Rumor Is Indiana Jones Planning an Adventure to Disney's Animal Kingdom?

[yensidtlaw1969]

Indy in DAK fits perfect, I can't believe some think its a terrible fit. Everyone seems to agree that Dinoland needs to be replaced, and the whole Indy land vibe I think sounds fantastic. But I keep seeing people say the track layout is the same for Dinosaur and Indy in California, I've ridden both and outside of the ride vehicles I don't see any similarity in the track design. On the Indy ride you have this huge open space where you cross the bridge and drive over the other vehicles, where is this room/space in Dinosaur? I know Dino is dark but something like that room would stand out IMO. I know this Indy rumor is new so I'm not getting too excited, but this land sounds like a homerun for DAK in my book.

The huge open space in enclosed in Dinosaur - the point where you cross the bridge in Indy is the point where you pass the Sauropod in Dinosaur. There is no equivalent grand reveal of a wide open chamber, but the layout is 98% equal.

I certainly don't agree that's Dinoland need be replaced, unless you mean Dinorama specifically in which case then I certainly do. I can't think of a type of animal with more exciting potential for theme park use than Dinosaurs. The approach that exists presently is thematically suited to the park, but does not maximize the creative potential of these amazing creatures. Dinosaur the ride does a nice job, but I'd love to see the land fleshed out further with more things like it - lots of Dino encounters, and something suitable for people - children and adults alike - who would flip to see a "real dinosaur" are not suited for the EMV ride. How to make sense of that within the mission of the park is a bit of a bigger question, but surely a Dinosaur-themed land deserves an improved presence in Animal Kingdom and not a diminished one.

 

[peter11435]

Yes, but it is natural, not caused by captivity.

And that's where things get complicated. Obviously there can be complications to captivity and in some facilities mistreatment, but deciding what is and is not caused by captivity can get very cloudy depending on which side you are on.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

I've said it years ago to family and friends- DAK needs a family friendly dino ride. Little kids should be able to experience dinosaurs in an environment and vehicle suitable to their young age. DINOSAUR is not it. It's good, but it is not it.

 

[dennis-in-ct]

I think the story wouldn't be about Indy digging for dinosaur bones but rather that he stumbled upon a lost civilization in a South American jungle where dinosaurs haven't gone extinct yet. An Indiana Jones adventure through a dinosaur filled rain forest fits Animal Kingdom just as easily as Kali River Rapids (and its dumbed down deforestation backstory).

When I read this article
https://orlandoinformer.com/blog/indiana-jones-land-animal-kingdom/

I thought Indy would be nice but not at the expense of the dinosaurs. To me, it is crucial to keep a dinosaur aspect of the park.

What you proposed would make perfect sense and work really well.

I remember riding countdown to extinction when it first opened and later when it was changed to Dinosaur. When all the effects are working and everything is timed well, the ride is terrifying. The Indy ride might be a little more family friendly "Fun House" than Dino's "scare house"

I also thought the point of IPs was interesting in the article. Said that Avatar has had little impact on attendance. When will disney see they are pricing out their core audience and people who are willing and want to go are saying "no more". I am part of that crowd. I know the entertainment value I got from late 80's to early 2000 and at this point I would be paying 400% more for essentially all the same experiences.

I am gravitating more to Universal. I really enjoyed my visit last year. It was fun and relaxing. If I felt like going on an attraction we wandered over and rode it as compared to the over aggressive planning. I really don't want to deal with an outlook planner while on vacation. I do not know if I want a Chinese food meal six months from now on a Wednesday.

Disney's experiences are better themed but the conditions Disney sets in order to visit just sucks the overall joy out of the time.

They need to stop jacking up their prices - people have had enough. Keep it up. It is harder to regain a customer than it is to retain and existing one and they have pushed too many previous loyal guest over the edge to the point of no return.

Another example.... men's razor blades. I was a schick fan of the pro glide. The Costco package of ten blades was 32 bucks. It was slowly raised to 53. Well- I bought Harry's blades at target. Costco now has the Schick blades for 43. At this point I would NOT go back just on principle. I do not like feeling ripped off. And Disney has made me feel just so. Last year's visit sitting at Epoct's future world felt like an abandoned 80's mall. So bad. DHS had three attractions and they still charge full price ? Disgusting.

Well - if Disney reworks all these parks I can see myself making a visit for the 50th depending on the price. But this is from a customer who would go 2 to 3 times a year for many many years. Maybe all this reinvestment will regain a little of my business again. They need to do better.

 

[WDWTank]

Who in the flipping Earth thinks Indy fits in Animal Kingdom?! It doesn't! And this Chapek guy, I wonder if he's on drugs, decisions like this are below the intelligence of a 1-year-old

 

[The Visionary Soul]

So, just as an update. No one, not one person, has come to me to confirm that this is a real thing that is being planned. This usually means one of a few things:

Either

• This project is spur of the moment, and that means it is imminent, most likely a knee-jerk response to Pandora making Animal Kingdom one-sided. Bob Chapek at his best. It would be happening so quickly that no one wants to talk about it for fear of losing their job. If this is the case, we would know very quickly, by December even, if it will happen.
• This project is completely made up and is a product of the internet repeatedly quoting itself. That said, I feel like we'd be able to find the original rumor if that was the case, and I haven't found it yet on any site.
• The project is a brand new proposal and so few people know about it that most "sources" really are just still in the dark. You see, each park has an options list of things that could be built or implemented in the future. These lists are prepared to show Disney executives. The executives then choose items out of the list almost like you order dinner at a restaurant. The only difference is that this "menu" has times attached on when your "dinner" will be ready. Some dinners can open a year from now, some take 5 years. The projects on these menu timelines are usually 50-80% ready to go. They have estimated budgets, they have locations in mind, and the plans are usually rock solid. If a project makes it on to one of these lists, it usually happens, but because these lists can be pretty long, we may not see what happens until 5 or even 10 years down the road. If this Indy project made it on to a list, its brand new and will take a long time to see the light of day, if it ever does.

Those are the three most likely scenarios.

Hopefully it's not just the internet repeatedly quoting itself, but right now that's just as possible as it being a legitimate project. I'll keep you informed in the future if I hear anything new, but until then, take this one with a grain of salt. (Though I'd still get my rides in on Dinosaur sooner rather than later, because anyone will be able to tell you that ride needs some TLC)

 

[Phineas]

"she talks in her sleep."

"She talksh in her shleep."

There you go.

Edit: Awww man, @larryz beat me to it!

 

[RobbinsDad]

I love how people are shocked this is an option. Please try to re-frame, and understand that this, and all WDW parks, are now considered extensions of the Magic Kingdom. Magical Kingdom of the Animals. That should help you cope.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Most DID say Indy... in a recent poll, Four out of five agreed Indy was superior to Dinos.

Is public opinion really relevant to these discussions? Walt Disney could have built a nice amusement park, like the Mickey Mouse Park, but he built something new in Disneyland that guests didn't know they wanted. What people say they want isn't necessarily what they really want.

Just because Chappie makes decisions like an armchair imagineer doesn't mean that's what set Disney apart from competitors and the status quo.

 

[RobbinsDad]

I think the story wouldn't be about Indy digging for dinosaur bones but rather that he stumbled upon a lost civilization in a South American jungle where dinosaurs haven't gone extinct yet. An Indiana Jones adventure through a dinosaur filled rain forest fits Animal Kingdom just as easily as Kali River Rapids (and its dumbed down deforestation backstory).

I'm shocked KRR hasn't been marked for overlay yet. A Jungle Book-themed rapids seems like such a no-brainer in the world of ubiquitous IP.

 

[MisterPenguin]

It would not shock me that animals have died. It shouldn't shock anyone. Animals die.

You know there's injury stress and disease in the wild too right?

Yes, but it is natural, not caused by captivity.

To keep this back on topic, I believe that there will be a shift from many live animals in captivity to just a few at DAK, and Indy will fit in fine with these changes.

Obviously, animals can be and have been mistreated in captivity. I would highly, highly, highly doubt that there's mistreatment of animals at AK except by the rogue employee who eventually gets fired for it.

Now, is simply being in captivity mistreatment? Compared to what? Constantly being hunted by predators? Going long periods without food? Getting hurt or illnesses with no treatment?

The "Wild" is a horrible, horrible place. It is not a paradise for animals. The idea that "natural" is better in the sense it is "less stressful" is ludicrous. Just watch a nature documentary. For every spectacular slo-mo takedown of prey... you have an animal mauled to death. For every prey animal that escapes, you have a predator going hungry. Even watch Disney's latest "Born in China" in which...

Spoiler: Bad things happen.

One of the stars, a Chinese bobcat is driven from her territory and in desperation for food attacks a herd animal being defended by an adult and is gored and dies leaving her young to fend for themselves. The movie doesn't go there, but, in likelihood, they die of hunger.

So, if PETA and animal activists want to hasten the demise of AK's caretaking of animals because "captivity is not natural and stresses the animals", I might be motivated to counter-protest.

 

[RobbinsDad]

"She talksh in her shleep."

Knock Knock.
Who's There?
Dishes
Dishes Who?





Disheshean Connery!

 

[fractal]

In the next Indian Jones movie, Indy travels back in time - or better yet; discovers an uncharted land filled with prehistoric animals.

Problem solved.

 

[beertiki]

I doubt there are any rogue employees harming animals. The injuries and disease are generally caused by overcrowding, enclosure design, enclosure size, and the stress of captivity. Captivity itself is not always the issue, some animals do live long healthy lives, and reproduce, and some species have never been successfully kept in captivity.

For millions of years nature has been a wild and horrible place. I am a firm believer in Darwin and survival of the fittest. For many humans life is a struggle, but I doubt anyone would trade that struggle and stress for a life in prison with 3 meals and medical care.

To still try and keep this on track, I believe that there will still be animals at DAK, but they will be ones that are best suited to life in captivity. For Indy, gators and snakes are perfect, and both do very well in captivity. A bonus would be education on invasive pythons in Florida.

 

[asianway]

You have a severe mental illness if you think Disney mistreats its animals at DAK. Why don't you crawl back to your cave on Tumblr with the rest of the pathetic PETA freaks.

You and I will live to see a day with no zoos.

I personally think thats ridiculous, but its the way this country is going.

 

[Suspirian]

You have a severe mental illness if you think Disney mistreats its animals at DAK. Why don't you crawl back to your cave on Tumblr with the rest of the pathetic PETA freaks.

a bit much but ok

 

[beertiki]

You have a severe mental illness if you think Disney mistreats its animals at DAK. Why don't you crawl back to your cave on Tumblr with the rest of the pathetic PETA freaks.

No Tumblr, and not a PETA supporter. I am just a marine scientist who has seen a lot of things behind the scenes that the public has no knowledge about. Keeping exotic animals in captivity involves a lot of money and there is a lot of mortality. I never said any animal was mistreated, just that some do not adjust well to life in captivity. You can have all the best intentions, the right food, and the best medical care, and the animal just won't eat. You try everything, even tube feeding, still you end up in the back of a pick up doing mouth to nose CPR on a sea turtle on the way to the animal hospital. Then you cry later. No mistreatment, no real answer why, just some animal did not adjust to life in captivity. I am sure many employees at DAK have similar stories, and they really do care for the animals, but death, and lots of it, are just a fact of life when dealing with animals in captivity.

So, now I have a severe mental illness. How about this. If you don't have any experience in animal husbandry at a zoo or aquarium as an employee, shut up. You have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

It really is unfortunate. I remember how exciting it was (and still is) to visit the zoo and I hate seeing how our culture has shifted to be anti-zoo (and thereby anti-animal education). Oh well, at least I can teach my future kids about animals through YouTube videos

Call me skeptical of that being our future. There's room for what, for a lack of better term, could be considered "Whole Foods Zoos". These zoos would operate at a much higher level of care and thoughtfulness than current facilites, but there will be considerably fewer of them and more expensive entry prices than most normal zoos and aquariums save DAK. That's really where the market wants the zoos to be, a place where people don't feel guilty about visiting them. That could be DAK's future if the company had courage and a unified vision and organization behind its animal conservation and education efforts.

 

[jt04]

In the next Indian Jones movie, Indy travels back in time - or better yet; discovers an uncharted land filled with prehistoric animals.

Problem solved.

Considering they did aliens and crystal skulls I think it is a real possibility.

 

[peter11435]

but death, and lots of it, are just a fact of life when dealing with animals