WDW Animal Kingdom: General Discussion

[nadroJ]

Having said all the above Disney really don't need their own Harry Potter. They are Disney! That name alone already pulls more guests than any other franchise imaginable. Where else in the world does one brand attract so many people it has gained city status!

You say that, but they are clearly threatened by this 'newer' way of theming. By newer I mean going the extra step and having 'themed' food/merchandise to compliment the area and create a more immersive experience as a whole. Hence why they introduced things like LaFou's Brew in New Fantasyland, to combat the ridiculous sale of Butterbeer. But again they failed to take into consideration the deep rooted pop cultural meaning of what it means to sit in the Three Broomsticks and sip on a Butterbeer. LaFou's Brew is nothing, a beverage created solely for the purpose of being sold in the theme park. It doesn't have the iconic status that Butterbeer has.

I agree that they don't need their own Potter but I disagree that they don't need to seriously step up their game when it comes to creating immersive landscapes and experiences. Universal have clearly overtaken them in that aspect as whilst the public will always flock to Disney because 'it's Disney!' Universal's recent park additions have helped ensured that people visit their parks solely to go to Springfield or Hogwarts.

 

[Alastair]

Where else in the world does one brand attract so many people it has gained city status!

Universal City?

 

[Danny]

The IP of Disney alone is the draw, they wouldn't have to worry about installing new attractions. For guests overseas, they could probably get away with not installing new attractions for ten years and people would still go flocking.

 

[Ketz]

Disney may be Disney but they do defiantly need to do something and Star Wars by the sound of it will be it, and the thing that needs to be thought of is margins, Disney are looking over at Universal with envy with there profit margins. Harry Potter is amazingly profitable, merchandise is flying of the shelves. I remember reading that butter beer sales alone in the first year of operations covered the cost of the expansion 3 times over. Whilst Disney have to spend a near fortune on simply maintaining there vast road system, and have sunk a lot of cash in mymagic+.

It is very possible that universal will have the 3rd and 4th most popular parks in Orlando by the end of this year. And although Disney attendance are also increasing, it's not huge increases and it could be said they are due to an increase of visitors around Orlando due to Harry Potter.

 

[AstroDan]

New at Disney's Animal Kingdom - opened this weekend:



To hell with Avatar. THIS is the real spirit of one of the most beautiful theme parks ever created!

The food sounds delicious!

 

[Rob]

The new Harambe Market does indeed look fantastic, a great place for food and drink. You can see an extensive photo report from the media day over on TPR, here are a select few photos from it:

Outstanding! Can't wait to experience this in September. Love theme parks that realise there is much more to the whole theme park experience than just rides.

 

[Danny]

GOOD NEWS! Primeval Whirl is set to be closed!

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Bad news.... it's only temporary. Refurbishment purposes though, so out comes Disney's magic brush to polish a turd.

It closes on August 17th and reopens November 13th later this year.

 

[Rob]

Yes! It's closed when I'm there, I don't have to ride one of Disney's biggest embarrassments!

 

[Danny]

Perhaps the only occasion anyone can ever be happy that something is closed during their rare visit to Orlando

 

[Rob]

So D23 has started and we have a scale model of Avatar Land! I'm just going to leave these photos and videos here:

For some reason it is not everyone's cup of tea but if Disney pull this one off it is going to be one stunning area. And whether or not you like the IP the theming itself fits perfectly into Animal Kingdom.

Confirms also that you get to fly a banshee on one of the rides.

 

[Sam]

It doesn't really fit into AK as the rest of the park is based around animals that have or do actually exist.

Also the film is dreadful and nobody cares about it. Universal must be thrilled to see Disney plough half of the USA's GDP into this turkey.

 

[Harv]

It doesn't really fit into AK as the rest of the park is based around animals that have or do actually exist.

Also the film is dreadful and nobody cares about it. Universal must be thrilled to see Disney plough half of the USA's GDP into this turkey.

But Expedition Everest is the park's signature attraction, and that is based around a Yeti - pretty sure that Yetis have never existed. And people evidently do care about the film. It is one of the highest-grossing films ever made and won a load of awards. I don't think it's taken off in Britain and I don't personally care for it but it has a message that conservation is important and that nature should be respected by humankind, which entirely fits in with AK's message.

I agree it's not what I would most like to see but your comment seems a little damning for a project that shows all signs of being a success.

 

[Maelstrom]

Animal kingdom was originally designed to feature real animals, extinct animals (Dinoland) and mythical animals. Beastly kingdom featuring dragons and unicorns was in the original designs but dropped at the last min due to budget cuts.

Avatar will fit in with the park and more so than would have in any other Disney park. Regardless if you don't think the film is any good the area will be a success, the vast majority of guests visiting the park will enjoy the new area. The aim of the new development isn't necessarily to massively increase attendance but to increase the time guests spend in the park. So instead of people leaving the park in the afternoon they stay into the evening (along with the new night time show opening next year) spending more on food etc.

 

[Danza91]

Also the film is dreadful and nobody cares about it.

Took over $2.7bn at the box office but let's just ignore that, shall we?

The film had its flaws yes, some major, but an enjoyable and unique cinematic experience. As an area at a theme park I think it has a lot of potential.

 

[Tim]

This debate is going to keep going around in circles until the area finally debutes but I personally think Pandora is a brilliant idea. If we ignore the ties to the film what they are showing is exactly what I wanted the Mythical section of Animal kingdom to be like. Its fantasy merged with natural wonders.

But the bit I'm really looking forward to is summed by this video:


The guy with the earring is Animal Kingdoms original designer.

Notice the emphasis is on your personal story, and that's what this land should be; a sensational overload expereince. They aren't trying to retell the film (for which the story was its main let down) but simply be there. Give me this over Star Wars any day.

 

[Rob]

Haters gonna hate with this I'm afraid.

There was always meant to be a mythical creatures section of Animal Kingdom - Beastly Kingdom - and that looked like it would have been awesome:

So saying that this doesn't fit in because Animal Kingdom as all about animals that do or have existed is just utter rubbish. I see this as another take on a mythical creatures land but using an IP. The concepts so far along with the model all look phenomenal and I personally think it is the most ambitious theme park area ever undertaken in terms of its construction.

It certainly isn't going to do any harm to Animal Kingdom.

 

[Sam]

But Expedition Everest is the park's signature attraction, and that is based around a Yeti - pretty sure that Yetis have never existed. And people evidently do care about the film. It is one of the highest-grossing films ever made and won a load of awards.

EE is based more around the idea of the Yeti in human folklore (which is real, if the animal is not) than on the actual thing itself, look at the museum in the queue. To me, the implication of the ride's plot is that seeing the creature is more of a hallucination anyway.

Yeah, high box office figures (inc me) but I bet it got low DVD sales (compared to say, Frozen) because it was an awful film. Barely anybody cares about Avatar now, in ten years time it'll just be the answer to a difficult pub quiz question. Disney are ploughing money into a terrible IP when they could do a better job themselves (see: EE, Kali, Kilimanjaro).

 

[Benzin]

Isn't the actual ride being built a Soarin' clone?

Avatarland always felt like a knee-jerk reaction to Universal's success with Potterland, and I'm sure the area will look fantastic, but lack soul (just like the film)...

Given the sense of realism AK tends to have within it's areas as well (Dinoland USA being the red-headed step-child to this, although when you read the reasons given for the, 'strange' design of it, it does kinda make sense)... So a strange alien world does seem to be at odds with it...

Beastly Kingdom would have presumably followed similarities to EE, what with no doubt a focus on how these myths live within modern day culture and provide a sense that the world could really actually exist... Will Avatar provide the same? We'll never know...

 

[Rob]

Yeah, high box office figures (inc me) but I bet it got low DVD sales (compared to say, Frozen) because it was an awful film. Barely anybody cares about Avatar now, in ten years time it'll just be the answer to a difficult pub quiz question. Disney are ploughing money into a terrible IP when they could do a better job themselves (see: EE, Kali, Kilimanjaro).

Avatar is the second best selling Blu-ray of all time in the USA, behind only Frozen. It's shifted 7,202,381 units, over 2 million more than the third best selling. So not low at all!

I do agree with what you say about Disney being able to do a good job themselves though. However, and sadly in my opinion, the theme park industry is not going this way at all now. IPs have well and truly taken over. Obviously Disney have always used IPs, largely their own, but they have also used a fair amount of original themes; heck Disneyland opened largley as an originally themed park. But all the announced future Disney projects are IP based - Avatar, Frozen, Star Wars, Marvel, Toy Story etc. Ultimately when spending such large amounts of money on projects these days it is IPs that guarantee the best returns; Universal are probably partly to 'blame' with the huge success of Harry Potter!

Isn't the actual ride being built a Soarin' clone?

I think it is a similar ride system but not a clone. I've not yet ridden Soarin' so don't know exactly how it rides but I get the impression this will be a more individualised ride system seeing as you are meant to ride your own Banshee. A possibility for the ride system can be seen over in this Disney Imagineering thread.

 

[Rob]

Avatar construction update curtsey of Orlando Theme Park News:

They've really made great progress on this, it is taking shape well.