What’s next for Animal Kingdom?

[UNCgolf]

I guess it might be a bit redundant for most of us, but I would love to see a land based on North America. I love the Rocky Mountain wilderness of the US and Canada. Probably not as diverse fauna as Africa or Asia, but you could have grizzly bears, wolves, moose, bald eagles...

I think that would be incongruous with the rest of the park. I also think it would be hard to pull off effectively (and they already have Expedition Everest as a huge fake mountain); much harder than the jungle vibe that exists in the rest of the park.

I'd still vastly prefer that to something like Zootopia, of course.

 

[bryanfze55]

I think that would be incongruous with the rest of the park. I also think it would be hard to pull off effectively (and they already have Expedition Everest as a huge fake mountain); much harder than the jungle vibe that exists in the rest of the park.

I'd still vastly prefer that to something like Zootopia, of course.

Yeah you’re probably right. It probably wouldn’t mesh well with the rest of the park. I was thinking of Grizzly Peak at California Adventure as a frame of reference. If you’ve ever been there - it’s a really well done land. One of Disney’s best IMO. But it’s a romanticized version of the Californian wilderness whereas Asia and Africa at AK are based on gritty realism.

 

[5thGenTexan]

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I like Rafiki's, especially now that they have the animation academy over there. There's also a petting zoo for kids. Beyond that, though, it's just a peaceful place to go and get away from the crowds. Relaxing little train ride there and back and it's not busy.

Regardless, they almost certainly won't replace it because it's where all the veterinary facilities are. I think it's more likely it would just be closed to visitors and be a backstage area for the vets/animal care than have it torn down and replaced with anything else.

My only complaint is there is nothing to see on the train ride. Such a wasteful opportunity. Maybe they can steal from Harry Potters idea and have fake windows lol.

 

[UNCgolf]

My only complaint is there is nothing to see on the train ride. Such a wasteful opportunity. Maybe they can steal from Harry Potters idea and have fake windows lol.

The train ride is bizarre. On the way up you see the backstage animal holding areas, and on the way back there's a small fake tree hut village thing. It's like at the very end of construction they decided to try to do some random theming but didn't incorporate it throughout the whole ride so it just randomly appears out of the blue. They should have done something consistent throughout the whole ride, whether it be themed areas or backstage information.

 

[DisneyTalks]

They should remove Dinoland, and put something there that doesn’t look cheap.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

But it’s a romanticized version of the Californian wilderness whereas Asia and Africa at AK are based on gritty realism.

While I really like AK in general, that last comment is kind of ironic considering the utter un-realism of the Pandora land. I'm not saying I don't like Pandora. I haven't even seen it in person, but like the movie. Just saying it's anything but realism as far as we know.

They should remove Dinoland, and put something there that doesn’t look cheap.

I completely agree that Dinoland was NOT executed well. It's got too much of a carni feel to it excluding Dinosaur. I love the concept of Dinoland, but they really need to raise their game and make it more like Jurassic Park. Leave the ride Dinosaur, gut the rest and start over.

 

[Goofy213]

The main problem with Dinoland is that it will always be compared to Jurassic Park. With Universal upgrading JP with a new coaster, Disney might as well retheme Dinoland to something else. As I said before Australia or South America are not bad ideas, as long as you can incorporate Dinosaur into them somehow. As for Rafiki's, I thought the same thing, this is the parks animal care facility, you can't lose that. Why not retheme the train ride over and guest areas to Zootopia? If you want the IP in the park there is no better place. It's in the back, out of the way, and scarcely visited. Plus if it does take off in popularity there is room for expansion.

 

[UNCgolf]

The main problem with Dinoland is that it will always be compared to Jurassic Park. With Universal upgrading JP with a new coaster, Disney might as well retheme Dinoland to something else. As I said before Australia or South America are not bad ideas, as long as you can incorporate Dinosaur into them somehow. As for Rafiki's, I thought the same thing, this is the parks animal care facility, you can't lose that. Why not retheme the train ride over and guest areas to Zootopia? If you want the IP in the park there is no better place. It's in the back, out of the way, and scarcely visited. Plus if it does take off in popularity there is room for expansion.

Someone has mentioned this before, but I don't think that's a good idea. Even ignoring the fact that I don't think Zootopia belongs in Animal Kingdom at all, trying to retheme Rafiki's (and/or expanding it) into anything that would dramatically increase the popularity is a disaster waiting to happen because that area (especially the train) doesn't have the capacity to handle a huge influx of people.

It's something that could be done way down the line if they expand the park and have a way to walk there full of other things to do (which Martin mentioned as the original build out plan), but I don't think it's really an option at the moment because of the limitations on getting people to/from the area.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I completely agree that Dinoland was NOT executed well. It's got too much of a carni feel to it excluding Dinosaur. I love the concept of Dinoland, but they really need to raise their game and make it more like Jurassic Park. Leave the ride Dinosaur, gut the rest and start over.

That's exactly what they don't need to do, IMO. Don't evoke Jurassic Park. That's the other guys. If anything, they just need to flesh out the original premise a little better (I agree it isn't executed well) or gut it for an entirely new concept. I'd like:

A) Push the cheesiness to the extreme to appear more purposeful. The current vibe is more "Six Flags-ish" when it should really just be a dumpy roadside carnival tourist trap. Bring back The Excavator coaster plans. Rework Dinorama to look less pristine, throw in some self-deprecation and a revised backstory and Dinoland USA could be much better. Oh... and lose Chester and Hester. In it's place maybe a bus bar-style dark ride.

B) Alternatively and possibly more ambitious, WDI could reimagine the land as something straight out of a Jules Verne novel. Borrowing attraction ideas from The Mysterious Island, Twenty Thousand Leagues and A Journey to the Center of the Earth. S.E.A. tie-in?

C) Australia (The Rescuers: Down Under darkride, Nemo - Crush Coaster, Jump'n Jellyfish, Disney Nature tie-in)

Per the original discussion: Fix Dinoland USA before adding more to DAK!

 

[UNCgolf]

B) Alternatively and possibly more ambitious, WDI could reimagine the land as something straight out of a Jules Verne novel. Borrowing attraction ideas from The Mysterious Island, Twenty Thousand Leagues and A Journey to the Center of the Earth. S.E.A. tie-in?

I like this, but taking inspiration from the Lost World (the Arthur Conan Doyle book; not the Jurassic Park sequel) would be even better. Then you could have a South America area with South American animals while also making room for dinosaurs on the hidden plateau.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

That's exactly what they don't need to do, IMO. Don't evoke Jurassic Park. That's the other guys. If anything, they just need to flesh out the original premise a little better (I agree it isn't executed well) or gut it for an entirely new concept. I'd like:

A) Push the cheesiness to the extreme to appear more purposeful. The current vibe is more "Six Flags-ish" when it should really just be a dumpy roadside carnival tourist trap. Bring back The Excavator coaster plans. Rework Dinorama to look less pristine, throw in some self-deprecation and a revised backstory and Dinoland USA could be much better. Oh... and lose Chester and Hester. In it's place maybe a bus bar-style dark ride.

I guess I didn't make it clear. I didn't mean to use the IP of Jurassic. I just meant to make it more refined like the park in the movie, but not trying to replicate the IP. It's currently too carni or too much like Six Flags as you point out. It seems to be catered to the 5 year old age group. I think it needs to be lifted to the 13+ year old age group where it's not so silly. That way a larger group of the population could enjoy it.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I guess I didn't make it clear. I didn't mean to use the IP of Jurassic. I just meant to make it more refined like the park in the movie, but not trying to replicate the IP. It's currently too carni or too much like Six Flags as you point out. It seems to be catered to the 5 year old age group. I think it needs to be lifted to the 13+ year old age group where it's not so silly. That way a larger group of the population could enjoy it.

Ya know...Disney owns Marvel now, and I don't think there is any connection to the Savage Land at Universal. I can see them working I'm something related...or oh...Conan the Barbarian!

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I guess I didn't make it clear. I didn't mean to use the IP of Jurassic. I just meant to make it more refined like the park in the movie, but not trying to replicate the IP. It's currently too carni or too much like Six Flags as you point out. It seems to be catered to the 5 year old age group. I think it needs to be lifted to the 13+ year old age group where it's not so silly. That way a larger group of the population could enjoy it.

It sounds like your lumping the Carnival aesthetic with children age 5+. That aesthetic can work for EVERYONE if done right.

I'd rather not see a refined Dino park. It's too "been there done that", IMO. I'd rather see a junky, derelict-looking, rundown Tourist Trap. It would be evocative and unique. Any other dino-overlay would just be taken at face value as being another Jurassic Park. (IP or otherwise) I think they had the right idea initially they just didn't push the envelop enough.

 

[UNCgolf]

It sounds like your lumping the Carnival aesthetic with children age 5+. That aesthetic can work for EVERYONE if done right.

I'd rather not see a refined Dino park. It's too "been there done that", IMO. I'd rather see a junky, derelict-looking, rundown Tourist Trap. It would be evocative and unique. Any other dino-overlay would just be taken at face value as being another Jurassic Park. (IP or otherwise) I think they had the right idea initially they just didn't push the envelop enough.

I don't want that aesthetic in Disney, considering I can see it all over the place. It does nothing for me.

Even if I was okay with the general aesthetic, though, it's really jarring in Animal Kingdom and doesn't belong there. It doesn't fit with the rest of the park at all.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I don't want that aesthetic in Disney, considering I can see it all over the place. It does nothing for me.

Even if I was okay with the general aesthetic, though, it's really jarring in Animal Kingdom and doesn't belong there. It doesn't fit with the rest of the park at all.

What? Everything in the park is aged, weathered and worn. That's what makes it feel real. The jarring look of Dinoland USA is because it DOESN'T have any of that aesthetic.

 

[UNCgolf]

What? Everything in the park is aged, weathered and worn. That's what makes it feel real. The jarring look of Dinoland USA is because it DOESN'T have any of that aesthetic.

I don't mean the worn/aged aesthetic -- I mean the roadside tourist trap aspect. I really dislike that. A more weathered looking tourist trap wouldn't make it fit into Animal Kingdom any more, IMO.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I don't mean the worn/aged aesthetic -- I mean the roadside tourist trap aspect. I really dislike that. A more weathered looking tourist trap wouldn't make it fit into Animal Kingdom any more, IMO.

Come see the dinosaur statues constructed from junkyard scraps and while you're here hop on the Excavator Coaster. Tourist trap. We're just going to agree to disagree, I think.

 

[jensenrick]

Ya know...Disney owns Marvel now, and I don't think there is any connection to the Savage Land at Universal. I can see them working I'm something related...or oh...Conan the Barbarian!

I sure wouldn't mind a photo op with Conan the Barbarian!

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I sure wouldn't mind a photo op with Conan the Barbarian!

Would be awesome!