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

[FigmentFan82]

Very interested to see the proposed Moana flume attraction take shape. I'm curious what length and thrill level they want to achieve. Something comparable to Splash/TBA would be very welcome, though I'm sure they might not end up making it as long.

Zootopia will work well over Dinosaur. Sure I think dino themed stuff, but it just so dark and with not much at all to look at compared to it's Indiana Jones cousin where you really get to see lots of fun set pieces. Zootopia should at least give us something to look at now while we bump and zoom around in those jeeps.

 

[Coaster Lover]

Very interested to see the proposed Moana flume attraction take shape. I'm curious what length and thrill level they want to achieve. Something comparable to Splash/TBA would be very welcome, though I'm sure they might not end up making it as long.

Something the size and scope of Splash would be amazing, but I'm anticipating something more along the size and scope of Frozen Ever After...

 

[Elijah Abrams]

I think National Geographic should become the sponsor for the entire Disney's Animal Kingdom park, since Disney owns the channels now, so new land ideas like South America, Australia, and North America, along with a reimagining of DinoLand, can go forward, and stuff like Zootopia and Moana at AK can be thrown in the trash bin. Besides, I doubt they have the budget for the latter two projects from D23.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Zootopia will work well over Dinosaur. Sure I think dino themed stuff, but it just so dark and with not much at all to look at compared to it's Indiana Jones cousin where you really get to see lots of fun set pieces. Zootopia should at least give us something to look at now while we bump and zoom around in those jeeps.

I literally could not disagree more. Zootopia is such a horrible match for a ride vehicle that is far too intense to represent a franchise with the target audience being children. And if they're just going to tone down the motion than what's the point. This isn't even considering how an urban setting will never fit in Animal Kingdom.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Dinosaur is probably the worst ride at WDW. Happy to see it being potentially redone.

That's a funny way to spell "best"

 

[JD80]

Heh. I love finding out what people consider their favorite. Tiki room is in my top 5.

 

[drnilescrane]

I literally could not disagree more. Zootopia is such a horrible match for a ride vehicle that is far too intense to represent a franchise with the target audience being children. And if they're just going to tone down the motion than what's the point. This isn't even considering how an urban setting will never fit in Animal Kingdom.

The plot of the ride in Shanghai is that Bellwether escapes and it's a Runaway Railway style chase through Zootopia to catch her and bring her in again. I assume the plan is to try and copy what they have and adapt for the Dinosaur motion vehicles - it's not inconceivable, which is probably why the idea presented itself in the first place.

I do wonder what the sequel will be like. I suspect they might try and find a story to tell that doesn't heavily involve Judy's employer.

 

[Incomudro]

The plot of the ride in Shanghai is that Bellwether escapes and it's a Runaway Railway style chase through Zootopia to catch her and bring her in again. I assume the plan is to try and copy what they have and adapt for the Dinosaur motion vehicles - it's not inconceivable, which is probably why the idea presented itself in the first place.

I do wonder what the sequel will be like. I suspect they might try and find a story to tell that doesn't heavily involve Judy's employer.

And this relates to animals, and man's relationship with the natural world around us how?;

 

[drnilescrane]

And this relates to animals, and man's relationship with the natural world around us how?;

It doesn't. And you know they don't care.

Dinosaur and Dinoland are a nail, especially post Pandora. Proven popular IP is the hammer. Iger specifically mentioned that list on the earnings call.

 

[Disney Rocks]

I suppose you could split Dinoland in two.

The Moana section could be included with the Nemo musical to be about animals of Oceania. Maybe the Boneyard could become an exhibit. The Zootopia ride could be part of a section about fables and the history of humans using animals as allegories for our own problems.

But that's probably too educational and thematically coherent for a project whose only impetus is to put more characters in the park.

 

[Brer Panther]

The plot of the ride in Shanghai is that Bellwether escapes and it's a Runaway Railway style chase through Zootopia to catch her and bring her in again.

Is that really what the plot is going to be?

Wow, that sounds really lame. They couldn't create a new villainous animal character or a group of animal criminals for Nick and Judy to chase? All they could think of was "oh no the bad guy escaped!"?

And describing it as being like Runaway Railway... I'm not exactly filled with confidence.

 

[Ghost93]

Is that really what the plot is going to be?

Wow, that sounds really lame.

I agree the premise is stupid. I'd much rather have the ride revolving around Judy Hopps and Nick leaving the police force so they can join an employee-owned food cooperative.

 

[drnilescrane]

Is that really what the plot is going to be?

Wow, that sounds really lame. They couldn't create a new villainous animal character or a group of animal criminals for Nick and Judy to chase? All they could think of was "oh no the bad guy escaped!"?

And describing it as being like Runaway Railway... I'm not exactly filled with confidence.

I think the original creative team didn't want to get boxed in so it's going to be a literal rehash of the movie on the Runaway Railway ride system. Same reason Zootopia+ was a midquel instead of adding anything new to the world.

She escapes so we get "deputized" into the ZPD like Mission Breakout. Easy.

The film was quite traumatic to make for all involved - they completely changed the plot 9 months before release due to feedback from Emeryville - and people were bitter for a while.

I personally would have preferred that at the end of the film Nick Wilde goes "legitimate" and achieves his own dream than have had to subsume himself into Judy's world. It was such a waste of a great character.

 

[dennis-in-ct]

It doesn't. And you know they don't care.

Dinosaur and Dinoland are a nail, especially post Pandora. Proven popular IP is the hammer. Iger specifically mentioned that list on the earnings call.

Pandora works for Animal Kingdom as the main character is transformed as a result of connecting to the surroundings including the animals.

Animal kingdom is about how we change our perception (transformed) as a result of our connection to nature and animals.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

It doesn't. And you know they don't care.

Dinosaur and Dinoland are a nail, especially post Pandora. Proven popular IP is the hammer. Iger specifically mentioned that list on the earnings call.

Pandora fits into DAK, Rhode did an incredible job with the backstory and fitting it in seamlessly to DAK.
"All of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is based on three themes. The intrinsic value of nature. Psychological transformation through adventure. And a personal call to action. Avatar matched these neatly with no effort. Avatar and DAK are essentially about the same thing." - Joe Rhode

We may not have the same results with the current WDI but it doesn't mean it can not be done

 

[drnilescrane]

Not what I was trying to say. Dinosaur's goofy postmodern 1990s vibe isn't resonating with guests when they also get to ride the uber high tech Flight of Passage. (Which is a shame, because the goofy postmodernism is the WDW I love).

It's underperforming in the surveys so it's a problem that needs to be fixed, because an underperforming ride is money you are spending on operations that isn't contributing to overall park capacity (and Dinosaur is expensive to run). If they are going to spend the money, it's going to be on a franchise. The best fit for that ride system in their determination is Zootopia.

As for overall park direction - they've made clear they don't care. Look at what they've done to "unfix" DCA with Pixar Pier and San Fansokyo, just after spending $1bn to give it a proper premise in the first place.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Do we yet know the ride type and premise for the Zootopia ride at Shanghai?

 

[drnilescrane]

Do we yet know the ride type and premise for the Zootopia ride at Shanghai?

Post #1,868

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I'd be shocked if the Moana concept isn't based on the patent we saw a year ago:

Interestingly, Mack Rides had a working concept of something similar in testing and pitched a
trailer mock up version at IAAPA. (since been scrubbed from the website for reasons unknown)

I could see a Moana Attraction being something like this:

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I'd be shocked if the Moana concept isn't based on the patent we saw a year ago:
View attachment 698226
Interestingly, Mack Rides had a working concept of something similar in testing and pitched a
trailer mock up version at IAAPA. (since been scrubbed from the website for reasons unknown)

I could see a Moana Attraction being something like this:

I wonder if they’ll use that boat tech for Tangled @ Tokyo DisneySea but I believe the concept art for Moana was more like a flume ride