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

[Brer Panther]

Dinosaurs are an ever popular theme, not to mention melding well into AK. If Dinoland were simply plussed rather than eliminated, it would be great.

They're clearly just doing this because they don't have any popular dinosaur-related IPs. Of course, the most recent Indiana Jones movie flopped, so I don't see why The Good Dinosaur's underperforming should prevent them from doing anything with THAT.

Recent WDI failures:
• reliability issues with TBA, ROTR, and the EPCOT hub lighting package (to me these are undeniable)
• TBA and Cosmic Rewind storylines (I’ll admit this one is a bit subjective and perhaps could be blamed on executives and creatives outside of WDI)
• poor use of space and shade in Toy Story Land

I'd argue that the Ratatouille ride and Mickey's Slow-Moving Railway suck too. Oh, and who can forget the Beauty and the Beast sing-along and its weird "Lefou was orchestrating everything" subplot?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I'd argue that the Ratatouille ride and Mickey's Slow-Moving Railway suck too.

Oh I don’t think either suck. I’ve only ridden each of them once but I liked Ratatouille better than Cosmic Rewind!

Runaway Railway is fun for what it is - feels like a classic Disney dark ride.

What I don’t understand about the trackless rides is why they must operate in large warehouses that feel like….. large warehouses - are they using some type of overhead cameras to track them?

 

[Brer Panther]

Ratatouille is just a crappy simulator masquerading as a dark ride. I don't go on dark rides because I want to be parked in front of a screen the whole time.

 

[J4546]

I like Rat, my gf loved it it was her fave ride in Epcot and most people seem to like it a lot, esp in a spot where there was no rides before. I think its a great addition

 

[October82]

Oh I don’t think either suck. I’ve only ridden each of them once but I liked Ratatouille better than Cosmic Rewind!

Runaway Railway is fun for what it is - feels like a classic Disney dark ride.

What I don’t understand about the trackless rides is why they must operate in large warehouses that feel like….. large warehouses - are they using some type of overhead cameras to track them?

I suspect it’s to minimize the possibility of a ride vehicle impacting a fixed object.

Since that is pretty intrinsic to the ride system, IMO, the best use of the technology is for attractions like Tokyo’s Beauty and the Beast where the point is for the ride vehicles to interact.

 

[celluloid]

Oh I don’t think either suck. I’ve only ridden each of them once but I liked Ratatouille better than Cosmic Rewind!

Runaway Railway is fun for what it is - feels like a classic Disney dark ride.

What I don’t understand about the trackless rides is why they must operate in large warehouses that feel like….. large warehouses - are they using some type of overhead cameras to track them?

Ride envelopes and the gimmick of changing the vehicle order. Mystic Manor does this all much better.

 

[Quietmouse]

Ratatouille is just a crappy simulator masquerading as a dark ride. I don't go on dark rides because I want to be parked in front of a screen the whole time.

Yet people praise mr toad where it’s nothing but cardboard cut outs jumping out of you.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Yet people praise mr toad where it’s nothing but cardboard cut outs jumping out of you.

What did that toad do to you!? Haha.

I really like ratatouille but I will say Mr. Toad is a basic dark ride from 1955 - it’s like comparing small world to rise of the resistance.

 

[Ghost93]

Maybe we could get a dinosaur on the Indiana Jones ride? The most recent Indiana Jones movie had a time travel element.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Oh I don’t think either suck. I’ve only ridden each of them once but I liked Ratatouille better than Cosmic Rewind!

Runaway Railway is fun for what it is - feels like a classic Disney dark ride.

What I don’t understand about the trackless rides is why they must operate in large warehouses that feel like….. large warehouses - are they using some type of overhead cameras to track them?

There’s the safety aspect of allowing room for the vehicles to overrun their preprogrammed course. It also allows futzing with the ride path. It also lets people see that there is no track.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

Maybe we could get a dinosaur on the Indiana Jones ride? The most recent Indiana Jones movie had a time travel element.

I'd like that very much, but somebody said no. Carnotaurus fossils were only found in Argentina, you know, the Tropical Americas! So it would make sense.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

I would have been in your same boat, but IMO there’s no denying that WDI has had a mixed bag of successes and failures lately.

Recent WDI failures:
• reliability issues with TBA, ROTR, and the EPCOT hub lighting package (to me these are undeniable)
• TBA and Cosmic Rewind storylines (I’ll admit this one is a bit subjective and perhaps could be blamed on executives and creatives outside of WDI)
• poor use of space and shade in Toy Story Land

That being said, I will praise WDI in particular for Pandora as a whole (probably my favorite thing they’ve done post-Everest) and Guardians’ innovative ride-system (the most fun I’ve ever had on a roller coaster). To me, WDW is so much better than it was a decade ago.

If we highlight failures like that we could definitely make most eras of WDI look mixed. Errors happen in even the best imagineers due to up above etc. Also I feel like the story of Cosmic Rewind isn't a failure at all but you did say it was subjective. TBA is... I like the ride, think the story could have been better if it more followed the OG movie. Shade I defo agree, I would have added a lot more shade + some more flat rides to give a decent boost to Hollywood Studios ride count.

 

[Quietmouse]

my personal thoughts are that the failures of imagineering is beyond hyperbolic.

Looking back at the past 15 years….

Avatar is great, easily one of the best themed lands imagineering has designed in decades.

Toy Story land at dhs is a great and solid addition. It’s also extremely popular with guests.

Epcot is maybe a bit controversial with the design elements from the reboot, but i think frozen is a very solid and popular attraction, ratatouille is solid , and cosmic rewind is one of my favorites.

Magic kingdom - new fantasyland expansion is popular and a fine addition. I think the mine train roller coaster is fun (kind of miss the dark ride though) and the Ariel dark ride is fine and popular with the crowd it was designed and intended for.

Tron is amazing design wise, but I wish it was longer…

I think I might be missing a few (?) but as a whole I feel like imagineering has generally had way more positive hits and additions than misses.

I think Tiana looks beautiful, but the story definitely has misses, and as a whole it feels like it was rushed and transitioned for political motives against the song of the south.

Not opening that can of worms, but as a whole I’m happy with what imagineering has accomplished and achieved.

I think while there have been the occasional misstep, this board dogs on them wayyyyy too hard.

 

[chriswacy]

Is replacing Dinorama with this one of the first examples of paving a parking lot and putting up a paradise?

 

[Coaster Lover]

Is replacing Dinorama with this one of the first examples of paving a parking lot and putting up a paradise?

Grizzly Peak at DCA?

 

[JD80]

There’s the safety aspect of allowing room for the vehicles to overrun their preprogrammed course. It also allows futzing with the ride path. It also lets people see that there is no track.

You don't need a warehouse or a lot of room from a technical point of view, but if you want multiple vehicles in the same space you need space.

You require 19.7" minimum for egress with automated vehicles that interact with people (meaning people walking around them) plus whatever extra Disney puts on there for safety.

What really exceeds it is basically the safety bubble is humans reaching out or swinging something from the vehicle so that doesn't hit anything.

It wouldn't be for overrunning their course. Any vehicle that could over run it course or be inaccurate in its positioning by more than 5" wouldn't have been use din their design. Next time your in one of those attractions, look at the tire marks on the floor. They almost overlap perfectly within some margin.

 

[JD80]

my personal thoughts are that the failures of imagineering is beyond hyperbolic.

Looking back at the past 15 years….

Avatar is great, easily one of the best themed lands imagineering has designed in decades.

Toy Story land at dhs is a great and solid addition. It’s also extremely popular with guests.

Epcot is maybe a bit controversial with the design elements from the reboot, but i think frozen is a very solid and popular attraction, ratatouille is solid , and cosmic rewind is one of my favorites.

Magic kingdom - new fantasyland expansion is popular and a fine addition. I think the mine train roller coaster is fun (kind of miss the dark ride though) and the Ariel dark ride is fine and popular with the crowd it was designed and intended for.

Tron is amazing design wise, but I wish it was longer…

I think I might be missing a few (?) but as a whole I feel like imagineering has generally had way more positive hits and additions than misses.

I think Tiana looks beautiful, but the story definitely has misses, and as a whole it feels like it was rushed and transitioned for political motives against the song of the south.

Not opening that can of worms, but as a whole I’m happy with what imagineering has accomplished and achieved.

I think while there have been the occasional misstep, this board dogs on them wayyyyy too hard.

I think people conflate the final project vs. concept art as a failure of creativity when its more likely a reduction of resources.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You don't need a warehouse or a lot of room from a technical point of view, but if you want multiple vehicles in the same space you need space.

You require 19.7" minimum for egress with automated vehicles that interact with people (meaning people walking around them) plus whatever extra Disney puts on there for safety.

What really exceeds it is basically the safety bubble is humans reaching out or swinging something from the vehicle so that doesn't hit anything.

It wouldn't be for overrunning their course. Any vehicle that could over run it course or be inaccurate in its positioning by more than 5" wouldn't have been use din their design. Next time your in one of those attractions, look at the tire marks on the floor. They almost overlap perfectly within some margin.

The major park operators are all paranoid. Their internal safety standards are always in excess of what is otherwise required.

A ride is an Assembly occupancy which requires 36” - 44” minimum clear width for egress.

The design of the vehicles means that the reach envelope isn’t too much of an issue. They tend to have very wide bases. If you look at something like Oceaneering’s Revolution vehicles the base is a good 30” greater than the reach envelope.

 

[Quietmouse]

I’m surprised to see how much love animal kingdom gets on Reddit.

I always thought I was in the minority who thought it was their favorite park, but I guess there’s a huge coalition of folks who think likewise.

In the past a common sentiment was there is nothing to do/not enough rides, etc. but it seems like people are beginning to appreciate how truly special the theming and atmosphere is in animal kingdom.

I think if animal kingdom can just add a few more dark rides (after tropical of America) and a night time show it could be on part with tokoyo disney sea for my 2 favorite - all time - Disney parks.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I think if animal kingdom can just add a few more dark rides (after tropical of America) and a night time show it could be on part with tokoyo disney sea for my 2 favorite - all time - Disney parks.

You’ve been to Tokyo Disney Sea?