Rumor: DinoLand, USA to become Indiana Jones Land?

[lockedoutlogic]

Indiana Jones would not make sense in AK. They already have it at Hollywood Studios, so why not build it there? If anything, they need to demolish the carnival area, which is never popular, and use that space for more Dino attractions (actual Dino stuff). Dinosaur is such a unique ride and makes you feel like you're actually in the prehistoric era. Hopefully this is just a stupid rumor.

Because the biggest operational problem in wdw is getting more people into DAK...not MGM...and has been since day 1.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

Wasn't Kali initially planned to be a much longer Asian river safari with real animals?

Yes, but the imagineers realized Tigers can swim very well, so a more appropriate title would have been "Tiger River Buffet"

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Little late but if you ask me Animal Kingdom is the most beautiful park I've ever been in, if not the world. Just the nature, the theming and music is all top notch

 

[ShadeDK]

Dak is an aminal park...it has to be. The existence of the safari ride really kinda makes it so.

What they didn't do correctly is that they tried to "downplay" the animal aspect because zoos are not universally loved or more importantly - bought.

* * *

The key is to just build a fantastic animal park with lots of other offerings...and it will work itself out.

I completely agree with this. Years ago there was a book (Umberto Eco's Travels in Hyperreality for anyone reading at home) that discussed how the Disney parks, through technology, try to provide more reality than nature can. If you go down the Nile or Amazon, you're not going to see crocodiles, hippos, elephants, and all sorts of other things - you may walk away disappointed that you didn't see anything at all. Disney, however, can give you all of that on a 10 minute jungle cruise or safari trek. Disney has never tried to just imitate reality, but improve upon it to make it bigger, brighter and more entertaining than what you'd find in everyday life.

In that sense, I have no problems with the Beastly Kingdom (or Pandora) or anything similar. Disney isn't the San Diego Zoo or National Zoo - those places would be rightly criticized for using their money to build an imaginary creatures exhibit instead of focusing on their real, live animals. AK, however, is not and never has been just a zoo. They have the benefit of being both a zoo AND an amusement park. And they should take full advantage of that.

All that said, the animals are the core of the park (it's right there in the name- "Animal Kingdom") and should stay there. It's also the park most grounded in reality - real animals and not just animatronics. I think that's why it's one of my favorites. Disney has had to blend that reality with all of its "better than reality" Imagineering and world building - and they've done an impressive job of that. A fair criticism of Pandora and IJ is that those lands move away from the real animals at the heart of AK. I'm not against those lands outright (or Beastly Kingdom) - but do think that they should complement the zoological features of AK rather than pushing them into the background.

 

[rteetz]

Little late but if you ask me Animal Kingdom is the most beautiful park I've ever been in, if not the world. Just the nature, the theming and music is all top notch

Agreed, however I haven't been to DisneySea which might take the cake.

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Agreed, however I haven't been to DisneySea which might take the cake.

I finally watched a walkthrough of the park earlier and this thought bothered me a lot: outside of lost river delta where are the trees and greenery? Granted that's something that is important to me I just thought that was weird

 

[rteetz]

I finally watched a walkthrough of the park earlier and this thought bothered me a lot: outside of lost river delta where are the trees and greenery? Granted that's something that is important to me I just thought that was weird

Well Tokyo DisneySea isn't about trees and greenery but about being a sea port.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

To be clear: wdw features 3 of the best designed parks in history...of course Epcot is the best...or was (I've read dozens of theme park analysts over the years talk about that...it's not just my hack opinion)...

And they have a disjointed mess that has somehow succeeded for 25+ years...

It's an amazing collection and the underlying reason why hundreds of millions of people flock there over the course of a a few years...the build is the glue and the foundation.

But dak was under built by at least 1.5 lands...and that was 20 years ago...they will have to complete the build to ever get it up to "best" standards.

 

[amberpi]

To be clear: wdw features 3 of the best designed parks in history...of course Epcot is the best...or was (I've read dozens of theme park analysts over the years talk about that...it's not just my hack opinion)...

Whoa, whoa, whoa...are you suggesting that anyone thinks Epcot isn't the best themed park ever built? I thought all the discussion was merely about second place. Also, I'll physically fight anyone who thinks different. I'm pretty small, but really mean, so ya'll're warned. (I'm from the South, I reserve the right to include contractions in conjunction with ya'll.)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I completely agree with this. Years ago there was a book (Umberto Eco's Travels in Hyperreality for anyone reading at home) that discussed how the Disney parks, through technology, try to provide more reality than nature can. If you go down the Nile or Amazon, you're not going to see crocodiles, hippos, elephants, and all sorts of other things - you may walk away disappointed that you didn't see anything at all. Disney, however, can give you all of that on a 10 minute jungle cruise or safari trek. Disney has never tried to just imitate reality, but improve upon it to make it bigger, brighter and more entertaining than what you'd find in everyday life.

In that sense, I have no problems with the Beastly Kingdom (or Pandora) or anything similar. Disney isn't the San Diego Zoo or National Zoo - those places would be rightly criticized for using their money to build an imaginary creatures exhibit instead of focusing on their real, live animals. AK, however, is not and never has been just a zoo. They have the benefit of being both a zoo AND an amusement park. And they should take full advantage of that.

All that said, the animals are the core of the park (it's right there in the name- "Animal Kingdom") and should stay there. It's also the park most grounded in reality - real animals and not just animatronics. I think that's why it's one of my favorites. Disney has had to blend that reality with all of its "better than reality" Imagineering and world building - and they've done an impressive job of that. A fair criticism of Pandora and IJ is that those lands move away from the real animals at the heart of AK. I'm not against those lands outright (or Beastly Kingdom) - but do think that they should complement the zoological features of AK rather than pushing them into the background.

During the D23 parks panel, the Imagineer leading the updates to EPCOT described the park this way (and I think it goes for all the parks): "Making the fantastical real, and the real fantastical" ... I think that is what Disney does best

 

[umichigan10]

Dak is an animal park...it has to be. The existence of the safari ride really kinda makes it so.

What they didn't do correctly is that they tried to "downplay" the animal aspect because zoos are not universally loved or more importantly - bought.

I think that's part of the problem: embrace it. We live on a planet dominated by biology and a diverse ecoculture...if that's not "people's things"...then I don't care about them. Grow up and use your Brain. It's not always about cartoons...ahem...Epcot....but whatever.

The key is to just build a fantastic animal park with lots of other offerings...and it will work itself out.

Post of the year candidate

 

[lockedoutlogic]

During the D23 parks panel, the Imagineer leading the updates to EPCOT described the park this way (and I think it goes for all the parks): "Making the fantastical real, and the real fantastical" ... I think that is what Disney does best

Right up until shoehorning princess cartoons into country pavilions...I would tend to agree

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Well Tokyo DisneySea isn't about trees and greenery but about being a sea port.

I figured as I like water theming more but it was just a "woah!" moment watching

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I finally watched a walkthrough of the park earlier and this thought bothered me a lot: outside of lost river delta where are the trees and greenery? Granted that's something that is important to me I just thought that was weird

The trees melted after Daiichi went code...so eventually they'll grow back

 

[amberpi]

Yes, but the imagineers realized Tigers can swim very well, so a more appropriate title would have been "Tiger River Buffet"

I know Disney would never encourage gambling, but if they had gone that way, this would have a good entrance.

 

[beer dave]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...are you suggesting that anyone thinks Epcot isn't the best themed park ever built? I thought all the discussion was merely about second place. Also, I'll physically fight anyone who thinks different. I'm pretty small, but really mean, so ya'll're warned. (I'm from the South, I reserve the right to include contractions in conjunction with ya'll.)

I think that is the first double contracted word I have ever seen written. Indeed a bold move. Thanks for opening up the possibilities.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I think that is the first double contracted word I have ever seen written. Indeed a bold move. Thanks for opening up the possibilities.

I lost two major arteries to the CNS trying to wrap my ganglion around that as well...

 

[amberpi]

I think that is the first double contracted word I have ever seen written. Indeed a bold move. Thanks for opening up the possibilities.

Do you think I took too many liberties? Apparently I've offended @lockedoutlogic's delicate sense of proper grammar. I hope ya'll can recover. I could have gone for ya'll'll here, but didn't. I hear such things every day.

Sorry for the off topic nonsense @ShadeDK. In seriousness - does anyone know that the actual available land from Dinoland - to Asia would be? Seems like it'd be far too much area for a IJ land. I don't think the source material would be rich enough (not that I don't love Indy) to cover that kind of territory. Another continent certainly would fit that bill.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Do you think I took too many liberties? Apparently I've offended @lockedoutlogic's delicate sense of proper grammar. I hope ya'll can recover. I could have gone for ya'll'll here, but didn't. I hear such things every day.

Sorry for the off topic nonsense @ShadeDK. In seriousness - does anyone know that the actual available land from Dinoland - to Asia would be? Seems like it'd be far too much area for a IJ land. I don't think the source material would be rich enough (not that I don't love Indy) to cover that kind of territory. Another continent certainly would fit that bill.

...you're so silly...

...I have no sensibilities...

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think that is the first double contracted word I have ever seen written. Indeed a bold move. Thanks for opening up the possibilities.

so if she didn't warn us could she say ya'll'ren't?