What’s next for Animal Kingdom?

[TrainsOfDisney]

No your reply seems to be answering the post comparing the coaster to Scary Adventures.

I was only talking about the seven dwarves mine train compared to space mountain.

However... space is longer in track that’s for sure.

 

[marni1971]

I’m just not sure how Martin is grading it so highly compared to dwarves and Everest.

Dwarfes... too short. Obviously surrounded by theme park which looses all sense of placing. No finale. Nice drop, helix, left turn and.... final brake run. It’s a nice D+.

Everest - mediocre layout. Lack of show. Lack of story on ride. Boring interior, aside from light leaks. No finale. The yeti obviously looses it another star.

In short.

(IMHO of course)

 

[Magicart87]

But shouldn’t we be talking about a possible new TSR in DAK?

If you want!

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

I hope a Avatar expansion is in the future. Also a Lion King dark ride of some kind and a Jungle Book overlay of Kali River Rapids.

 

[UNCgolf]

Dwarfes... too short. Obviously surrounded by theme park which looses all sense of placing. No finale. Nice drop, helix, left turn and.... final brake run. It’s a nice D+.

Everest - mediocre layout. Lack of show. Lack of story on ride. Boring interior, aside from light leaks. No finale. The yeti obviously looses it another star.

In short.

(IMHO of course)

How would you rank Slinky Dog? It has all the issues you just mentioned for Everest (and some for 7D) except magnified significantly. Obviously you don't think too highly of it, but I'm curious as to your specific thoughts.

Personally, I think SDD is a ride that belongs at a Six Flags, not at Disney. It's just an open-air coaster with very little theming to it beyond the fact that you're riding in a Slinky Dog vehicle. I've said elsewhere here that I don't believe open-air coasters belong at Disney period, because it detracts from theming for both the ride itself and for everyone else in the park that can see it rising above everything else in the area. It's emblematic of the completely failure of Toy Story Land overall.

 

[Genie_naughty_whispers]

Beastly kingdom

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Personally, I think SDD is a ride that belongs at a Six Flags, not at Disney.

I agree with you on paper but there is something about that dog that just makes you smile. It’s like dumbo. Yes it’s just a spinner like at any carnival, but every kid wants to ride it and it’s the definition of a Disney park attraction!

 

[bryanfze55]

How would you rank Slinky Dog? It has all the issues you just mentioned for Everest (and some for 7D) except magnified significantly. Obviously you don't think too highly of it, but I'm curious as to your specific thoughts.

Personally, I think SDD is a ride that belongs at a Six Flags, not at Disney. It's just an open-air coaster with very little theming to it beyond the fact that you're riding in a Slinky Dog vehicle. I've said elsewhere here that I don't believe open-air coasters belong at Disney period, because it detracts from theming for both the ride itself and for everyone else in the park that can see it rising above everything else in the area. It's emblematic of the completely failure of Toy Story Land overall.

SDD is certainly not an E, but it’s more on par with Universal or maybe SW in my opinion. At least the queue is themed and there’s a cool penguin animatronic at the end. A Six Flags coaster would have none of that.

When you look at all Toy Story Lands around the globe, none of them have an E ticket. They’re more on par with a Bugs Land than anything else. But they’re useful for capacity. I still insist TSL could’ve been a hit as is by just adding Al’s Toy Barn and Pizza Planet.

 

[UNCgolf]

SDD is certainly not an E, but it’s more on par with Universal or maybe SW in my opinion. At least the queue is themed and there’s a cool penguin animatronic at the end. A Six Flags coaster would have none of that.

That's true. I was thinking about the actual ride itself as just an outdoor coaster with almost nothing to it, but I suppose they have those at Universal as well, and the animatronic is definitely something that would never exist at Six Flags.

I also still think the TSL itself is poorly designed in almost every way. Certainly helps with capacity, but it could easily be much better.

 

[bryanfze55]

That's true. I was thinking about the actual ride itself as just an outdoor coaster with almost nothing to it, but I suppose they have those at Universal as well, and the animatronic is definitely something that would never exist at Six Flags.

It’s just a kiddie coaster thing. SDD, Barnstormer, Hippogriff, Gadget’s Go Coaster in Disneyland... they’re all relatively unthemed rides with exposed track. But they do serve a purpose.

SDD and Hippogriff take them to the next level with cool and fluid animatronics.

Of course knowing Disney, they probably tried to pass SDD off as an E-ticket, so I could see why people might be disappointed with it.

 

[UNCgolf]

It’s just a kiddie coaster thing. SDD, Barnstormer, Hippogriff, Gadget’s Go Coaster in Disneyland... they’re all relatively unthemed rides with exposed track. But they do serve a purpose.

SDD and Hippogriff take them to the next level with cool and fluid animatronics.

Of course knowing Disney, they probably tried to pass SDD off as an E-ticket, so I could see why people might be disappointed with it.

I think if SDD was exactly the same ride (or at least similar -- the ride itself is fine as a kiddie coaster, as you said) but enclosed in a themed building it would be a tremendous improvement. Have it run through Andy's bedroom or something. They could have also included more show elements if that was the case.

Of course that would have cost far more money, which they don't seem too interested in spending on theme anymore except for Pandora and Star Wars specifically.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Though I'm guessing this suggestion won't appeal to all of you, what AK needs is another great all-ages ride (young children can ride, but adults also enjoy).

If you have ever been to AK with young children, then you probably noticed a lack of rides for this age group.

They get the safari, Na'vi river, and dino-Dumbo. Maybe It's Tough to be a Bug? But only if they aren't afraid of Hopper or spiders. If you've ever attempted to do a family split at AK, then you too have likely spent too much time on dino-Dumbo (while others ride the bigger rides).

I have nothing against cute triceratops, but dino-Dumbo has far less charm than Dumbo, Aladdin-Dumbo, or even the watery Seuss-Dumbo. Dinorama just doesn't make for particularly charming scenery.

As for a specific theme, I don't have anything super specific in mind. AK could perhaps benefit from something themed to Australia, South America, or perhaps Antarctica. A dark ride where we see life through the eyes of a penguin?

Maybe we could have a water ride themed to the Amazon? With a few small drops like PotC, animatronic Amazon critters slightly Small World-ish, and just a hint of a Splash Mtn-esque opportunity to get wet? Maybe we are ants, and we encounter Amazonian Archer fish squirting at us? and we have to survive rain, a flood, an anteater, a fire, and we are leafcutter ants who have to collect leaves for our fungus farm?


Perhaps AK could add a mild version of Crush's Coaster from Paris (though milder, because the Paris version has a 42" height requirement.)

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

When it’s running.. the kids can also ride the train over to the conservation station. I have a bit of a love / hate for that whole experience. The train ride, and the destination should both be highlights of the park and both have major faults. Still, it can be an enjoyable experience, especially if you see one or two of the keeper talks.

 

[SteveAZee]

JC
PotC
Splash
BTM
CBJ
HM
HoP
Space
CoP

SSE
TT
AmAd

ST
ToT
RotR

KS
Dino

Since you asked

Interesting. So, is this a list of what you think Disney would have in the E ticket category if that ticketing system was still in place, or is this a list of the attractions you feel deserve top notch status?

 

[UNCgolf]

Interesting. So, is this a list of what you think Disney would have in the E ticket category if that ticketing system was still in place, or is this a list of the attractions you feel deserve top notch status?

I'm quite sure that's his personal list. Disney would almost certainly have Flight of Passage, Soarin', Expedition Everest, and Rock N Roller Coaster as E-tickets if they were still using a ticketing system. They might have Slinky Dog Dash, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Toy Story Mania as E tickets too.

 

[marni1971]

Interesting. So, is this a list of what you think Disney would have in the E ticket category if that ticketing system was still in place, or is this a list of the attractions you feel deserve top notch status?

It’s what I personally think would be classed as an E - although I’m influenced by internal guidance and policy. I didn’t just make it up!

 

[SteveAZee]

It’s what I personally think would be classed as an E - although I’m influenced by internal guidance and policy. I didn’t just make it up!

LOL, yes... didn't think you just made it up. Everyone's got their opinion and lists, but if this reflects what Disney's processes would have likely developed, it carries a little more... weight? Thanks!

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

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

Well said!

Dinoland should be noticeably differentiated from Jurassic Park -style stuff... and they already have the bones (excuse the pun) for this. The sandstone-type rockwork around the main entrance can be expanded to the rest of the land, and suddenly we have some nice desert theming - something that's not represented elsewhere at DAK. Then replace DinoRama and maybe even the Theater in the Wild with something new - whether it be a version of The Excavator or something else - and we could have a really solid land.

 

[nor'easter]

Dwarfes... too short. Obviously surrounded by theme park which looses all sense of placing. No finale. Nice drop, helix, left turn and.... final brake run. It’s a nice D+.

Everest - mediocre layout. Lack of show. Lack of story on ride. Boring interior, aside from light leaks. No finale. The yeti obviously looses it another star.

In short.

(IMHO of course)

Re Everest: You forgot bird on a stick.

 

[PB Watermelon]

I think Disney thinks that since they built Pandora, Animal Kingdom is "good on added attractions" for a while.

Which is false. It needs more. Bulldozing Dino-Rama and adding some fun dinosaur-themed rides would be cool, but Disney doesn't have any popular dinosaur-themed IPs so who knows if that'll happen. There's gotta be room to expand SOMEWHERE in the park.

Fantasia: The Rite of Spring Experience.