What’s next for Animal Kingdom?

L

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
bryanfze55 said:
It’s never had fireworks. It’s a park with wild animals. I think we can justifiably go easy on the pyro and loud “booms.”
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AK had fireworks (1) time only. In 1999, all the guests on NYE were directed to stand in the guest vehicle parking lot and then watched the short fireworks show. AK never had it again.
 
bryanfze55

bryanfze55

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
DisneySea is a park that AK is often compared to, but having been to both it's unjustified IMO.

DisneySea currently has 21 rides. That includes 9 major attractions, plus a dozen kiddie/flat and transportation rides to round out the mix. This ensures that everyone, regardless of their age or physical limitations, has enough to do to fill the day. This count does not include other types of attractions or theater shows, which DisneySea also has, or the 4 rides currently being built for Fantasy Springs.

AK has only 9 rides, and most are thrill attractions and/or have a height requirement. That means many guests are not able to enjoy them, which limits the number of experiences they can do in a day. This is why regional parks are starting to move away from mega coasters, because the % of guests who actually want to do them is quite small. DHS also suffers from this same problem, and coincidentally also has just 9 rides, despite all the recent money spent.

The EPCOT pavilions in their heyday, were much longer experiences. World of Motion, Horizons, Imagination and Energy have all been replaced by shorter rides, some of which now come with physical restrictions. EPCOT Center in 1989 had at least 11 rides, which is more than what either DHS or AK do now, and almost all were accessible to guests of any age.

Parks like Euro Disneyland and DisneySea have an enormous amount of detail and areas to explore, but that detail was not sacrificed for capacity or variety of experiences. Animal Kingdom was because of budget constraints and has never really reached its potential in that regard. A good park has both, not one or the other. That's why people are much more likely to think of MK as a "full day" park, despite being significantly smaller than AK.

Rides are the bread and butter of the theme park experience, and Disney attractions need to appeal to a wide audience. Exhibits and shows and nice, but they are often overlooked or not well advertised. AK needs more family rides.
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I would never compare DisneySea to Animal Kingdom on the ride front. One is obviously superior. In terms of lavish detail and rich theming, I think some comparison could be made.

Ironically, the way you feel about DAK is the way I feel about DHS. Other than Muppet Vision, there are no “extra” experiences I enjoy there. So it is just a ride park for me, and it doesn’t have enough of them. At DAK, I’ve always been able to fill a day with no issue. But you have to understand my situation: I only visit once per year at most... so everything stays fresh. I also travel with family, and that slows the day down. If I were a local who did the shows and animal exhibits all the time, I’m sure the park would get stale for me. But as an isolated experience, I still think it’s incredible.

I’ll absolutely agree that DAK needs more family rides. Really, what park couldn’t use more? But it still doesn’t answer why being moved in a ride vehicle is so important. Would the American Adventure really be so much better if we were passing by the sets at 1 mph in an omnimover rather than watching them on the stage? I also value walkthroughs and the nooks and crannies that they present just as much as rides. Ever just go to Tom Sawyer Island and just hangout for an hour? Hell, I wish Smugglers Run had been a walkthrough rather than a “ride.”
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Magicart87 said:
Thank you for saying this. I agree. Never thought it was E-ticket level attraction. Popular (because it's a coaster) but never an E. I ding it on execution. Why do you feel it isn't at an E-ticket level of excellence?
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The pros; the outside looks pretty. It’s a visual weenie. It has a nice queue.

The cons; the ride layout is nothing spectacular. Lack of show scenes. What scenes there are are relatively poor. It fails to engage. It runs out of story.

IMHO BTM is a higher class.
 
bryanfze55

bryanfze55

Well-Known Member
Magicart87 said:
Thank you for saying this. I agree. Never thought it was E-ticket level attraction. Popular (because it's a coaster) but never an E. I ding it on execution. Why do you feel it isn't at an E-ticket level of excellence?
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I would argue it’s popular because of its immaculate setting rather than just merely being a coaster. Primeval Whirl is a coaster, too, after all.
 
W

wdrive

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
The pros; the outside looks pretty. It’s a visual weenie. It has a nice queue.

The cons; the ride layout is nothing spectacular. Lack of show scenes. What scenes there are are relatively poor. It fails to engage. It runs out of story.

IMHO BTM is a higher class.
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I’d say, taking nostalgia out of it, Everest is a better attraction than Space Mountain.
 
bryanfze55

bryanfze55

Well-Known Member
wdrive said:
I’d say, taking nostalgia out of it, Everest is a better attraction than Space Mountain.
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Space isn’t even a good ride. At all. But, like most things at Disney, it’s about the overall experience from queue to exit. It’s about being transported. I think Space and EE do that pretty well.

But not all experiences hit the right notes for everyone. While I can objectively say Indiana Jones Adventure is a great ride, I never feel transported out of a theme park. It doesn’t stay with me after I leave. It’s just a ride to me. I’d rather get a Dole and sit in the Tiki Room tbh.
 
Raineman

Raineman

Well-Known Member
zengoth said:
Unfortunately, what looks next for Animal Kingdom - say the insiders - is eventually reopening with no shows (lion king, rivers of light, nemo, etc) and closing down the walkable zoo. :( Attractions should be do-able, but if you're going for the animals, it will be limited. (and eat before you go)
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Can you please explain why the insiders are projecting this? Removing a big chunk of what makes DAK unique and different than most theme parks doesn't make sense, and I really don't think that it is going to happen. We all know the optics of stagnant buildings/attractions at Epcot, so I can't see them having the same situation at what is arguably the second best park on property.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
JC
PotC
Splash
BTM
CBJ
HM
HoP
Space
CoP

SSE
TT
AmAd

ST
ToT
RotR

KS
Dino

Since you asked :)
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Interesting!

I assumed Soarin' wouldn't be on your list since you said Flight of Passage isn't one, but I'm surprised to see Space Mountain on there when Expedition Everest isn't. I think EE is better than SM in basically every way -- the theming, the ride itself, etc. although I'm sure some of that is just due to EE being much newer.

I don't think I'd call Star Tours an E. I wouldn't call Jungle Cruise one either, although that's entirely a function of age -- as originally constructed it was an E, it's just become obsolete with time in my mind.
 
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