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

[RSoxNo1]

The problem is Disney is all in on IP only now. And while I agree with what you are saying, they don't have a Jurassic Park to tie it to, so I can't imagine there is a large desire to keep it around. Also why I don't think there's much of a shot at any sort of a mythical creatures thing.

An interesting comment was made in my podcast's chat room:

So I genuinely think there is nothing that makes anyone flock to any manufactured destination anymore. I think that the instant gratification available on any device ruins a lit of experiences for people.

I recall Joe Rohde comparing smart phones to the introduction of the wrist watch and everyone kept checking the time. He said eventually people will look up again, but the newness is still there.

I've long stated that an IP based ride is typically good for a year one marketing push with a handful of exceptions. Familiarity over quality is only so sustainable so these additions most be benefiting other arms of the company. As an example, I'd love to see how much Disney+ viewership of Beauty and the Beast increased in Japan after that ride opened.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

It's hard to compete with universal when it comes to dunosaurs but I still love them. Maybe they could retheme the dinosaur ride and area into beastly kingdoms?

While I think it's clear that Universal has the preeminent Dinosaur-themed property of our time in their collection, which holds the key to the best themed entertainment concept for the subject, I also personally feel like they've almost completely squandered that lead.

The Jurassic World ride in Beijing is off and away their best Dino ride (and is very good, though still not perfect), but nothing they've done stateside comes close to delivering on the theme park potential of the IP or the exciting concept of encountering Dinosaurs up close. The widely heralded Velocicoaster succeeds as a coaster, but the Jurassic elements are so thin that it almost seems silly to call it a Dinosaur ride. The River Ride . . . well, it's there, I guess.

If Disney were going to cede the Theme Park Dinosaur Battle to Universal then I wish Uni would step up their game on that front. It's shocking how little opportunity there is in Orlando for guests to have a genuinely exciting encounter with Dinosaurs when that should be an easy grand slam.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

If Disney were going to cede the Theme Park Dinosaur Battle to Universal then I wish Uni would step up their game on that front. It's shocking how little opportunity there is in Orlando for guests to have a genuinely exciting encounter with Dinosaurs when that should be an easy grand slam.

For what it is, the Raptor Encounter with the full size and baby puppets is quite nice.

 

[cjkeating]

Are you inferring that the animatronics were repaired due to the visit by the Imagineers?

Not at all. If anything it probably helps their case if the ride is falling apart. And if the ride has been fixed up after months (some anamtronics had been broken since before April when I last visited) it could suggest Dinosaur might live on longer than we might be expecting.

I had heard that DAK would get all of the Expedition Everest effects working before Joe Rhode would visit.

They never got the Yeti working.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Not at all. If anything it probably helps their case if the ride is falling apart. And if the ride has been fixed up after months (some anamtronics had been broken since before April when I last visited) it could suggest Dinosaur might live on longer than we might be expecting.

They never got the Yeti working.

Jurassic Park River Adventure is really falling apart as well… which is sad, because Dinosaur and River Adventure are my two favorite rides at their respective parks. River Adventure still has a bunch of construction walls surrounding the animatronic in the first scene, and hadrosaurs that don’t come out of the water (there are also more broken AAs that are less integral to the ride). If Jurassic Park River Adventure had the sheer number of animatronics that Dinosaur has going for it, it would easily be one of the best theme park rides ever IMO. Sadly, River Adventure will likely be rethemed, like Dinosaur, as most rides that are neglected by Universal do. I like the Jurassic World version, but I prefer real sets to screens any day. The same will be true when they retheme Dinosaur. The beautiful AAs will be replaced with projectors with little to no maintenance cost or downtime.

 

[WorldExplorer]

In my wildest dreams, I think, if everything must be an IP now and they're throwing money at the stupidest concepts possible with the slightest bit of name recognition, why not try out a Dinosaur ride movie?

(Not the Dinosaur movie that's barely related)

The plot's already there and it would be a great setup for an adventure movie. Remove the tourist element and make up some scientists who can go back with Seeker. Incorporate some of the more popular dinosaurs if you need to.

So long as they don't do something stupid like hire the person who wrote 2016 Ghostbusters it could be a lot of fun.

It could help drum up interest. And if it didn't, it's not like the movie department isn't burning money as it is...

But that'll never happen.

 

[UNCgolf]

While I think it's clear that Universal has the preeminent Dinosaur-themed property of our time in their collection, which holds the key to the best themed entertainment concept for the subject, I also personally feel like they've almost completely squandered that lead.

The Jurassic World ride in Beijing is off and away their best Dino ride (and is very good, though still not perfect), but nothing they've done stateside comes close to delivering on the theme park potential of the IP or the exciting concept of encountering Dinosaurs up close. The widely heralded Velocicoaster succeeds as a coaster, but the Jurassic elements are so thin that it almost seems silly to call it a Dinosaur ride. The River Ride . . . well, it's there, I guess.

If Disney were going to cede the Theme Park Dinosaur Battle to Universal then I wish Uni would step up their game on that front. It's shocking how little opportunity there is in Orlando for guests to have a genuinely exciting encounter with Dinosaurs when that should be an easy grand slam.

I actually love the River Adventure and think it's one of the 4 or 5 best attractions at USO, but I'd still agree that Universal hasn't done that much with dinosaurs.

Thing is, Jurassic Park isn't really about dinosaurs anyways, especially not the newer Jurassic World films. They often function as nothing more than movie monsters that aren't connected to what we know about actual dinosaurs.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I actually love the River Adventure and think it's one of the 4 or 5 best attractions at USO, but I'd still agree that Universal hasn't done that much with dinosaurs.

Thing is, Jurassic Park isn't really about dinosaurs anyways, especially not the newer Jurassic World films. They often function as nothing more than movie monsters that aren't connected to what we know about actual dinosaurs.

I agree that Jurassic Park the movie isn't actually about the Dinosaurs, but for a theme park application of the property it makes perfect sense to build a "real life" Jurassic Park where guests can see Dinosaurs and experience the highs and lows that place offers in the movie. One of the cornerstones of the Park in that story is the fact that people will pay for the chance to have that incredible experience (the other cornerstone, of course, is massive amounts of hubris). While the movie isn't wholly accurate or realistic, there's clearly an aspirational element that's perfectly suited to build in a theme park. Despite its faults, and the greater meaning of those faults, the notion of getting to go to that place and see those creatures still has great appeal.

I was shocked the first time I rode the River Adventure . . . it seemed so janky and dated, managing only to barely deliver on the "Here are some Dinosaurs" promise. The choice of ride system felt similarly strange, as if it was mandated first to build a water ride with a big drop and only later was it decided to tack on Jurassic Park and find a way to justify that. There are so many creative options and opportinities to build rides that would make sense in Jurassic Park, and this one just felt totally odd and underwhelming. Awkward and stilted throughout, and hasn't gotten better with time in my opinion. Though it's been a few years since last I rode.

To me, the less that's said about Jurassic World the better . . . took the franchise in a totally dismal direction and I wish they'd ignore it in the parks. But of course they made money, so no chance of that.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I haven't been caught up on this topic in a while, but where do we stand. Are we even sure what Josh announced at D23 is going to happen... and the way Disney moves in terms of construction timelines... this thing won't open until 2026 the absolute earliest. It's crazy to think Disney allowed itself to have a gap in opening new attractions, just as Universal's Epic Universe opens 2025. I have a feeling the latter half of the 2020s is going to be owned by Universal not Disney

At that time….it was crap…a desperation thing based on the way things were trending for the management…

But do they think now it’s “good enough” for the Orlando fanbase?

Sure. Checks all the boxes of Bobism…
It’s IP…it can be pumped up and slow rolled in construction forever.

Iger needs more than this - for sure - he’s in real trouble…but they keep doubling down.

They have a massive attendance problem and what have they done?
1. Reintroduce a more bloated dining coupon prepay
2. Announce more timeshares that aren’t selling really at all
3. Increase genie prices instead of trying to rebuild the core customer base…which there’s no way around

Bob gonna Bob

 

[ToTBellHop]

If Disney destroys Dinosaur, they'll have effectively turned over and admitted defeat to Universal regarding the prehistoric realm of animals.

They can admit it or not but Universal already won.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They can admit it or not but Universal already won.

Well i think that’s using the past for current grievances.

I get why they went dinosaurs at dak…but they were never gonna be able to keep up with the only franchise/ip

 

[UNCgolf]

I agree that Jurassic Park the movie isn't actually about the Dinosaurs, but for a theme park application of the property it makes perfect sense to build a "real life" Jurassic Park where guests can see Dinosaurs and experience the highs and lows that place offers in the movie. One of the cornerstones of the Park in that story is the fact that people will pay for the chance to have that incredible experience (the other cornerstone, of course, is massive amounts of hubris). While the movie isn't wholly accurate or realistic, there's clearly an aspirational element that's perfectly suited to build in a theme park. Despite its faults, and the greater meaning of those faults, the notion of getting to go to that place and see those creatures still has great appeal.

I was shocked the first time I rode the River Adventure . . . it seemed so janky and dated, managing only to barely deliver on the "Here are some Dinosaurs" promise. The choice of ride system felt similarly strange, as if it was mandated first to build a water ride with a big drop and only later was it decided to tack on Jurassic Park and find a way to justify that. There are so many creative options and opportinities to build rides that would make sense in Jurassic Park, and this one just felt totally odd and underwhelming. Awkward and stilted throughout, and hasn't gotten better with time in my opinion. Though it's been a few years since last I rode.

To me, the less that's said about Jurassic World the better . . . took the franchise in a totally dismal direction and I wish they'd ignore it in the parks. But of course they made money, so no chance of that.

I don't really disagree with any of your points regarding the River Adventure -- even though I think it's better than most of Universal's other attractions. That's probably more a comment on how mediocre to bad I think most of Universal's attractions are than River Adventure being anything special; e.g., I think most attractions at USF were better in the 1990s than they are now. It certainly wouldn't be a top 5 attraction (or even close to one) at WDW.

They could have done much more with it.

 

[Bocabear]

Now to be honest, they also never did anything with Dinosaurs or the Dino section after building it...They added Chester and Hester which was theoretically very cute if you get the source material...but so few get the source material, so it is sort of wasted... Nothing else has been added to that area in 2021... That's 22 years of nothing. The Dinosaur ride should have been one of several attractions for the area...not just one and a carnival next door.
I am sure they are considering it's shelf life has about expired.
I like the ride, but at this point, I don't see TDO investing in keeping this half-built theme land going when they could add something new and dynamic that is IP driven.
I would love to see them double down on Dinosaurs and do something amazing, but...under this leadership it's most likely not going to happen...

 

[Mickeynerd17]

I would love to see them double down on Dinosaurs and do something amazing, but...under this leadership it's most likely not going to happen...

Although it would never happen, I believe teaming with RMC to revive the Excavator coaster concept would do wonders for the Land and the park (along with going back to a archeological site theme).

It doesn't have to be massive, just some kind of thematically-appropriate thrill to replace primeval whirl.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

Although it would never happen, I believe teaming with RMC to revive the Excavator coaster concept would do wonders for the Land and the park (along with going back to a archeological site theme).

It doesn't have to be massive, just some kind of thematically-appropriate thrill to replace primeval whirl.

Maybe something like the new Fire in the Hole that's going into Silver Dollar City. Well-themed, of course!

 

[UNCgolf]

Although it would never happen, I believe teaming with RMC to revive the Excavator coaster concept would do wonders for the Land and the park (along with going back to a archeological site theme).

It doesn't have to be massive, just some kind of thematically-appropriate thrill to replace primeval whirl.

That would at least keep the land focused on dinosaurs in general, but it wouldn't really do anything with actual dinosaurs either -- it would be like a lesser version of the Velocicoaster.

 

[doctornick]

They can admit it or not but Universal already won.

I still think there is a market for something in the realm of Universe of Energy in regards to dinosaurs and Disney is actually better positioned to do it than Uni is with Jurassic Park/World. JP is all about the dangers of dinosaurs, but there is a place for the potential celebration of majesty and awe and man's (positive) obsession with dinosaurs.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That would at least keep the land focused on dinosaurs in general, but it wouldn't really do anything with actual dinosaurs either -- it would be like a lesser version of the Velocicoaster.

What do you think would be a good type of attractions?

They have the boneyard which is great and Dinosaur which I find to be terrible, but mostly just think it needs fixed up/enhanced and just "more" (there is a lot of darkness) - the bones of a trilling dark ride are there

What would complement those? I know universal does the encounters but something like that would be neat. Maybe a show with life sized puppets? (Though Nemo is right there). Maybe a "night at the museum-esque walkthrough?

 

[doctornick]

What do you think would be a good type of attractions?

They have the boneyard which is great and Dinosaur which I find to be terrible, but mostly just think it needs fixed up/enhanced and just "more" (there is a lot of darkness) - the bones of a trilling dark ride are there

What would complement those? I know universal does the encounters but something like that would be neat. Maybe a show with life sized puppets? (Though Nemo is right there). Maybe a "night at the museum-esque walkthrough?

The obvious answer to me is a slow dark ride through a “zoo” of (audio animatronic) dinosaurs with actual audio commentary providing information of which ones you are seeing. The premise could easily be that these are the rehabbed Dinos that the Dino Institute has broke back injured from the past and natured back to health.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The obvious answer to me is a slow dark ride through a “zoo” of (audio animatronic) dinosaurs with actual audio commentary providing information of which ones you are seeing. The premise could easily be that these are the rehabbed Dinos that the Dino Institute has broke back injured from the past and natured back to health.

Interesting idea would be to sort of mirror Living with the Land but with different era/time periods and habits vs the ecozones of LwtL, but sort of play it off as an homage to that with similar music and tonal beats