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Grizzly River Run vs Kali River Rapids
- Thread starter DisneyAndUniversalFan
- Start date
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
It's not even a contest... Kali is sad. Grizzly is a top tier river rapid attraction.
The only thing that would really bring Grizzly even more over the top would be adding AA bears/animals. An AA encounter in the cave, etc.
The only thing that would really bring Grizzly even more over the top would be adding AA bears/animals. An AA encounter in the cave, etc.
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
Grizzly needs AAs, but it's vastly superior to Kali. I actually like the idea of a river rapids attraction at AK with a conservationist message, and think it could be done very well. Unfortunately Kali is not particularly well-executed; it's ugly, the fire effect is brutal on a humid Orlando day, and riders frequently come off the ride completely dry. It doesn't help that just down the road you've got possibly the greatest rapids ride ever, Popeye at IOA.
Centauri Space Station
Well-Known Member
I’ve never come off Kali dry….. even if I avoid the main drop splash I always end up soaked
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
Haven't the fire effects also be gone for like... a really long time? I have never experienced them.
DoleWhipDrea
Well-Known Member
The fire effects have been switched over to a sort of red embers effect, giving more of a feel like a fire already ravaged the area.
I actually am a dissenting voice here and voted for Kali as I feel that it makes an effort to tell some sort of story, even if the execution isn't the best...and the queue was one of the things that impressed me the most in all of Animal Kingdom, which is saying something considering how beautiful and deeply themed the park is.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
Chupaca Bruh
Active Member
Kali falls way behind Grizzly. Yes. If the boats floated through the queue it would be a better ride. If there were real rapids it would be better. If it were longer it would be better. If they didn't shut off the fire effect it would be better. In fact it is the least exciting rapids ride I have been on. It is pretty and the queue is great.
Professortango1
Well-Known Member
GRR is far from my favourite rafting ride (Popeye at IOA), but it works. I wish it had music and AA's to make it truly Disney level. KRR on the other hand is my least favourite rafting ride. Its a joke with how short it is and how little there is to look at. When I visited AK last, it was late into Summer and the park was a 1/4 day park. Even with us being bored having seen everything 2-3 times and the rides being walk ons, we only did Kali once. Its probably the weakest E-Ticket Disney has created. Even the Incredicoaster is at least fun despite how ugly and annoying it is.
Kali is terribly boring. I'd put it at an expensive C ticket nowadays. Hard to believe Disney ranks it higher.. What are the gsats for this attraction? Still say some well placed AAs and music could make this somewhat more enjoyable. Jungle Book anyone?
The ride is a failure. You ride with random people making the experience a little awkward for most guests and there's really nothing to look at during your lackadaisical journey down the rapids. And what's worse, it's grand finale is being squirted in the face by passerbys as you then bump in to a train of stacked rapid boats all waiting to return to the station area to be disembarked.
The ride is a failure. You ride with random people making the experience a little awkward for most guests and there's really nothing to look at during your lackadaisical journey down the rapids. And what's worse, it's grand finale is being squirted in the face by passerbys as you then bump in to a train of stacked rapid boats all waiting to return to the station area to be disembarked.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Even though you have views of giant steel coasters?
You’re not very good at making a decision about things Steve.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Calico Rapids is a good effort, but doesn't do anything to disprove the notion that river rapid rides just aren't good mechanisms for storytelling.
As much as people complain that GRR is a bit sparse, you don't have to worry that, say, you might completely miss any story or animatronic bits. If Calico has any edge over the competition, it's only that the bits of animation along the route are of the "charming but not essential" variety, so it's less of an upset than if you were to miss, say, a genuine multi-million dollar megatronic, as seen on some of the other rapids rides at Disney and Universal parks with higher budgets.
Popeye's is probably the actual high watermark of rapids rides and is unlikely to be surpassed. Why? The only thing to see on Popeye's are giant elaborate props that exist only to soak you to the bone-thus playing to the only thing rapids rides are capable of doing well. No subtlety or nuance in a ride system not designed to handle such things, just playing instead to its strengths.
As much as people complain that GRR is a bit sparse, you don't have to worry that, say, you might completely miss any story or animatronic bits. If Calico has any edge over the competition, it's only that the bits of animation along the route are of the "charming but not essential" variety, so it's less of an upset than if you were to miss, say, a genuine multi-million dollar megatronic, as seen on some of the other rapids rides at Disney and Universal parks with higher budgets.
Popeye's is probably the actual high watermark of rapids rides and is unlikely to be surpassed. Why? The only thing to see on Popeye's are giant elaborate props that exist only to soak you to the bone-thus playing to the only thing rapids rides are capable of doing well. No subtlety or nuance in a ride system not designed to handle such things, just playing instead to its strengths.
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
^ Perfectly said. Calico is cute and fun and I'm glad Knott's cares enough to do things like that now, but most riders don't even notice many of the AAs. And I spend so much of the ride deliberately looking for the AAs that I'm distracted from some of the spontaneous fun of the rapids.
Totally agree that the ideal way to theme a rapids attraction is with an immersive environment and giant props. That said, AAs or very broad story elements can work during slow, controlled parts of the ride (like, say, the Bluto figure during the "boat wash" lift hill on Popeye) or in enclosed spaces deliberately constructed to showcase the AA/character (like the cave with the dragon in the Shanghai Disneyland rapids ride, or the giant octopus in Popeye). But yeah generally rapids rides are just a very challenging storytelling medium.
Totally agree that the ideal way to theme a rapids attraction is with an immersive environment and giant props. That said, AAs or very broad story elements can work during slow, controlled parts of the ride (like, say, the Bluto figure during the "boat wash" lift hill on Popeye) or in enclosed spaces deliberately constructed to showcase the AA/character (like the cave with the dragon in the Shanghai Disneyland rapids ride, or the giant octopus in Popeye). But yeah generally rapids rides are just a very challenging storytelling medium.
Professortango1
Well-Known Member
Grand Canyon Rapids at MGM Grand Adventures was probably the best themed rapid attraction I've experienced. They used a POTC style approach with immersive sets and activity without focusing on telling a linear story. The show scenes featured calmer portions of the trough, because we're being stimulated by the scenes, and it ramped up to the more scenic high intensity rapids towards the end. The show scenes also utilized sound and action to help everyone know what was going on regardless of your orientation. Floating through a flooded bank in the midst of a shootout, you heard the gunshots going off, you saw the people ducking up and down on both sides, and you felt the splash of the water as the bullets nearly missed you. When going through the mine shaft you heard a simple "fire in the hole" then an explosion and fog/strobe effects launching us into the final high speed area. We didn't need to see anything specific, it was clear what happened based upon the set design, sound, and effects.