So...about that big dead elephant in the room....

[Matt_Black]

I am usually up for a little shock to get a point across, but murdered elephant carcasses are a little much for what WDW is all about. ...safe fun family friendly entertainment.

No carcasses. <--- two words that succinctly sum up opinion.

Yeah, there's something to be said for subtlety. A big dead elephant ain't subtle. The death of Bambi's mother is an incredibly powerful moment in the film, and the whole thing happens off-screen (it almost didn't happen off-screen, but that's neither here nor there).

 

[ChrisFL]

The problem with the message, IMO, is that the average tourist won't be able to do much about poaching in Africa on their own, so it was kind of over-the-top in that regard, to me.

 

[Bairstow]

Most guests at this park were expecting the Jungle Cruise, not Blood Diamond.

 

[jloucks]

Most guests at this park were expecting the Jungle Cruise, not Blood Diamond.

Extremely lose correlation, but still made me lol.

 

[Phineas]

Putting a shock scene like that in a Disney ride is a terrible idea.

It reminds me of that movie Happy Feet, where the moral of the story quickly went from "Just be yourself! March to the beat of a different drum! Celebrate diversity!" to "WE SHOULD STOP HARVESTING WHERE PENGUINS LIVE, OH GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE". It was enough to give you whiplash.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Ok I do agree with this. But the poacher chase sequence made the ride fun. You know, like rides are supposed to be fun.

Oh I had no problem with the poacher chase part, I agree it made the ride exciting. I didnt think the sight of a dead elephant would be necessary to get their point across. I dont think there were guests that thought elephant poaching was a good thing so they needed to add that in the ride as added shock factor to change peoples minds.

 

[jakeman]

Do they run the safari vehicles in storms? I know they're fairly well insulated, what with their tires, but I can't recall ever riding them during the rain.

Never been out on one during a storm so I do not really know.

@jakeman would know.

Yes. They run in all weather. Some of the best safaris are in the rain. I highly recommend going on when it is storming. The animals love the chance to cool off in the afternoon.

The only poacher I recall was the one driving the jeep. I do not remember if it moved or did not, but if it did, it was fairly limited...think rain forest cafe AA at best.

The ranger that was holding them at gunpoint was a CM.

Poachers were not AAs. The warden was in the plane in the back and his arm moved up and down.

Ranger was a CM. Originally, it was a separate "land" position that you were assigned for a full day as a break from driving. You rotated with 4-5 other wardens to man the poacher scene and the two unload docks.

 

[Bairstow]

Ranger was a CM. Originally, it was a separate "land" position that you were assigned for a full day as a break from driving. You rotated with 4-5 other wardens to man the poacher scene and the two unload docks.

As I recall, the ranger's gun was pretty gnarly- some kind of spoterized AK variant, right?

 

[Goofyernmost]

If I remember correctly, the first time I saw it, we were still going after the poachers, but it ended with Lil Red being rescued by the rangers and you saw him standing in the back of a truck (butt only). Might have had his face blown off for all I know. But, I didn't see that, so it didn't happen.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Yeah, there's something to be said for subtlety. A big dead elephant ain't subtle. The death of Bambi's mother is an incredibly powerful moment in the film, and the whole thing happens off-screen (it almost didn't happen off-screen, but that's neither here nor there).

Well, it didn't really happen, the artist just "stopped drawing the deer". Chandler Bing (Friends)

 

[jakeman]

As I recall, the ranger's gun was pretty gnarly- some kind of spoterized AK variant, right?

It was a hard rubber prop, but yes, it was an AK-47. That was the first detail to fall after 9/11. Trying to be less violent the poachers were captured with a walkie-talkie.

If I remember correctly, the first time I saw it, we were still going after the poachers, but it ended with Lil Red being rescued by the rangers and you saw him standing in the back of a truck (butt only). Might have had his face blown off for all I know. But, I didn't see that, so it didn't happen.

I don't remember if he could be turned around or not. I know the flaps could be closed on the truck. They were closed for about a month while he had a new face made.

 

[Matt_Black]

It was a hard rubber prop, but yes, it was an AK-47. That was the first detail to fall after 9/11.

Oy.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I don't remember if he could be turned around or not. I know the flaps could be closed on the truck. They were closed for about a month while he had a new face made.

Lil Red had a short and tough life didn't he?

 

[jakeman]

Lil Red had a short and tough life didn't he?

Yep, struck by lightning, hunted by poachers, slapped by bored wardens, and his mom died every 2 minutes for 8 hours a day.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

Well, to be fair it does help show what is going on in the world. Yeah, people don't want to see it, but it would help raise awareness. But of course I understand why they had to remove it, doesn't really fit in with the rest of the vibe of WDW.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Well, to be fair it does help show what is going on in the world. Yeah, people don't want to see it, but it would help raise awareness. But of course I understand why they had to remove it, doesn't really fit in with the rest of the vibe of WDW.

Which, like it or not, was one of the main themes at DAK. Animals and the environment. It was the intent with that story and Kali Rapids to show that not all is rosy in the world of nature. An important message was left out for the sake of emotional denial.

I don't understand how the movies and stories of Walt Disney that contained, in just about every presentation, some type of tragic happening ever got as popular since it didn't spare sad feelings in them. No wonder my generation grew up scarred.

 

[MarkTwain]

Disney attractions are no stranger to having the occasional morbid touch.

The problem with that scene in the Safaris is, as others have noted:

1. It wasn't subtle.
2. There was no way to play it off as "amusing".
3. No family would know to expect it.

Pirates of the Caribbean (especially at Disneyland) has plenty of skeletons throughout the ride on full display, but their shock value is muted slightly by how amusing they are. The way they are arranged or posed gives it a sense of comic relief, or at least of fantasy.

Haunted Mansion has even more morbid humor and "dark" moments, but most families here know to expect it. If the wolf howling outside wasn't clue enough, the attraction has "Haunted" in its name. And again, the scenes themselves have a sense of being amusing.

Rides like Mr. Toad's or Pinocchio's at Disneyland have some dark implications as well, but in this case they're fairly subtle, and you have to have an adult understanding of the world to truly appreciate what's going on. Kids can still enjoy them.

The dead elephant wasn't amusing, it was just disturbing and heavy-handed. No family would know to expect that on a ride where they were expecting to just see some animals, and didn't have adequate information in advance as to whether that part of the ride was something they'd want their toddler to see.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

Which, like it or not, was one of the main themes at DAK. Animals and the environment. It was the intent with that story and Kali Rapids to show that not all is rosy in the world of nature. An important message was left out for the sake of emotional denial.

I don't understand how the movies and stories of Walt Disney that contained, in just about every presentation, some type of tragic happening ever got as popular since it didn't spare sad feelings in them. No wonder my generation grew up scarred.

I'm actually more disappointed that the park never followed through with its fantasy animal plan. They already have a dragon in their logo. I know it has nothing to do with awareness or anything, but fantasy is a timeless theme they could have played with, instead of Avatar which is an already faded fad.

 

[216bruce]

You know, it is what some people do to eggs. I mean, "Duh".

Yeah, there's other rides named after other egg preparations too.

 

[Bairstow]

I'm actually more disappointed that the park never followed through with its fantasy animal plan. They already have a dragon in their logo. I know it has nothing to do with awareness or anything, but fantasy is a timeless theme they could have played with, instead of Avatar which is an already faded fad.

I would have preferred Australia, myself.