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

[mickEblu]

Indeed...

Then came presentations by portfolio executives from Florida who provided new details about the plans for Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom and Beyond Big Thunder at Magic Kingdom. This was the meatiest portion of the presentation, with new substantive details about the Dino-Rama replacement featuring Indiana Jones, Encanto, and Coco plus brand-new concept art for the area.​

I Went Inside Imagineering

"I wish I could be here every day," said Disney CEO Bob Iger to kick off an Imagineering presentation I attended. He was joined at the front of the small conference room by Parks Chairman

www.disneytouristblog.com

Good article, must-read.

I can’t understand why they re shoehorning a Coco spinner into this Tropical Americas themed land.

 

[marni1971]

Similar as in ride system? Or the complete ride from Disneyland? I always imagined dinosaur would Just be themed to IJ and keep the dino's theme!

It probably wouldn’t be the same experience

 

[haveyoumetmark]

I actually think this sounds great in comparison to other rethemes/new builds. I love the Indy ride in DL. I have only been there once but made sure to go on Indy 2x. After learning that Dinosaur is the same ride system, I've often thought that Indy should replace it. Yes, Dinosaur is one of the original AK rides but it was never that good and always seemed to me like whoever designed it saw Jurassic Park and figured, hey we can do something like the movie but not enough to get sued by Universal. The main hall, the jeep ride, etc. The only original part, which is not that original, is the time travel element. I'm just trying to have managed expectations from the announcements and miniatures vs what actually will get built.

I also agree with all that have said that the Boneyard playground should stay and connect back to archeological digs/Indy. Maybe they should throw in some 'artifacts' too to further connect it? That way they can keep the playground, which kids do love, update it, and still correctly theme it to the new area.

In retrospect, Dinosaur really was just a weak response to Jurassic Park at the time and Disney will now be able to provide a vastly superior experience by replacing it with something they excel at… which isn’t dinosaurs.

lawyers are probably having their way with these at this point and saying no to keeping anything of its caliber.

1000%. The Burger King playgrounds are biting the dust and everyone will survive. I can see their utility for some but it seems like the liability and cost just aren’t worth it in this day and age. I think the overall experience will be much better. The carousel will do the trick for the most part.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fear we all experienced when they showed us Zootopia and Moana?

What we're getting is just infinitely better.

Spot on. Gratitude is the attitude. What a fever dream that was. To think there are actually folks in this thread lamenting this addition and arguing Zootopia would fit better just because it’s about animals…. Whew.

I can’t understand why they re shoehorning a Coco spinner into this Tropical Americas themed land.

Including a Tropical Americas themed carousel in a Tropical Americas themed land is not shoehorning. Respectfully

And there goes any interest I had in the future of WDW. LOL

If that means you’re not gonna bash every decision they make in the years to come then I’m happy for you. A rare case where everybody wins.

 

[mickEblu]

Including a Tropical Americas themed carousel in a Tropical Americas themed land is not shoehorning. Respectfully

Did Santa Cecilia look tropical to you? Not all of Mexico is part of Tropical America. I also think the ride deserves a lot more than a spinner and it’s just an odd choice if a better Coco ride is being considered elsewhere.

EDIT: wait, is Santa Cecilia a real place?

EDIT 2: Yes it is and it’s in a tropical climate. I stand corrected although I must say it really did not look tropical in the film at all. And my other points still stand.

 

[Bleed0range]

Given the premise of the most recent movie… could they not involve time travel or some sort of dinosaur moment in the new Indy version for the ride? Although I’m sure they want this to be younger Indy.

Heck. Even just an archaeology, dinosaur bones moment could be nice touch?

“Professor Angus Starbuckhas discovered a dinosaur bone in the Gobi Desert. But unlike other discoveries, this bone isn't ancient! As Indy crosses from China through a treacherous mountain pass to Outer Mongolia, he runs afoul of the region's fiercest warlords. Meanwhile, the world's last innocent people, dwelling in a Stone Age paradise, are poised on the brink of destruction. Suddenly Indiana Jones is dueling wild dogs and bloodthirsty killers in a desperate effort to save the most historic discovery of the twentieth century: the last living Triceratops.”

This is the premise of an actual Indiana Jones book so it wouldn’t be hard to see how they could make an IJ dinosaur attraction work.

 

[sedati]

Image of the temple mock-up. No forbidden eye. No crystal skull. There is something at the top though. Looks like a beast with a huge open mouth... and ears.

But in the concept art it's red. Seems odd.

Googling "Myan Red Temple" led to this:

Looks the same. It's called Rosalila Temple:

Rosalila Temple

A full-size replica of this well-preserved temple lets you take a walk through the Mayan age.

www.atlasobscura.com

The beast is apparently a Jaguar.

This seems a clear inspiration. Disney has taken it and elongated it. I'd say the beast in the Disney version looks different. More like a snake or crocodile... or dinosaur. But in case they are going with Jaguars:

Jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Either way, if this is the design, I love it. It is very distinct looking.

 

[Bleed0range]

View attachment 777240
Image of the temple mock-up. No forbidden eye. No crystal skull. There is something at the top though. Looks like a beast with a huge open mouth... and ears.

But in the concept art it's red. Seems odd.

View attachment 777243

Googling "Myan Red Temple" led to this:

View attachment 777241

Looks the same. It's called Rosalila Temple:

Rosalila Temple

A full-size replica of this well-preserved temple lets you take a walk through the Mayan age.

www.atlasobscura.com

The beast is apparently a Jaguar.

This seems a clear inspiration. Disney has taken it and elongated it. I'd say the beast in the Disney version looks different. More like a snake or crocodile... or dinosaur. But in case they are going with Jaguars:

Jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Either way, if this is the design, I love it. It is very distinct looking.

Amazing find. I read this in the wiki article you linked and it sounds like a promising premise…

“Often depicted on these artifacts are the gods the Maya revered and it is no coincidence that these gods often have jaguar attributes. As stated earlier, the jaguar is said to have the ability to cross between worlds, and for the Maya daytime and nighttime represented two different worlds. The living and the earth are associated with the day, and the spirit world and the ancestors are associated with the night. As the jaguar is quite at home in the nighttime, the jaguar is believed to be part of the underworld; thus, "Maya gods with jaguar attributes or garments are underworld gods" (Benson 1998:64). One such god is Xbalanque, one of the Maya Hero Twins who descended to the underworld, and whose entire body is covered with patches of jaguar skin. Another is God L, who is "the primary lord of the underworld" and often is shown with a jaguar ear or jaguar attire, and atop a jaguar throne (Benson 1998: 64-65). “

 

[Brer Oswald]

Moana going in MK does this?

If it’s going in the Beyond Big Thunder Plot. If it’s an expansion of Adventureland, that’s fine. Wouldn’t make me excited necessarily, but at least it would fit.

 

[SaucyBoy]

Sad to lose the good parts of Dinoland but honestly what we're getting is going to be absolutely amazing. This concept is much better than what was initially teased before. The last two visits I've had to WDW have left me feeling inspired and hopeful for the future of the parks.

 

[KDM31091]

I just don’t understand losing dinosaurs entirely. At the very least, the new Indy should feature some level of dinosaurs.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Did Santa Cecilia look tropical to you? Not all of Mexico is part of Tropical America. I also think the ride deserves a lot more than a spinner and it’s just an odd choice if a better Coco ride is being considered elsewhere.

EDIT: wait, is Santa Cecilia a real place?

EDIT 2: Yes it is and it’s in a tropical climate. I stand corrected although I must say it really did not look tropical in the film at all. And my other points still stand.

Perhaps we can think of the small Coco part of the new land as a gateway to the tropical areas? If you're going to drive to Central America, you have to go through all of Mexico!

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Perhaps we can think of the small Coco part of the new land as a gateway to the tropical areas? If you're going to drive to Central America, you have to go through all of Mexico!

Or... perhaps Coco isn't being featured in this land?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Friendly reminder: This thread is for Tropical America, the DAK refresh of Dinoland.

For your Beyond Big Mountain MK expansion, go here:

News - 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' Blue Sky concept revealed for Magic Kingdom

How many E-tickets would BBTM create? One for Villains and one additional maybe?

forums.wdwmagic.com

It is confusing since there was talk of Coco being in both, and maybe Encanto in both. But for now what we know is...

DAK - Indy refresh, Encanto dark ride, a carousel likely to be Coco (for now).

MK - no solid info of what mishmash of IPs. Disney may not even know for sure at this stage.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Or... perhaps Coco isn't being featured in this land?

Tom Bricker attended a presser earlier in the week with Iger and Josh, and he says it includes Coco.

 

[ToTBellHop]

View attachment 777240
Image of the temple mock-up. No forbidden eye. No crystal skull. There is something at the top though. Looks like a beast with a huge open mouth... and ears.

But in the concept art it's red. Seems odd.

View attachment 777243

Googling "Myan Red Temple" led to this:

View attachment 777241

Looks the same. It's called Rosalila Temple:

Rosalila Temple

A full-size replica of this well-preserved temple lets you take a walk through the Mayan age.

www.atlasobscura.com

The beast is apparently a Jaguar.

This seems a clear inspiration. Disney has taken it and elongated it. I'd say the beast in the Disney version looks different. More like a snake or crocodile... or dinosaur. But in case they are going with Jaguars:

Jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Either way, if this is the design, I love it. It is very distinct looking.

Now you’re getting somewhere. I think the Indy concept they’ve landed on sounds really cool. It has Rohde’s intellectual fingerprints on it.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Perhaps we can think of the small Coco part of the new land as a gateway to the tropical areas? If you're going to drive to Central America, you have to go through all of Mexico!

I don't think Coco not technically being set in a tropical part of Mexico is going to cause that much dissonance for visitors. If it's an alebrije carousel, for example, they originated in the state of Oaxaca, some of which is tropical at least!

They don't seem to have built a replica of Santa Cecilia at any rate. The archway reminds me a lot of the arches you see a lot in the Mexican Yucatán around the old entrances to the cities, as do the architecture and colours. In particular, it seems to take some inspiration from Mérida:

I don't think a Coco-themed carousel tucked behind some of these buildings is really going to break the theme.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Okay more important:

What kind of food do you serve at an archaeological dig-themed restaurant across from the Indiana Jones Adventure?

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

View attachment 777240
Image of the temple mock-up. No forbidden eye. No crystal skull. There is something at the top though. Looks like a beast with a huge open mouth... and ears.

But in the concept art it's red. Seems odd.

View attachment 777243

Googling "Myan Red Temple" led to this:

View attachment 777241

Looks the same. It's called Rosalila Temple:

Rosalila Temple

A full-size replica of this well-preserved temple lets you take a walk through the Mayan age.

www.atlasobscura.com

The beast is apparently a Jaguar.

This seems a clear inspiration. Disney has taken it and elongated it. I'd say the beast in the Disney version looks different. More like a snake or crocodile... or dinosaur. But in case they are going with Jaguars:

Jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Either way, if this is the design, I love it. It is very distinct looking.

Damn, I wish Dinosaur wasn’t going anywhere but this is cool. Great work!

 

[pigglewiggle]

I fee like if Cinderella (as the original Disney classic) came out today and they said they were going to put something dedicated to the movie in Magic Kingdom, a lot of you would complain because "new IP".

 

[James Alucobond]

EDIT: wait, is Santa Cecilia a real place?

EDIT 2: Yes it is and it’s in a tropical climate. I stand corrected although I must say it really did not look tropical in the film at all. And my other points still stand.

The Santa Cecilia in Coco is not meant to be Santa Cecilia Acatitlan, as fas as I'm aware. They just chose the name because Cecilia is the patron saint of music. The towns they based the appearance on are farther north near Mexico City.