Redo dinoland

Brer Panther

Well-Known Member
This area of the park has long been a place we have always avoided. On our first visit we went through once and I saw there was nothing there worth our time other than the Dinosaur attraction. The only time I was interested in visiting it was when Lucky the Dinosaur made his all too brief appearance.

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IF a Beastly Kingdom was set up, even as a small representation of mythological things, it would do wonders for the area.
Whatever happened to Lucky, anyhow? Is he currently in storage or something?
 

Sandersfeld

Active Member
what if trying to keep to the theme of AK, transform DinoLand into a land about the Amazon Rain Forest,,you can take what you want to save from DinoLand (Dinosaur,Tricera Top Spin,Dino Diner) and move it between Pandora and Africa(seems to be room there) and add a meet and greet with Trixie and Rex,, in the Amazon you can add another water ride like Kali River(which is to short) or just one like splash mountain,add an Azteca like restaurant, a roller coaster where you sit in cars made up like Quetzalcoatl(colorful feathered cars) and zip thru the rain forest trees,could even add a little building featuring some of the amazon creatures (pirahna,anaconda,giant anteaters,capybara, ect)
 

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
I love Joe Rhode, but honestly, what the @#$% was he on when this idea was pulled??? I love the idea of dinosaurs (although really? Studios up the road has Jurassic Park IP) it could have been done so much better! My kids loved the dig/play area when they were younger. But that's about it. I feel like when I walk through it's to a disneyfied-white trash trailer park/carny show that makes me want to scour myself in Lysol! Here is a park that paid such beautiful attention to detail in all the other "regions" of the world and then you get over here and it's so tacky and disgusting! I'm not a huge fan of the Dinosaur ride as it really ends up hurting my neck (the Indy ride at DL doesn't seem to do that) but would love it they could make it a more realistic paleontology atmosphere (thinking of Dinosaur National Monument in Utah/Colo.)
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The loose intent behind the carnival was to evoke old dinosaur tourist traps with awkward looking statues you do see around Dinosaur National Monument or Petrified Forest and well beyond, like the ones that are nowhere near a dinosaur dig, but they did it in the most backwards way possible by making it a midway. And it's a shame too because a pastiche/homage of those dinosaur parks could really lend themselves to a charming family attraction like a deliberately fake looking prehistoric Jungle Cruise by way of that "Goofy About Roadtrips" attraction in the pre-Pixar plans for Car Land at DCA.
 

Giss Neric

Well-Known Member
The Raptor rollercoaster being built at Universal would fit very well in that area. I'm sure they can create more space there. Rollercoasters are cheap to build and it doesn't require that much theming aside from it's queue and surroundings as opposed to a dark ride. The excavator coaster rumor could be the best bet for what's next.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Whatever happened to Lucky, anyhow? Is he currently in storage or something?
From what I found he was used for some time in the Hong Kong park, then used by Disney Imagineers with Adventures by Disney. Theres been nothing reported for many years so maybe an insider has some clue as to where he sits now... or doesnt.
 

DisneyTalks

Active Member
Either turn it into Indiana Jones land or keep the same idea of dinosaurs but reimagine the whole thing. Knock down all the existing rides in that area and start from the ground up again
 

NiarrNDisney

Well-Known Member
Well I for one didn't mind the little carnival (I actually liked the games and Primeval Hurl) but closing the whole area now seems inevitable. Maybe its a good time to move the games over to the Boardwalk Resort or over by TSMM in DHS and possibly take TriceraTop Spin retheme it to Toy Story as the ride vehicles kind of remind me of Trixie. Add some other characters to the "Top" and give another little attraction to TSL. Now that those rides are removed bring in the Excavator roller coaster once envisioned for this area, utilize the rest of the space like the path from Nemo to Discovery Island for more animal interactions and or another small attraction. Retheme the small kiosks having them offer better food and make one an actual bar and call it a day.
 

Brer Panther

Well-Known Member
and possibly take TriceraTop Spin retheme it to Toy Story as the ride vehicles kind of remind me of Trixie.
I remember in one of the Imagineering books (a recent one that I think came out in 2010), there was a sketch for a Dumbo-esque ride for Walt Disney Studios Paris featuring Hamm-shaped ride vehicles with wings. It was called "When Pigs Fly!".

They could always just bring that idea back. Add more capacity to the park.
 

Marc Davis Fan

Well-Known Member
I know some people think the topic of this thread has already been beaten to death, and perhaps it has, but... Dino-Rama deserves a good beating.

Even if it's not replaced by anything, removing it would improve DAK. The park would no longer feature a jarring break from its otherwise-stunning unified aesthetic.

Now that DAK no longer "needs the capacity" (per the original purpose of Dino-Rama) as a result of EE and Pandora, they could even replace it with something similar to the fossil exhibit they had originally:

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...or a restaurant, or a store, or an extension of the Cretaceous Trail, or make that space the character central of DAK rather than spreading the characters throughout Dinoland via "Dino Bash"...

Most importantly (perhaps), Dino-Rama redirects guests AWAY from the land's main attraction, Dinosaur. As a result, many visitors don't even know Dinosaur exists, which is a ridiculous situation for an e-ticket. If they remove Dino-Rama, they can make some subtle pathway/signage changes to draw more guests toward Dinosaur - which would also help spread out crowds when they eventually return.
 
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Fox&Hound

Well-Known Member
I truly despise this whole area and agree that almost anything would be better. But knowing Disney it has to be tied to IP and I agree with @Magicart87 that Beastly Kingdom is not the answer. Maybe if Onward would have gotten more number you would see something mythical added (amazing movie but bad timing) or if The Good Dinosaur had been...good, then maybe there would have been a re-theme to that. I think the whole area is just a mess. The boneyard is awesome but it is a dig site with fossils, then you have time travel with the Dinoride, carnival games, and then the Nemo show (albeit well-done) that doesn't really fit either. Bulldoze the whole thing...but give us what instead?!?
 

NiarrNDisney

Well-Known Member
And if they decide to keep the dino theme, in addition to new attractions, why not move T-Rex from DS to the area? You would have a perfectly themed restaurant for the area, with american choices in food that even picky kids will enjoy...
And get rid of the Rainforest Cafe at the front of the park and either turn it into a new restaurant or use the space to develop the Oasis into more of a "land".
 

cookiee_munster

Well-Known Member
They could still do a version of Beastly Kingdom. They could mix Dinos with Dragons. A Dragon Coaster would be cool.

I think Duelling Dragons and The Lost Continent (At Universal) was pretty much their decision not to pursue it for a later phase for Animal Kingdom. I guess now that the whole of that area has become Pottered there's a miniscule chance the plans could be revised and the dragon coaster could come back. But it's highly doubtful. I still am absolutely shocked the park decided to retire Duelling Dragons...
 

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