New Addition's To Disney's Animal Kingdom

[RSoxNo1]

I agree...they could even enclose the coasters and add better visuals and theming, scrap the roadside attraction look and just do a beautiful "Dinosaur Garden" area of attractions...still retaining the theming of the adjacent gift shop with crazy Route 66 vintage detailing... remove the games of chance, re-landscape the area, re-dress the spinner to tone it down, Hide the Primeval Whirl coaster show building behind rock cliffs and waterfalls a-la-Carsland, add a couple beautifully themed quick service carts, repaint the giant dino to look a little less cartoony, and I think it would be a better fit, The Primeval Whirl as a dark ride coaster would be a lot more fun, the area would be really beautiful more closely matching the DAK aesthetic...

Dinorama should be leveled entirely. If they insist on keeping that roadside carnival aesthetic, then at the very least, Primeval Whirl needs to be removed in favor of a family friendly dark ride. Ideally a trackless one.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I know. Pandora looks stunning. I was just hopeful that a childhood favorite of Captain Nemo would make its way back to WDW in some form.

What I'd like to see is the underwater simulation component of 20K Leagues under the sea from Mysterious Island used in either Epcot or Disney's Animal Kingdom. If the Seas are staying in Epcot, I'd love to see something about the exploration of the Marianas Trench. Alternatively, I could see that as a C/D-ticket in an Oceania/Australia area of DAK.

 

[marni1971]

Would that be the KUKA motorbike attraction?

A derivative of yes.

 

[mwils8]

Agreed with everyone who has said Dinoland should remain Dinosaur-themed. I liked the notion of tying it to more of an exploration theme. Could find a way to tie it into SEA. A set of explorers who stumble upon a preserved jungle that houses real life dinosaurs, or something along those lines, could be fun.

I think a Jungle Book dark ride in Asia would work quite well - my immediate thought was to do King Louie's temple as a spin on Mystic Manor. The exterior would fit in well with the existing aesthetic in Asia, the interior would have a lot of kinetic elements with the monkeys with cameos from the other characters. Follow the live action movie so it maintains the realism of the park.

 

[csmat99]

Just how it was explained to me. Though let me reiterate this is long term blue sky planning.

Marni - any chance this could but out of box thinking I bringing aquatic element to AK? Would be perfect compliment to rest of park and over 71 % earth covered in water so hard to have Animal park and not have that represented. With living with the seas falling apart and Sea World going in the dumpster because of protests would be perfect opportunity to take advantage. And if a coaster is coming would be themed to integrate with marine life and wouldn't spook them like it would if regular land animals.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Agreed with everyone who has said Dinoland should remain Dinosaur-themed. I liked the notion of tying it to more of an exploration theme. Could find a way to tie it into SEA. A set of explorers who stumble upon a preserved jungle that houses real life dinosaurs, or something along those lines, could be fun.

I think a Jungle Book dark ride in Asia would work quite well - my immediate thought was to do King Louie's temple as a spin on Mystic Manor. The exterior would fit in well with the existing aesthetic in Asia, the interior would have a lot of kinetic elements with the monkeys with cameos from the other characters. Follow the live action movie so it maintains the realism of the park.

The idea of retheming Dinoland around S.E.A. is a great idea! Of all the parks, I think DAK is a perfect fit for the fictitious S.E.A's mission statement. It pairs well with the park's already founded message of conservation. Not for nothing but shouldn't S.E.A. be a Disney show by now?! Anyway. Something along the lines of becoming honorary society members or twist on the story where S.E.A. was forced to cast out a member of the society for poaching; that would work well. Their discover of a hidden land where Dinosaurs still roam is a very compelling, workable retheme.

Seeing as how S.E.A. acts a "catch-all" for themed lands and because it provides parkgoers with a face and backstory to the Jules Vernian stories; a Journey to the Center of the Earth or Mysterious Island concept could also work. That would be fun!

Re: Jungle Book. I agree! Seems odd that this IP has yet to find a home in a park dedicated to animals. Although given it's titular name; I think a "book come to life" darkride would be better than a push to place it in Asia, etc so long as it's not a book-report or direct copy of the movie. I like the idea of incorporating the King Louie temple. For some armchair imagineering what if they took that concept further and instead tell the story from King Louie's point of view, idk. I do hope DAK eventually get's a Jungle Book ride. It's such an obvious IP.

Unrelated; I hope in time Disney will also tweak Kali. It's underwhelming and now under-themed.

 

[marni1971]

Marni - any chance this could but out of box thinking I bringing aquatic element to AK?.

I have no idea.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I think the treatment of Avatar in Disney's Animal Kingdom is exactly how it should have been done. There is a treatment related to Zootopia that would work for Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Nope. Besides Zootopia taking place in a city of animals, anthropomorphized ones at that, it doesn't have a strong connection to the themes of DAK. Honestly, I would take a Zootopia land in DHS over one in DAK.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Nope. Besides Zootopia taking place in a city of animals, anthropomorphized ones at that, it doesn't have a strong connection to the themes of DAK. Honestly, I would take a Zootopia land in DHS over one in DAK.

I could see the characters used to tell a DAK appropriate story and be anchors to a children friendly area. The problem so many people associate with translating a movie to a theme park attraction is that they assume everything will be a book report ride. If they want to put a book report ride of Zootopia in Disney's Animal Kingdom that makes a lot less sense.

I think properly using movie based IPs is going to continue to be the crux of most of our discussions on here because IP based attractions are en vogue right now. I call to a post that @britain made in the UK Pavilion thread:

Tony Baxter once said on the Season Pass Podcast that he felt that the 'Castle Parks' are supposed to "take the magical, and make it real". And he said that EPCOT is supposed to "take the real, and make it magical." And the studios were, obviously, about "how the magic is made." I don't think he mentioned AK.

He said that you could theoretically put any IP into any park as long as you remained true to that. As an example, he said Indiana Jones, at the studios, is a stunt show demonstrating how an Indy movie was made. At Disneyland, the whole fantastical adventure is 'made real' and you are in the ancient temple with Indy.

Now here's the kicker:

He said you could put Indy in EPCOT as long as he was serving the purpose making the real magical. Use Indiana Jones to educate about actual archeological history in Mexico, perhaps. Or do something about real cultures, framed with an Indiana Jones lens.

I don't think that would be exactly what the public really wants out of Indy, and now the studio is shedding the "magic making" in favor of more "magic made real".

So, I think you could apply this reasoning to Poppins in the UK. But again, I don't quite think it would be what the people want out of a Poppins attraction.

 

[PiratesoftheHM]

Anyone who thinks Zootopia belongs in DAK clearly did not understand the message of the film. It has nothing to do with nature, environmentalism, animals or any of the "missions of DAK" that Rhode toted in the Pandora videos. It's a great film with a well-deserved Oscar but it is about social and racial discrimination, judgement, etc. The characters are animals, yes, but it's all a big allegory for discrimination and prejudice in our modern world. It does not fit DAK at all.

Pandora features imaginary animals, one of the three pillars of DAK, and the film Avatar is about conservation, biocolonialism, environmentalism etc so it definitely fits much more than a film about social issues.



This scene is an embodiment of the message of the film. Please tell me how this relates to anything in DAK.

 

[MisterPenguin]

For anyone who doesn't think the anthropomorphic animal of Zootopia doesn't belong in AK, would you sign my petition to keep Mickey and friends out of AK?

 

[PiratesoftheHM]

For anyone who doesn't think the anthropomorphic animal of Zootopia doesn't belong in AK, would you sign my petition to keep Mickey and friends out of AK?

A meet and greet with the Fab 5 is in no way comparable to a major Zootopia land or attraction.

 

[MisterPenguin]

A meet and greet with the Fab 5 is in no way comparable to a major Zootopia land or attraction.

It is comparable, because I just compared them. QED

 

[Jones14]

Yes. The area to the immediate south was meant to take the headline attraction and is still available.

If the motorbike attraction would have come to pass, would we still have gotten Flight of Passage? Or would it have been that and the River Journey?

 

[marni1971]

If the motorbike attraction would have come to pass, would we still have gotten Flight of Passage? Or would it have been that and the River Journey?

It would have been a third attraction. The lands headliner.

 

[Kman101]

But wouldn't the bike coaster serve almost the same purpose as the simulator? I really am not lamenting the loss of the coaster. But that's me lol

 

[cjkeating]

But wouldn't the bike coaster serve almost the same purpose as the simulator? I really am not lamenting the loss of the coaster. But that's me lol

I agree. Without knowing more I don't understand how it would have set itself apart from Flight of Passage.

 

[Bocabear]

I agree. Without knowing more I don't understand how it would have set itself apart from Flight of Passage.

Can you tell the difference between Star Tours and Space Mountain?

 

[KrazyKat]

It would have been a third attraction. The lands headliner.

 

[Kman101]

Can you tell the difference between Star Tours and Space Mountain?

That's different ... but I know what you're trying to say. Those two rides don't accomplish the same thing. The bike coaster and flight of passage likely would have.