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

[Disney Dad 3000]

I'll probably be in the minority on this, but the Moana and potential for an Oceania area for Dino had really grown on me (minus Zootopia). That said, if this keeps Zootopia from being anything more than a show hidden in the ToL in AK, I'll consider that a win. Don't know why they don't just carbon copy Shanghai's into DHS.

I do see a number of positives and negatives from the latest blue sky of the year proposal:
Good
* A full-on S. American land where the attractions are something to do and simply fit into a larger overarching theme instead of an Encanto land, etc. is a win. There is a lot of potential with this land and look in AK if they go that route.
* If, and a big if, Encanto is an attraction, it appears it and the spinner/carousel/whatever would be indoors and/or covered, which is HUGE for AK
* Another kid-friendly attraction with no height requirement (Encanto maybe) for AK

Bad
* This is likely a $1B+ project and the only difference you've made in AK's capacity is the throughput difference between PW and whatever Encanto is
* Tied to above, but you start recreating the DHS problem of adding potentially 2 uber popular attractions in Encanto and Indy, but no parkwide capacity to handle (no nighttime show, park/various shows hours? etc.)
* Fit. Visually it works, but I don't think either is great for AK story wise from an attraction perspective, but we'll see what they can try to do. Personally, I'd have rather seen this in the BBTM space.
* Losing Dinosaur & The Boneyard (but TBD here)
* Absolute earliest this could/would be done is Fall of '27 after D23 announcement next year, but likely Summer/Fall '28

 

[doctornick]

I'll probably be in the minority on this, but the Moana and potential for an Oceania area for Dino had really grown on me (minus Zootopia). That said, if this keeps Zootopia from being anything more than a show hidden in the ToL in AK, I'll consider that a win. Don't know why they don't just carbon copy Shanghai's into DHS.

I do see a number of positives and negatives from the latest blue sky of the year proposal:
Good
* A full-on S. American land where the attractions are something to do and simply fit into a larger overarching theme instead of an Encanto land, etc. is a win. There is a lot of potential with this land and look in AK if they go that route.
* If, and a big if, Encanto is an attraction, it appears it and the spinner/carousel/whatever would be indoors and/or covered, which is HUGE for AK
* Another kid-friendly attraction with no height requirement (Encanto maybe) for AK

Bad
* This is likely a $1B+ project and the only difference you've made in AK's capacity is the throughput difference between PW and whatever Encanto is
* Tied to above, but you start recreating the DHS problem of adding potentially 2 uber popular attractions in Encanto and Indy, but no parkwide capacity to handle (no nighttime show, park/various shows hours? etc.)
* Fit. Visually it works, but I don't think either is great for AK story wise from an attraction perspective, but we'll see what they can try to do. Personally, I'd have rather seen this in the BBTM space.
* Losing Dinosaur & The Boneyard (but TBD here)
* Absolute earliest this could/would be done is Fall of '27 after D23 announcement next year, but likely Summer/Fall '28

Hmmm... regarding some of your "bad", I would think that if/when this ever happens they would plan to return a nighttime show to the park to coincide with (or even be before) the new land opening much like RoL was around with Pandora. Because indeed they would nee the extra capacity.

And Boneyard - easily the best of the "kiddie playgrounds" that Disney has made for parks - fits so well with Indiana Jones as well that I'm hopeful it would remain intact and functioning. I actually would say that having the Boneyard continue is probably my favorite aspect on considering IJ for the area (as I otherwise don't really like IJ going into DAK).

A lot of the value on this depends on what they end up actually building for Encanto. If it is a high capacity indoor family friendly ride, this is a nice win for DAK. If it is a walk through or M&G, then this seems like a lot of money with minimal upside.

I'll also say that if they add some decent animal enclosures or especially a proper walking trail then that's a nice improvement to DAK. The animal trails are park of what really makes DAK special IMHO.

 

[Thepuma]

1. Epcot is about exploration, discovery and community not just "space".

2. GotG isn't even about "space". It's not even science fiction....it's space fantasy, full of magic rocks, space wizards, living planets, and talking animals.

Well you explore through the jump points.lol...GotG is definitely a Space theme, hence the space ships.

GotG is a perfect addition to Epcot.

If they used your analogy for Epcot, they wouldn't have Frozen, Remy or GotG and as such, the park would be baron compared to today's Epcot.

 

[gerarar]

1, 2, and 3 do make some great points

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'll probably be in the minority on this, but the Moana and potential for an Oceania area for Dino had really grown on me (minus Zootopia). That said, if this keeps Zootopia from being anything more than a show hidden in the ToL in AK, I'll consider that a win. Don't know why they don't just carbon copy Shanghai's into DHS.

I do see a number of positives and negatives from the latest blue sky of the year proposal:
Good
* A full-on S. American land where the attractions are something to do and simply fit into a larger overarching theme instead of an Encanto land, etc. is a win. There is a lot of potential with this land and look in AK if they go that route.
* If, and a big if, Encanto is an attraction, it appears it and the spinner/carousel/whatever would be indoors and/or covered, which is HUGE for AK
* Another kid-friendly attraction with no height requirement (Encanto maybe) for AK

Bad
* This is likely a $1B+ project and the only difference you've made in AK's capacity is the throughput difference between PW and whatever Encanto is
* Tied to above, but you start recreating the DHS problem of adding potentially 2 uber popular attractions in Encanto and Indy, but no parkwide capacity to handle (no nighttime show, park/various shows hours? etc.)
* Fit. Visually it works, but I don't think either is great for AK story wise from an attraction perspective, but we'll see what they can try to do. Personally, I'd have rather seen this in the BBTM space.
* Losing Dinosaur & The Boneyard (but TBD here)
* Absolute earliest this could/would be done is Fall of '27 after D23 announcement next year, but likely Summer/Fall '28

Agree with your takes largely, but I do think retheming this area has the benefit of having more in demand stuff that can be done later in the day and could/should extend the park hours.

 

[Movielover]

and not two IPs that have nothing to do with animals

Spoiler: Pictures

 

[Bocabear]

Well you explore through the jump points.lol...GotG is definitely a Space theme, hence the space ships.

GotG is a perfect addition to Epcot.

If they used your analogy for Epcot, they wouldn't have Frozen, Remy or GotG and as such, the park would be baron compared to today's Epcot.

The three most recent additions to EPCOT would not leave the park "Baron " Barren if they were not there....and Remy, being set in real life Paris and about French food, actually fits the park...the other two have little to do with where they were placed. We all know the parks are changing, they no longer care about where things are going which is sad to me... In general I agree that two of the three could have gone elsewhere...

 

[dennis-in-ct]

There was talk about AK, DHS, and Epcot fighting over which park would get the Shanghai Pirates ride system. Does anyone know if there are still plans for the Shanghai ride system to come to Florida?

 

[MisterPenguin]

There was talk about AK, DHS, and Epcot fighting over which park would get the Shanghai Pirates ride system. Does anyone know if there are still plans for the Shanghai ride system to come to Florida?

Last word from our esteemed insider is they're giving up on bringing that ride system to WDW. Same with cloning the FoP tech anywhere else.

Altho, Disney can always change their mind. And may already have done so. Or not. And changed their minds again.

 

[doctornick]

There was talk about AK, DHS, and Epcot fighting over which park would get the Shanghai Pirates ride system. Does anyone know if there are still plans for the Shanghai ride system to come to Florida?

If only. It does seem like Moana would be a great choice for that (as would Indy) so if a Moana boat right ever comes back up, I'm hoping they consider that as opposed to a flume more like Splash (which is what the previous concept art seemed to suggest).

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

Hmmm... regarding some of your "bad", I would think that if/when this ever happens they would plan to return a nighttime show to the park to coincide with (or even be before) the new land opening much like RoL was around with Pandora. Because indeed they would nee the extra capacity.

And Boneyard - easily the best of the "kiddie playgrounds" that Disney has made for parks - fits so well with Indiana Jones as well that I'm hopeful it would remain intact and functioning. I actually would say that having the Boneyard continue is probably my favorite aspect on considering IJ for the area (as I otherwise don't really like IJ going into DAK).

A lot of the value on this depends on what they end up actually building for Encanto. If it is a high capacity indoor family friendly ride, this is a nice win for DAK. If it is a walk through or M&G, then this seems like a lot of money with minimal upside.

I'll also say that if they add some decent animal enclosures or especially a proper walking trail then that's a nice improvement to DAK. The animal trails are park of what really makes DAK special IMHO.

That would be my hope that this would spur nighttime entertainment/hours, but do they bring back nighttime safari or is that non-starter, etc.? I remain skeptical. A lot of what ifs until something is actually built.

My biggest gripe is just the shortsided nature of their planning and this was the case with the Moana/Zootopia blue-sky to an extent (and GMR/MMRR). Why not build this in an untapped expansion area of the park resulting in no impact to current capacity/operations which might improve the chance for exhibits with it further away from the lagoon show?

Build that high capacity Encanto dark ride, and that Indy boat ride we've all wanted with a flat ride thrown in. While it would cost more, how much more than what they would already potentially sink into this plan? Once done, then come back and do something with Dino, preferably updates to Dinosaur and maybe an indoor family dino coaster in place of PW. Then you've really transformed the park with no impact in the interim, and added long-term gains in popularity/marketability, capacity, and family friendly offerings.

 

[Twirlnhurl]

Jurassic Park is pretty lousy for people who want to experience dinosaurs in their majesty and glory. That land treats them as monsters/threats. There's absolutely a market in theme parks to experience seeing and learning about dinosaurs as a part of nature which is not filled by Uni.

Jurassic park at IOA opened with Triceratops Encounter, a walk through attraction with a show where a veterinarian cares for a Triceratops at the end. The dinosaurs were definitely presented as majestic creatures, and the tone was similar to that of a high quality zoo, but with dinosaurs.

It closed because it was very unpopular.

Perhaps Universal learned the wrong lesson here, I think they did. But they definitely did give the whole "dinosaurs are majestic animals" thing a try.

Busbars don't park the riders in front of a screen (Ratatouille) or have the vehicles spin around in gigantic almost-empty rooms (Beauty and the Beast) for most of the ride. Just because trackless dark rides are more "high-tech" doesn't make them better.

Bus bar rides can park in front of screens too! Just look at any of the Triotech dark rides around the world (I can only think of the one at Knotts at the moment, but there are moee) or the Justice League rides at various Six Flags parks.

I agree that trackless dark rides are not always superior to bus bar rides. The giant, open rooms can definitely be a detriment to the placemaking and overall level of showmanship.

Trackless rides can also be very good. Personally, I consider Mystic Manor, Rise of the Resistance, and Runaway Railway to be among the contemporary best dark rides, up there with Spider-Man and Forbidden Journey.

The only Disney trackless dark rides I haven't been on are the two in Tokyo (Pooh was closed for refurbishment and Beauty and the Beast was under construction when I was there).

The problem with Ratatouille is not the ride system, but the execution. Unlike the others I mentioned, which take advantage of the trackless system, Ratatouille doesn't seem to be sure why it is a dark ride at all. There are very few elements of scenery or spaces where the vehicle travels through dimensional sets.

If an Encanto ride is similar to Mystic Manor, the trackless system will be well worth it. If it is more like Ratatouille, than why bother making it a ride at all?

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Jurassic Park is pretty lousy for people who want to experience dinosaurs in their majesty and glory. That land treats them as monsters/threats. There's absolutely a market in theme parks to experience seeing and learning about dinosaurs as a part of nature which is not filled by Uni.

I mean the first half of River Adventure is more calm and “majestic” than any part of Dinosaur.

 

[wdwmagic]

I guess it's not at all surprising, but it's a little disappointing to see all the sites reporting this as an "announcement", when they made it clear that this is still blue sky planning and may or may not actually happen.

Well I didn't, if that's any consolation lol

Disney Teases 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences for Animal Kingdom's big refresh

Disney Teases 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences for Animal Kingdom's big refresh

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[wdwmagic]

Also, why would they even kill Dinoland for these anyway?

Because it is all getting old and in need of major refurbishment. This way they can skip the refurbishment, have something new, and remove something that is arguably the least popular area in the park.

 

[Coaster Lover]

So, will we get real/live snakes with Indy and donkeys with Encanto?

 

[MichRX7]

So, take away the unique (albeit spine-wrenching as I get older) dinosaur ride for a clone of Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride? If I'm reading that right, are they supposed to think we take that as a positive?

 

[Kamikaze]

1, 2, and 3 do make some great points

Lets not make posting s***Toks a thing on this forum.

 

[tanc]

It'd be cooler if Dinosaur was changed to take place in South America, alternatively changing it back to Countdown to Extinction would be even cooler I think. I really like how WDW has an exclusive theme of the ride. I've only ridden Indy in Tokyo, but I do appreciate the charm that WDW the clone has.

 

[jpinkc]

So, take away the unique (albeit spine-wrenching as I get older) dinosaur ride for a clone of Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride? If I'm reading that right, are they supposed to think we take that as a positive?

I agree I dont see the Clone of Indy from DL as being anything to get excited over (its just a reskin of the existing ride). AK does need to do something with Dino Land. Maybe make it a Indy Flume ride that could work but just a pipe dream as that would cost $$$$ vs cloning the existing attraction in a building that already exists with the I believe the same ride system already in place as DL.