least the same amount of things taken away. Now you need to figure out 3 or so things to add, and you really can't do them all for a singular IP.

If it were up to me, North of Kali would be Tropical America Land with rides (Mirabel racing with us through Antonio's door) and animal exhibits.

And DINOSAUR would be rethemed to Indy finding a Lost Land of dinosaurs.

 

[SamusAranX]

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I personally don’t see how Chester & Hesters fits into the three themes of DAK to begin with, but the theme is well executed, it’s just a poor theme. Personally I feel that goes for all of Dinoland since Chester & Hester makes it not mesh well at all.

Indy seems to fit the second part of his statement, if they do it right

 

[Phicinfan]

I understand the argument for and against the IPs, to me the issue becomes not the IPs but how the IPs are used.

If Coco/Encanto is the main theme, and not that it is culture around life in Tropical Americas and is used as an enhancement to push the Theme of Tropical Americas then it fits AK

As for Indy, again if it is treated to learn and or define more about Incan culture and heirlooms then it fits, as he is an archeologist seeking that or respecting that culture.

Its not Coco land or Encanto land folks, its Tropical Americas area - with enhancements of IP that helps show some of what the culture is for that area.

 

[britain]

More likely Indy (and us tourists) will fail to get a treasure and face peril due to disrespecting the local culture. But the point still holds true.

 

[KDM31091]

The IP mandate is, what, a decade old by now?

The die is cast.

For weal or woe, (almost) all new attractions will be IP based. Current attractions without a Disney IP will always be 'in danger' of being rethemed to a Disney IP.

What's surprising is that some people are still surprised by this.

Sure, it's OK to not like it. But, if you want new attractions, especially in a park that's in need of new attractions, you're going to get one of Disney's top ten IPs.

I trust attempts will be made to make it 'fit' the park/land. How successful that will be is yet to be seen. And each attraction will have its own success rate.

And until one knows the actual 'story' of a new attraction, one won't know how successful it will be. But if one wants to yell at a cloud or a black box... knock yourselves out.

Not all IPs have staying power though, which is why the timeless attractions stand the test of time, and some IP attractions feel dated or irrelevant. As time moves on fewer children have seen or heard of the characters unless it was truly a top 10 movie.

I’m not saying you’re wrong. Disney doesn’t really seem to care and this is the direction they’re going. But it doesn’t mean it’s a permanent or irreversible decision. If they get enough backlash, maybe someday, they will reconsider.

 

[doctornick]

Not all IPs have staying power though, which is why the timeless attractions stand the test of time, and some IP attractions feel dated or irrelevant. As time moves on fewer children have seen or heard of the characters unless it was truly a top 10 movie.

I’m not saying you’re wrong. Disney doesn’t really seem to care and this is the direction they’re going. But it doesn’t mean it’s a permanent or irreversible decision. If they get enough backlash, maybe someday, they will reconsider.

I think the better that the IP is integrated with the surroundings and theme, the more timeless the attraction is able to be. The key is to use the IP as a draw but have the quality of the attraction be why people continue to ride (as opposed to simply liking the movie it is based on).

Quality execution always wins out

 

[James Alucobond]

Not all IPs have staying power though, which is why the timeless attractions stand the test of time, and some IP attractions feel dated or irrelevant. As time moves on fewer children have seen or heard of the characters unless it was truly a top 10 movie.

I’m not saying you’re wrong. Disney doesn’t really seem to care and this is the direction they’re going. But it doesn’t mean it’s a permanent or irreversible decision. If they get enough backlash, maybe someday, they will reconsider.

Many attractions based on IP from more than half a century ago still feel relevant today, and many attractions without an associated film IP became dated and had to be replaced. Whether or not something has staying power has a lot to do with factors other than what IP was or wasn't used.

I will say that I kind of agree with you when talking about entire lands, though. To me, creating an entire land with its aesthetics deeply entrenched in an existing IP is riskier than creating a more broadly themed land through which attractions can cycle if necessary.

 

[Tha Realest]

I find it hard to believe that secret fourth thing doesn’t fundamentally change his character.

But I hope they surprise me.

I’ve consumed just about every bit of Indiana Jones media (movies, games, and novels - only blind spot is the Marvel comics), and if there’s one constant with the character it’s his estimation and preservation of diverse ecosystems and biomes.

 

[Starship824]

For all the talk about IPs in DAK and whether this fits or not I think it's good that we're not getting another single IP land and this has opportunities to expand to things like Up, which in my opinion would perfectly in DAK especially since they already have meet and greets for them and it takes place in South America.