Why Do People Prefer Indiana Jones to Dinosaur?

Poseidon Quest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Pretty straightforward. While I think that both Indy and Dinosaur are solid attractions, I feel that Dinosaur is just better executed. However, consensus seems to be that Indy is better and Dinosaur is often labelled as "lazy", which definitely isn't true.

That being said, I'm interested in breaking down these two attractions and finding out exactly what makes people usually prefer Indy over Dinosaur. I'm interested in hearing specific arguments (not "it was too scary for my child") relating to the design and execution of both attractions. For example, a criticism I often hear is that Dinosaur uses darkness as a crutch in place of fully theming the ride track. It's clear to me that this is not the case though, and is an intentional design choice, made to utilize the technical capability of the EMV and disorient the riders.

So, yeah, what do you like and dislike about these attractions from the perspective of design and story execution?
 
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Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Indiana Jones is superior because:
a) you can see what's going on in the ride,
b) you aren't beat up by the ride,
c) great pre-show elements in the queue,
d) multiple variations in how the ride unfolds, and
e) when you're done, you're in Disneyland.

If dinosaur had a decent refurbishment and some changes done to it, it would be on the same level. Just needs that extra TLC. But what larryz said is pretty much it. The ride made me nauseous, and it's way too dark. The carnotaurus is the only redeeming quality.

Also indy changes something in what feels like every year or two, to make the show quality even better.
Does dinosaur?
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
Pretty straightforward. While I think that both Indy and Dinosaur are solid attractions, I feel that Dinosaur is just better executed. However, consensus seems to be that Indy is better and Dinosaur is often labelled as "lazy", which definitely isn't true.

That being said, I'm interested in breaking down these two attractions and finding out exactly what makes people usually prefer Indy over Dinosaur. I'm interested in hearing specific arguments (not "it was too scary for my child") relating to the design and execution of both attractions. For example, a criticism I often hear is that Dinosaur uses darkness as a crutch in place of fully theming the ride track. It's clear to me that this is not the case though, and is an intentional design choice, made to utilize the technical capability of the EMV and disorient the riders.

So, yeah, what do you like and dislike about these attractions from the perspective of design and story execution?
Surely you jest?

Dinosaur is so much in the dark with so little to see you could just close your eyes and ask to be thrown around by your friends and get 90% of the experience.

The queue and pre-show at Indy are world class. Dinosaur isn't awful in that regard, but it's dated and not nearly as rooted in iconic stuff as Indy. Dinosaur's strongest show pieces are it's lobby and loading areas. The ride itself is just a 'w t h just happened' experience.

Indy has great effects like the 3 doors and the more recent projection mapping stuff. What has dinosaur gotten since new?

Dinosaur is a great example of how even the nearly identical ride can result in such wildly different experiences. It should be a case study in how things go bad.
 

CoasterSnoop

Well-Known Member
The #1 argument I’ve heard is that it’s too dark in there for anything visually substantial, whereas Indy showcases large showpieces.

Personally, I prefer the overall experience of Dinosaur (a prior reply called Dino a “what just happened experience,” which is how I’d personally describe Indy), but I definitely get that perspective and it somewhat depends on your tastes. Most Disney fans have an affinity for rich, detailed settings which is consistent with the highest-acclaimed Imagineering projects since their inception. Dinosaur just doesn’t have anything like that, so it’s not as beloved.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
Indy is dark too - it just isn’t 100% like dinosaur through this jungle you can’t see anything as it’s meant to be outside in the dark. Indy’s show stops actually have things you can see and have any concept about what the jeep is doing.

i wonder if the dino fans have only watched indy on YouTube…
 

gerarar

Premium Member
I guess I'm just young but I really like Dinosaur. Rode it 4 times back to back in 2019 after the ride went down and reopened (CMs let me skip the preshow). Took a while for MDE to update and say it's opened again. Loved seeing all the different dinosaur AA's. And the thrill of "left right left!!"

As for the original question, Indy is probably better, but I like them both equally.
 

Poseidon Quest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Dinosaur is so much in the dark with so little to see you could just close your eyes and ask to be thrown around by your friends and get 90% of the experience.

The queue and pre-show at Indy are world class. Dinosaur isn't awful in that regard, but it's dated and not nearly as rooted in iconic stuff as Indy. Dinosaur's strongest show pieces are it's lobby and loading areas. The ride itself is just a 'w t h just happened' experience.

Indy has great effects like the 3 doors and the more recent projection mapping stuff. What has dinosaur gotten since new?

Dinosaur is a great example of how even the nearly identical ride can result in such wildly different experiences. It should be a case study in how things go bad.

It's not much, but the compys were replaced with the projection effect, which I feel was a nice addition. With that update, new lighting effects made their way in as well, helping to allow you to see more scenery and energizing the attraction a bit more, especially with the meteor crash.

I don't understand the darkness argument though. It helps the attraction feel like it's on a much larger scale and often tells its story through the movement of the vehicle and audio cues more than Indy does.
The #1 argument I’ve heard is that it’s too dark in there for anything visually substantial, whereas Indy showcases large showpieces.

Personally, I prefer the overall experience of Dinosaur (a prior reply called Dino a “what just happened experience,” which is how I’d personally describe Indy), but I definitely get that perspective and it somewhat depends on your tastes. Most Disney fans have an affinity for rich, detailed settings which is consistent with the highest-acclaimed Imagineering projects since their inception. Dinosaur just doesn’t have anything like that, so it’s not as beloved.

Perhaps both attractions are over-stimulating, especially to first time riders. However, I feel that Dinosaur has a better structured narrative. For example with Indy, the various trap rooms are just novelties with no real connection to each other. Not that this is necessarily a bad way to design an attraction, but Indy is clearly full of elements that worked effectively in the films, just strewn together with no reason to exist next to one-another. However with Dinosaur, the journey is one complete and logical narrative from start to finish. You go back in time to retrieve a dinosaur and the various scenes have you encountering others on your journey, finally culminating in a chase from the Carnotaurus. Meanwhile, small fragments of meteor have started to fall around you and the vehicle escapes just in time with the dinosaur you've journeyed there for. It's simple, but all of the scenes logically make sense.
 

WondersOfLife

Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
I personally love Dinosaur a lot more than Indy, but I get the hype of Indy after experiencing it a few years ago.

More set pieces and special effects... Iconic IP... Great soundtrack... Not as rough...

Dinosaur is a lesser-known IP (Which is already only loosely based on the movie at all, since the ride came first. I actually prefer it, it feels more original, like Everest)... Also, it's so dark to hide a lack of scenery.

However, I love Dinosaur more because Dinosaurs are just freaking cool, I don't like Indiana Jones, it's a good fit for the park it is in, and it does make a lot out of a whole bunch of nothing in that building. It's a genius ride.
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
It's not much, but the compys were replaced with the projection effect, which I feel was a nice addition. With that update, new lighting effects made their way in as well, helping to allow you to see more scenery and energizing the attraction a bit more, especially with the meteor crash.

I don't understand the darkness argument though. It helps the attraction feel like it's on a much larger scale and often tells its story through the movement of the vehicle and audio cues more than Indy does.


Perhaps both attractions are over-stimulating, especially to first time riders. However, I feel that Dinosaur has a better structured narrative. For example with Indy, the various trap rooms are just novelties with no real connection to each other. Not that this is necessarily a bad way to design an attraction, but Indy is clearly full of elements that worked effectively in the films, just strewn together with no reason to exist next to one-another. However with Dinosaur, the journey is one complete and logical narrative from start to finish. You go back in time to retrieve a dinosaur and the various scenes have you encountering others on your journey, finally culminating in a chase from the Carnotaurus. Meanwhile, small fragments of meteor have started to fall around you and the vehicle escapes just in time with the dinosaur you've journeyed there for. It's simple, but all of the scenes logically make sense.
This is what Dinosaur does to match the Indiana Jones ride...
 

TinkerBelle8878

Well-Known Member
Indy is better themed and the entire ride is immersive. The scenery, the story, all the details throughout the ride. I've always found Dinosaur to be something of a half done idea. Like they were supposed to do more and just said, well that'll do.. A few leaves, a few animatronic dinosaurs, just meh.
 

Centauri Space Station

Well-Known Member
Dinosaur is mostly original. The storyline, the backstory. It only has a small tie in to a barely watched movie. I think it’s a great ride and has some good animatronics and sets but it could definitely use more. 90% darkness is exaggerated, maybe 50% darkness 😂
 

Fox&Hound

Well-Known Member
This is an interesting post since the initial poster seems to already have his/her mind made up and may not be open to new ideas ("For example, a criticism I often hear is that Dinosaur uses darkness as a crutch in place of fully theming the ride track. It's clear to me that this is not the case though...").

As others have said (and the original poster even mentioned) Dinosaur is just so dark with very little interesting visuals. As much as people claim to hate IP this may be an interesting case study where I would argue the Indy IP, beloved by many, adds much to the Disneyland ride and that is not found on Dinosaur (which may be loosely tied to Dinosaur but 9 out of 10 casual park goers would have no clue about). Also, Indy in Adventureland is a home run that really adds to the section of the park whereas I feel like the show building for Dinosaur adds nothing to the atmosphere of Dinoland.
 

WondersOfLife

Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
This is an interesting post since the initial poster seems to already have his/her mind made up and may not be open to new ideas ("For example, a criticism I often hear is that Dinosaur uses darkness as a crutch in place of fully theming the ride track. It's clear to me that this is not the case though...").

As others have said (and the original poster even mentioned) Dinosaur is just so dark with very little interesting visuals. As much as people claim to hate IP this may be an interesting case study where I would argue the Indy IP, beloved by many, adds much to the Disneyland ride and that is not found on Dinosaur (which may be loosely tied to Dinosaur but 9 out of 10 casual park goers would have no clue about). Also, Indy in Adventureland is a home run that really adds to the section of the park whereas I feel like the show building for Dinosaur adds nothing to the atmosphere of Dinoland.
I disagree. I think the show building for Dinosaur is the PERFECT set up for what could have been a great dinoland.

Time to scrap the fair and connect the Dino institute to what was originally planned.
 

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