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

[Andrew C]

What does Moana do that is about the importance of nature?

It seems Disney has been pushing the nature connection since the movie was released...or before...

Wildlife Wednesday: Disney’s ‘Moana’ Helps Connect Us to the Magic of Nature

Today, our company introduces “Moana” to the world, and I hope you are as excited as we are about this beautiful new film. The magic of nature is truly represented on screen in a unique and authentic style that encourages audiences of all ages to

disneyparks.disney.go.com

 

[Phicinfan]

What does Moana do that is about the importance of nature? She is called to explore. She defies her father who is the one telling her to stay safe and not venture out into the harsh wild world.

Because the islands are failing, nature is failing, and her quest is to renew the relationship with Tafiti and the ocean, and get them back to what they are. You say dominate, I say commune. Last I heard, everyone continues to say AK is NOT a zoo, but instead conservation and showing true habitats and worlds. You don't think the Ocean is a great target for a habitat for AK?

 

[LSLS]

If no one knows about a detail, is really "extra special?"

I mean I happen to be one of the minority of people who did know there are no public bathrooms in liberty square, and why the ground is different there and what the patterns there are for. And that the flags across main street aren't official American flags so they don't have to be taken down. I've also read Project Future and know and am interested in the history of the Parks.

But my kids don't know or care about any of those things. Nor does my wife, my bro/sis in laws, nor their kids. Nor do my neighbors or the 3 people at work that brought their families to the park, and 3 of them are DVC members. For the kids when we first started going, they knew that WDW was where Mickey lives, and Ana and Elsa. Then as they got big enough it was where you could ride Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain.

Those little details are basically easter eggs for a small portion of the attendees. An inside joke if you will. But people don't go to the movie for the easter eggs, they go for the explosions and battle scenes (at least if we are looking at recent history.) That's who Disney is marketing to now. They are shooting not for theme park fans, but for everyone. Disney is basically now marketing to childhood and entertainment, its almost that generic of a demographic/theme. You go to Disney b/c that is what you watched and did growing up. That is what your kids are watching now. That is what you are seeing on TV, social media, ect.

Yes, it is extra special, it's what set Disney apart. It's symbolic of the details and the care that was put into the parks. It represents how careful they were to stay true to theme. My one child knows about it, cause I told her. And I've told TONS of friends about it, both when there and not. My point to them is how incredibly detailed they were with everything. Not one person I've told it to has said "That's dumb, I'd rather it not be fully themed."

And I do think people care more about theming than you realize. For the first time ever, Cedar Point didn't make the top 5 in the 2022 Golden Ticket awards. The 5 at the top have all stepped up their theming game. And Cedar Point is actually doing something similar, developing a new Boardwalk area and upping it's Frontier Town.

 

[James Alucobond]

So talking bugs as a feature of the figurative center of the park in the tree of life is fine. But talking animals could never be properly integrated no matter how well done?

The bugs in A Bug's Life deal with bug-related issues. The animals of Zootopia are anthropomorphic animals dealing with essentially human issues. They're basically furries.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It seems Disney has been pushing the nature connection since the movie was released...or before...

Wildlife Wednesday: Disney’s ‘Moana’ Helps Connect Us to the Magic of Nature

Today, our company introduces “Moana” to the world, and I hope you are as excited as we are about this beautiful new film. The magic of nature is truly represented on screen in a unique and authentic style that encourages audiences of all ages to

disneyparks.disney.go.com

Disney pushes all sorts of stuff but even here what do they actually say? That she’s exploring! They don’t bother with specifics but Moana says nothing about wanting to learn about nature.

We were voyagers!

 

[SteamboatJoe]

Yes, it is extra special, it's what set Disney apart. It's symbolic of the details and the care that was put into the parks. It represents how careful they were to stay true to theme. My one child knows about it, cause I told her. And I've told TONS of friends about it, both when there and not. My point to them is how incredibly detailed they were with everything. Not one person I've told it to has said "That's dumb, I'd rather it not be fully themed."

And I do think people care more about theming than you realize. For the first time ever, Cedar Point didn't make the top 5 in the 2022 Golden Ticket awards. The 5 at the top have all stepped up their theming game. And Cedar Point is actually doing something similar, developing a new Boardwalk area and upping it's Frontier Town.

Disney's abandoning of theme parks for brand parks has left a void in the market that Cedar Fair should be racing to fill. Coasters and thrill rides are great but they aren't for everybody for a variety of different reasons.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Who will make the first move? Disney sends in shovels or Steve fixes the typo in the thread title? Hard to say, but I’m at the edge of my seat.

 

[Andrew C]

Disney pushes all sorts of stuff but even here what do they actually say? That she’s exploring! They don’t bother with specifics but Moana says nothing about wanting to learn about nature.

We were voyagers!

It is fine. You're gonna think the way you want to think...

Watching the movie and how the characters interact with one another and the land...and then adding in Te Fiti, the creator of life and essentially as a form of mother nature...I think the connection is pretty obvious. Moana being a voyager doesn't negate that.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Just saying they used to do it. The fact that they spend what they do on their rides has been questioned and debated on this forum forever. The dollars are ridiculous. Maybe the difference is back in the day, they did not have the competition they have now- they can't afford a flop. That being said, they couldn't afford one in the '50-'60s either. A financial flop might have wiped out the parks and Disney as a company. That being said, today, they have almost unlimited resources to try some completely original ideas. I am just expressing my disappointment that they take the "easy" way out for the parks. They used to take more risks in the past- they had to as they were the only ones doing this. Now of course, they have competition, and it is easier to follow the crowd.

It probably also says something about society today. We need to be presented with the flashiest and most exciting attractions to even pay attention. Times have changed. I'm only in my 50's, but sometimes I feel like the "old man" talking about the "old days"! I like a lot of the new stuff- I'm just disappointed in the lack of willingness to chart new paths, I guess.

Agreed. They used to do it, and a lot of the favorite nostalgic rides are original IP. However, DIS is a public company, where the C-Suite is paid more based on stock performance. So, if you have popular IP, that is an easier sell to the board, wall street, etc. Which then leads to higher paid executives. Plus, guests like IP they know and have an emotional attachment (current time nostalgia). That increases merch/ticket sales.

I wish they balanced original IP and existing IP in their new attractions. I guess that gave us Duffy & Friends (why did we need another mascot?).

 

[DCLcruiser]

It's also now competing with Disenchanted for the attention of families which gets released to Disney+ the day after and doesn't require paying to go see it in a theater.

Strange World is going to bomb and I feel like Disney knows this and doesn't care at this point.

Part of me thinks that Strange World is what happens when you give Creative too much freedom. It looks absolutely terrible. It reminds me of an CGI-student's college project. A psychedelic world of balloon animals.

 

[DCLcruiser]

That's funny, seeing as most of the Disney Parks' biggest flops were based on IPs. Stitch's Great Escape? The Under New Management Tiki Room? PIXAR Pier?

Those are all reskins, but I get your point.

I understand why they stick to successful IP.

I wonder if they had made a John Carter ride before the movie, it would have been a box-office success? The world/theme/space-indiana jones feeling would lend itself to a ride, and then they wouldn't of had such an issue with poor marketing. I liked the movie and thought it had promise, but it got crushed.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Do I even want to know about this Morocco coaster that’s not being built?

Call it Scirocco (North African/mediterranean desert wind), and we have a winner. Start off with a caravan in the desert and then take off into the air.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Theme aside, I actually enjoyed Primeval Whirl as a ride. I would like them to do another wild mouse coaster, just one that is better themed and integrated.

PW was painful. My wife and I rode it years ago, and I was so uncomfortable the entire time.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

PW was painful. My wife and I rode it years ago, and I was so uncomfortable the entire time.

Thats the nature of that ride type but my back these days might agree with you.

 

[LittleBuford]

What does Moana do that is about the importance of nature? She is called to explore. She defies her father who is the one telling her to stay safe and not venture out into the harsh wild world.

Many reviews and articles at the time of the film’s release saw it as an allegory of climate change. You may not share that interpretation, but it’s clear that a good number of people do relate the film to the theme of nature.

 

[Joel]

Have any of us stopped to consider that perhaps Disney knows something we don't in regards to the regrettable necessity of adding Zootopia to the parks and is choosing this tucked-away part of AK as a way to do it with minimal inconvenience to the rest of us?

I mean, think about it: With smartphones, Magic Bands, and the insect robots from Minority Report, they know exactly who is coming into the park, where we're going, and what we're doing. With Disney+, they know what we're watching at home. And for all I know, they even know what some of you people are doing while you're watching.

They've collected all this data and come to the conclusion that now is the time -- now is the best time -- for a furry containment zone. I think we just need to trust them.

 

[SplashJacket]

So talking bugs as a feature of the figurative center of the park in the tree of life is fine. But talking animals could never be properly integrated no matter how well done?

If you replace bugs with humans in the context of the show it would make absolutely no sense. The film focusing around bugs is integral to the story. The attraction’s mission statement centers around conservation for bugs. It’s basically like “hey, caring about elephants and rhinos are great, but also don’t forget about bees, ants, and all the bugs crucial to our environment.”

 

[CaptainAmerica]

So talking bugs as a feature of the figurative center of the park in the tree of life is fine. But talking animals could never be properly integrated no matter how well done?

The fact that they talk is irrelevant. The Zootopia animals ARE HUMANS. They live in cities and have police and a DMV.

 

[SplashJacket]

Primeval Whirl would be a bad ride if it were in Six Flags.

 

[sullyinMT]

Because the islands are failing, nature is failing, and her quest is to renew the relationship with Tafiti and the ocean, and get them back to what they are. You say dominate, I say commune. Last I heard, everyone continues to say AK is NOT a zoo, but instead conservation and showing true habitats and worlds. You don't think the Ocean is a great target for a habitat for AK?

I agree with this take, but isn’t the conservation side supposed to be tackled with the Moana experience in Epcot?

Now, if they use Moana to bring Oceania/South Pacific animal exhibits into the park (as well as the an awesome boat/flume attraction), then I have no issue with the add.

Zootopia bothers me way more.