Rumor WDW Rumor Tracker - Revenge of the Fifth (D23 2024 Prep Edition)

[Moth]

I can't find the post about the Safari being shrunk.

Now correctly linked.

 

[Advisable Joseph]

Yeah, that's a mislink I somehow messed up. Will try to find where it was posted or delete it if I can't next update.

If the new ride is cutting into the safari, would that make it a northern project?

Anyway, I wonder if this next post I found from 2017 about Disney moving away from the zoo concept could be useful context, although since then Disney has been putting Animal Kingdom zoo shows on Disney+, so maybe things have changed?

Let me begin by stating that I am not a Disney insider. I do not have the knowledge of members like @WDW1974 , @marni1971 , and @Magic Feather . I am a research psychologist that regularly attends and presents at conferences and meetings that are attended by animal scientists and comparative psychologists that work at Disney's Animal Kingdom and The Seas with Nemo and Friends (which is still referred to as The Living Seas at professional conferences). Over the past several years, I have studied play, including its purpose, how it is measured, and how it is comparable between humans and non-human animals. Because of this research program, I have had the opportunity to meet with two scientists and one imagineer.

These individuals have described Disney's Animal Kingdom as being "the red headed stepchild" of Disney Parks. Disney's Animal Kingdom is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Beyond animal care and management, accredited zoos and aquariums are to engage in rigorous conservation, research, and education programs. Although Disney has Disneynature and the Disney Conservation Fund, there is a significant disconnect between these arms of the company and Disney's Animal Kingdom park. Specifically, the animal scientists and conservation biologists are not heard.

Take Kilimanjaro Safaris for example. Zebras tend not to be aggressive. However, on the safari, they began displaying pack-like behavior and hunted other animals. Giraffes commonly fell because of the terrain. These are serious issues that do not have to be addressed on The Jungle Cruise. When Pandora was announced, significant concerns were raised regarding how lighting and noise could cause the animals stress. I am told that individuals outside of the animal science program neither understand these issues nor want to deal with them.

As recent as November 2016, I was told that animal programs would not be expanded at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Instead, over time, they would be reduced as the parked shifts from an AZA zoo to a jungle theme park. Instead of an Australia with kangaroos and koalas or South America with an Amazon rainforest, the direction is to use IPs like The Jungle Book, Indiana Jones, and Zootopia. Animals will continue to have a presence in the park, but the focus will not be inspiring through live animals.

The Oasis has several animal habitats, which continue to remain empty. Also, it is not always common to be met by someone from the animal science team that is showcasing an animal in that area. The reason for this, again from the people that I know, is because animal programming is not valued. Like Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom is going to change. However, unless you are entering the park seeking scientific discovery, you may not even notice what slowly disappears.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Anyway, I wonder if this next post I found from 2017 about Disney moving away from the zoo concept could be useful context, although since then Disney has been putting Animal Kingdom zoo shows on Disney+, so maybe things have changed?

Not an insider. Didn't come to pass, in fact, DAK has added animals since then, and some Tropical Americas animals are incoming.

 

[Moth]

Not an insider. Didn't come to pass, in fact, DAK has added animals since then, and some Tropical Americas animals are incoming.

Capybaras are gonna be so smart. I still don't expect jaguars though.

 

[Sneaky]

Capybaras are gonna be so smart. I still don't expect jaguars though.

They still should’ve done snakes near Indy.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Capybaras are gonna be so smart.

Capybaras are one of the dumbest animals. They make sheep look like Rhodes Scholars.

I'll be excited for capybaras only if they were being raised as food for the predators.

I still don't expect jaguars though.

Our insiders have said only a few non-predators were going to be introduced. So, yeah, no Jags.

 

[Moth]

Capybaras are one of the dumbest animals. They make sheep look like Rhodes Scholars.

I'll be excited for capybaras only if they were being raised as food for the predators.


Our insiders have said only a few non-predators were going to be introduced. So, yeah, no Jags.

Nooo, Capys are cute!!!

If it means anything, I got told Tapirs are happening also. An aviary-thing might be in the cards with toucans and macaws?

 

[Sneaky]

Nooo, Capys are cute!!!

If it means anything, I got told Tapirs are happening also. An aviary-thing might be in the cards with toucans and macaws?

Hopefully it’s more than one jolly Toucan’s, because two-can sound’s better than one Toucan (can)!
This is a very drawn out tiki room reference

 

[DCLcruiser]

Nooo, Capys are cute!!!

If it means anything, I got told Tapirs are happening also. An aviary-thing might be in the cards with toucans and macaws?

Don't they already have Tapirs?

 

[Moth]

Don't they already have Tapirs?

Do they? If they do then they'd probably be moved to Tropical Americas, makes the whole acquiring them part easier haha.

So they do have Tapir, but the Malayan Tapirs. These would be South American species.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Currently this is just words (and imo, studios isn't going to do this for AWHILE if it happens because of courtyard and launch bay needing to be fixed up), but there is an internal desire to bridge GE to Star Tours, but performance of GE has been lacking to where this is one of those things that keep being shuffled back.

Imo I'd keep an eye on how that Mando movie does.

As a reminder, I don't mind discussion on this thread, but I don't want to just be purely discussion, nor am I self-sourcing myself for rumors. The rumor mill outside of me digging stuff up has been slow, so just hang tight. This was just a special announcement.

Why are they so scared to do the Death Star, or anything from the OG trilogy? That’s what everyone wants.

 

[𝕴𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖗97]

Why are they so scared to do the Death Star, or anything from the OG trilogy? That’s what everyone wants.

Because they didn't make it.

 

[OptimusPrime]

Why are they so scared to do the Death Star, or anything from the OG trilogy? That’s what everyone wants.

Have you SEEN what the Death Star does? That thing is terrifying. I’d be scared of it too.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Why are they so scared to do the Death Star, or anything from the OG trilogy? That’s what everyone wants.

 

[Sneaky]

View attachment 801469

“Please lord vader, the land pavilion is a peaceful planet!”

 

[Sneaky]

View attachment 801469

Also, another peek in its power.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Why are they so scared to do the Death Star, or anything from the OG trilogy? That’s what everyone wants.

My hypothesis is that they don’t want to recast Luke, Han, or Leia for preshow/VO things. Audiences are so used to the original actors that recasting them will feel off. They could do the Rogue One/Mando effect, but I don’t think it will hold up to much scrutiny over time.

 

[FigmentJedi]

do we know if TWDC is legally required to keep at least one Muppets attraction in the parks?

With how they treat the characters, lolno. Only thing keeping Muppetvision alive is the "It was Jim's last project" factor giving it sacred cow status.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Why are they so scared to do the Death Star, or anything from the OG trilogy? That’s what everyone wants.

I think because that wouldn't be as flexible a space. They created a new planet, that they can create any story they want. In the future they could say that Luke visited Batuu in the past and bring out all Trilogy characters. Or, in the future they could develop new highly popular characters and put them in Batuu. It's a generic outpost. You can insert any characters that you want.

The Death Star forces (hmm) us into the Trilogy as

Spoiler: Spoiler

it doesn't survive past Ep.6.

Or you can change SGE into an entirely different place/IP at lot easier than the Death Star.

 

[OptimusPrime]

This is my board of predictions for D23.

At least one of these will be announced at Destination next year (my 2022 board has “Encanto or Indy replaces DinoLand” which came true a year later)