News Zootopia and Moana Blue Sky concepts for Disney's Animal Kingdom

[MrPromey]

South America needs to be added ASAP. There's so many cool animals they could have there; the Amazon rainforest would make for a perfect trail. Maybe even an exhibit "in" the Amazon river. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, so I think it's important to tell more people about that.

The food options would be fantastic. The architecture for the buildings & theming would be so cool too.

You'd have IP options with Up (some conservation themes in that film with saving Kevin & her babies) & Emperor's New Groove (maybe a flat ride for this one). Maybe Encanto too, but I think the idea of having that in Magic Kingdom is more fitting tbh.

I think a South America land should also have an E-ticket in the vein of Everest too; find a cool mythological animal from South American cultures to base a ride around.

I was about to say that won't happen unless they have a movie to tie it into. Just so happens, Encanto takes place in a part of Columbia!

What does that have to to with the natural world? About as much as Zootopia and Moana, really but at least it would be an excuse to add something from this part of the world which seems like the only way they're willing to do it, these days.

Imagine if they did that here instead of the MK as an attraction central to a South American section of the park and then added Moana to MK where it would better fit and Zootopia to HS where it would better fit and then... made another movie about animals or some other part of the world so AK could expand and still continue to fulfill it's original purpose.

 

[MrPromey]

that soon

That soon?

I heard they're buying a second ladder so maybe?

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

I was about to say that won't happen unless they have a movie to tie it into. Just so happens, Encanto takes place in a part of Columbia!

What does that have to to with the natural world? About as much as Zootopia and Moana, really but at least it would be an excuse to add something from this part of the world which seems like the only way they're willing to do it, these days.

Imagine if they did that here instead of the MK as an attraction central to a South American section of the park and then added Moana to MK where it would better fit and Zootopia to HS where it would better fit and then... made another movie about animals or some other part of the world so AK could expand and still continue to fulfill it's original purpose.

I mean, Moana is technically about nature. They had to leave the island because they used up all of their resources and their trees were diseased (if you removed the supernatural force, that’s what happened).

When they show you Moana as a village chief, she is primarily focused on balancing the harvesting of crops and animals so that they have enough for the next season (if you kill all the fish or livestock your food source is gone).


BUT, I do agree with you that they would likely focus on the Demi-god / supernatural forces rather than the conservation aspect of the movie. I do think it could be done in a way that the conservation is the focus and it would be pretty amazing though! It’s the same as the Lion King for me, where conservation is talked about, and in a way the center of the movie, if you look past the “entertainment” aspect. The biggest issue with Scar ruling the Pride Lands is that the hyenas kill everything and eventually there are no animals left to hunt. Sure, that might not be what most of the movie is about, but same as Moana, it’s a vital part of the storyline.

 

[James Alucobond]

What does that have to to with the natural world? About as much as Zootopia and Moana, really but at least it would be an excuse to add something from this part of the world which seems like the only way they're willing to do it, these days.

I mean, the powers of Isabela and Antonio are basically flora and fauna. If they more or less ignored the entire plot of the movie, they could just have those characters essentially bring those elements to Animal Kingdom. Of course, that also doesn't really play to the strengths of the film, especially considering Casa Madrigal has so much potential as a ride unto itself.

 

[SamusAranX]

I think the idea of a Judy Hopps led attraction in Dinorama would fit perfect. A ratatouille style flat ride where you’re visiting the forbidden dinosaur land of Zootopia. It fits the zany and cartoonish aspect of that area. Any other area of AK would all but bury the parks vision. Not that it stopped them with Epcot or HS

 

[TheIceBaron]

Not that Disney cares about thematic cohesion anymore but I feel like at the very least they need to have a net gain in attractions at AK, replacing dinosaur doesn’t accomplish keeping people at AK longer. I just rode Dinosaur yesterday and for the first time in a while every thing was working how it should, makes more sense to keep it a while longer and as best as possible build around it. If they do close it they probably will have Moana stuff built first as not to close one of the only 6 rides at AK for a long period of time.

 

[UNCgolf]

… Do we really need more coasters?

Especially since Flight of Passage already is a simulated coaster, at least to an extent.

Coasters aren't Disney's bread and butter or what makes the most business sense for them -- of course it's smart to have a few, but they can't compete with other parks there and it's not really their target market anyways.

 

[No Name]

… Do we really need more coasters?

Yes. There’s only one. Disney’s competitors have been adding far more and are succeeding because of it.

 

[UNCgolf]

Yes. There’s only one. Disney’s competitors have been adding far more and are succeeding because of it.

I feel like this is a "citation needed" type comment. What Disney competitors are succeeding because they've added a bunch of coasters?

Even using competitors in the plural feels wrong, since Universal is Disney's only true competitor -- even there, though, Universal and Disney don't have the exact same target audience. Universal has been trying to cut into Disney's core market, but coasters aren't really how they're doing it.

 

[James Alucobond]

Yes. There’s only one.

Because there are very few rides in Animal Kingdom in general. There are 9 across the parks, including the 2 most recent rides to open. Would be nice to get a bit of variety with what they're adding, and the relative balance of Disney parks has always appealed to me more. I'm not totally opposed to getting a few more, but maybe lay off of them for just a bit?

 

[No Name]

I feel like this is a "citation needed" type comment. What Disney competitors are succeeding because they've added a bunch of coasters?

Even using competitors in the plural feels wrong, since Universal is Disney's only true competitor -- even there, though, Universal and Disney don't have the exact same target audience. Universal has been trying to cut into Disney's core market, but coasters aren't really how they're doing it.

Coasters aren’t really how they’re doing it? Islands of Adventure had its biggest year ever, while every Disney park hasn’t reach its 2019 attendance levels, and I would surmise that IoA’s two newest rides play a big part in that.

Local parks are also improving at a rate Disney is just not keeping up with. I think Disney is at a real risk of losing a percentage of people to Six Flags, Cedar Fair parks, and the many other notable regional parks (especially in the northeast), if they haven’t already.

Even if not coasters, Animal Kingdom needs more rides in general. But when every other major park has at least four coasters, having just one is a risky business.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Coasters aren’t really how they’re doing it? Islands of Adventure had its biggest year ever, while every Disney park hasn’t reach its 2019 attendance levels, and I would surmise that IoA’s two newest rides play a big part in that.

Local parks are also improving at a rate Disney is just not keeping up with. I think Disney is at a real risk of losing a percentage of people to Six Flags, Cedar Fair parks, and the many other notable regional parks (especially in the northeast), if they haven’t already.

Even if not coasters, Animal Kingdom needs more rides in general. But when every other major park has at least four coasters, having just one is a risky business.

Are the people geeking out over Six Flags' new coasters really the same people who drop thousands of dollars on a Walt Disney World vacation?

Obviously there's bound to be *some* overlap in their audiences, but WDW has never been a thrill junkie haven. Any market share Six Flags is picking up is not automatically at the expense of Walt Disney World. Respectfully, people who've been traveling to WDW their whole lives are not suddenly getting their needs met by Cedar Fair.

EPCOT went 40 years without a roller coaster, and the big brand-spanking new one they opened hasn't meaningfully moved the needle. Magic Kingdom just opened the fastest, most intense roller coaster in its history and the story is the same.

There really isn't evidence to suggest the Walt Disney World audience hangs in the balance over a type of offering its guests have never been primed to expect of it.

 

[MrPromey]

I mean, Moana is technically about nature. They had to leave the island because they used up all of their resources and their trees were diseased (if you removed the supernatural force, that’s what happened).

When they show you Moana as a village chief, she is primarily focused on balancing the harvesting of crops and animals so that they have enough for the next season (if you kill all the fish or livestock your food source is gone).


BUT, I do agree with you that they would likely focus on the Demi-god / supernatural forces rather than the conservation aspect of the movie. I do think it could be done in a way that the conservation is the focus and it would be pretty amazing though! It’s the same as the Lion King for me, where conservation is talked about, and in a way the center of the movie, if you look past the “entertainment” aspect. The biggest issue with Scar ruling the Pride Lands is that the hyenas kill everything and eventually there are no animals left to hunt. Sure, that might not be what most of the movie is about, but same as Moana, it’s a vital part of the storyline.

I mean, the trees were dying and the fish were no-longer coming around but there was never any suggestion it was do to the actions of the people or that they'd overused anything - it was all attributed to the supernatural forces and was allegedly undone once that stone got returned with them eventually leaving the island because they chose to - not because they had to.

It could be argued that Maui was and his actions which eventually lead to all of this was a stand-in for mankind and our lack of respect for nature but you have to go a few layers deeper than any interpretation by the masses to get to that level which makes it all a pretty big stretch to me but hey, they have an "educational" water feature with a 16 foot tall representation of a made-up-by-them goddess as a central focal-point in Epcot so what do I know?

Having said all that, I can see where they could use the characters as ambassadors, kind of like they did with the Lion Kin in the movie they ran in the harvest theater but like you, I’d expect them to fully lead into adventure and magic using the environment as nothing more than a backdrop which is why this feels like it should be in Adventureland to me… just like what they put in Epcot.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Are the people geeking out over Six Flags' new coasters really the same people who drop thousands of dollars on a Walt Disney World vacation?

Obviously there's bound to be *some* overlap in their audiences, but WDW has never been a thrill junkie haven. Any market share Six Flags is picking up is not automatically at the expense of Walt Disney World. Respectfully, people who've been traveling to WDW their whole lives are not suddenly getting their needs met by Cedar Fair.

It was more competitive in the 90s with Six Flags when Time Warner owned the company..This was when they would tout the "Bigger Than Disney" in their ads..


The one that I did like is this one when the CEO of Six Flags at the time had an ad for the parks in the mid 90s ..They were trying so hard to add immersed lands and it worked..But, now you go to one and it's just a Mish mash of confusement.

 

[Incomudro]

Are the people geeking out over Six Flags' new coasters really the same people who drop thousands of dollars on a Walt Disney World vacation?

Obviously there's bound to be *some* overlap in their audiences, but WDW has never been a thrill junkie haven. Any market share Six Flags is picking up is not automatically at the expense of Walt Disney World. Respectfully, people who've been traveling to WDW their whole lives are not suddenly getting their needs met by Cedar Fair.

EPCOT went 40 years without a roller coaster, and the big brand-spanking new one they opened hasn't meaningfully moved the needle. Magic Kingdom just opened the fastest, most intense roller coaster in its history and the story is the same.

There really isn't evidence to suggest the Walt Disney World audience hangs in the balance over a type of offering its guests have never been primed to expect of it.

Well, Disney IS moving ever closer to a Six Flags like experience.
Even many of the cast members look like carny folk.

 

[bmr1591]

Especially since Flight of Passage already is a simulated coaster, at least to an extent.

Coasters aren't Disney's bread and butter or what makes the most business sense for them -- of course it's smart to have a few, but they can't compete with other parks there and it's not really their target market anyways.

Coasters seem to consistently keep the longest lines at the parks, and not simply because of capacity. Demand is there.


But again, many of you seem to take this as an either/or when it’s a both/and. Give me a CoCo coaster riding on the back of Pepita through the land of the dead. Also give me a dark ride telling the story of Miguel’s journey. Both would be great and fun.

 

[doctornick]

Yes. There’s only one. Disney’s competitors have been adding far more and are succeeding because of it.

DAK may only have one coaster but the park is heavy on more intense rides that have height restrictions and the more sedate long form family rides that built Disney. The balance is off in the park and it would benefit from some more calmer rights. It would also help if they were indoors and longer given that a lot of the park is outdoors (understandably for a park about nature) and has a rep of oppressive heat that is hard to escape.

 

[UNCgolf]

Coasters aren’t really how they’re doing it? Islands of Adventure had its biggest year ever, while every Disney park hasn’t reach its 2019 attendance levels, and I would surmise that IoA’s two newest rides play a big part in that.

Local parks are also improving at a rate Disney is just not keeping up with. I think Disney is at a real risk of losing a percentage of people to Six Flags, Cedar Fair parks, and the many other notable regional parks (especially in the northeast), if they haven’t already.

Even if not coasters, Animal Kingdom needs more rides in general. But when every other major park has at least four coasters, having just one is a risky business.

Regional parks aren't a competitor to Disney -- those are already far ahead of Disney in coasters. If people want coasters they were going to Six Flags over Disney anyways.

That's the reason it doesn't make sense for Disney to go hard in on coasters; they're always going to be behind and it would be chasing a separate audience at the expense of their core market. It's bad strategy.

Disney spent $500m building Cosmic Rewind and it doesn't seem to have made any significant impact on EPCOT. The VQ is often available for hours in the afternoon, and that's probably because it's not Disney's main market.

Again, that doesn't mean they shouldn't build them (they've always had coasters). Their two newest additions were both coasters, though, and DAK already has one coaster and FoP, which as I said above, is essentially a simulated coaster. DAK needs more attractions, but a coaster is basically the last thing they need to add right now.

EDIT: I see @yensidtlaw1969 already made this point above, and made it more eloquently, so people can just go read his post instead!

 

[RSoxNo1]

Great spotting. Honestly if they built the Moana thing from the Asian bridge to everest wrapped in the nemo show and did a South Pacific Australia animal theme in that are but left dinosaur, the boneyard, and restuarantasurs alone I wouldn't hate it.

I'd welcome a Moana show replacing Nemo if they're not going to put a ride in that area.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I'm okay with Moana area or something additional to replace PW.

This is where I would personally rank my preference regarding Zootopia.

1) Leave Zootopia out of AK but stick Zootopia somewhere else (DHS or MK); Leave as is.
2) Put Zootopia somewhere else in AK. Use an expansion pad and some of portal to get there.
3) Retheme Wildlife Express Train to add capacity and replace Conservation Station with Zootopia land - Note: I don't love this but it's better than wiping out Dinosaur
4) Replace Dinosaur with Zootopia land (worst idea)

I actually had a suggestion on a recent podcast of a train or peoplemover connecting World Nature of EPCOT with DAK. If you have this themed to Zootopia and a tour through Earth's biomes you could have a pseudo Hogwarts Express type experience that's functional between two parks where quite a bit of hopping actually takes place.

The Dino-Rama replacement should probably be followed with something in Pandora. It makes sense for the park and is right up Iger’s alley.

Alternatively, if they can get to the plot of land North of Kali that's a massive expansion plot. It would probably take removing Kali, Maharajah Jungle Trek or the Train to get there but you could plop something like Mysterious Island up there with room to spare.

Kind of interesting how Moana and Nemo would be next to each other at both Epcot and AK.

At one point, Nemo was going to be removed from the EPCOT ride.