WDW Animal Kingdom: General Discussion

[Alexsutton]

To me, the implication of the ride's plot is that seeing the creature is more of a hallucination anyway.

But the Yeti physically damages the track whilst you're on the ride. You don't just see it, it affects the journey as far as the plot is concerned.

 

[rightbackgranty]

But the Yeti physically damages the track whilst you're on the ride. You don't just see it, it affects the journey as far as the plot is concerned.

I thought the plot of the ride was to visit the Yeti Disco? Or have I missed something?

 

[Alexsutton]

I thought the plot of the ride was to visit the Yeti Disco? Or have I missed something?

That seems like a pretty solid reading!

 

[Sam]

Thoughts on Animal Kingdom:

• Although it's a sanitised pastiche for mass-market tastes, the level of detail in Animal Kingdom's built environment is still astounding. It's clear that the park's designers:
  1) made dozens of trips to Asia and Africa.
  2) read a lot of books on the areas recreated.
  
  It's probably why the park is light-years ahead of its lacklustre imitators. Unlike at Epcot, the Asia and Africa sections don't rely on instantly recognisable signposts. They create homages to their namesakes by building a rich and complex jigsaw, each piece so subtle that it's almost unnoticeable. It doesn't patronise, it doesn't parody, it doesn't belittle, it doesn't suger-coat. I think AK's theming - the overflowing electricity wires, the signs advertising internet cafés, the faded buildings of Harambe Marketplace apparently opened with flourish in 1980 - work on a subconscious level. You absorb them without noticing until the impression in your mind is vivid and tightly-woven.
• Expedition Everest, I have to say, was a disappointment. All the track before the main lift hill, when you're meant to be snaking around the mountain or whatever, is just boring. It's a waste - it could be a lot more thrilling or you could pass through a lot more theming (tunnels or buildings etc.). Due to all the switch tracks, the coaster itself is too stop-start. No single part of it is really long enough to build up any momentum, except maybe the backwards bit. The big drop out of the mountain is admittedly a fantastic moment, and quite intense as well.
• The main problem with EE is the lack of the proper yeti. The entire pacing and flow of the ride is built around the yeti providing a spectacular finale. As it is, it's a massive anti-climax. The track doesn't really do that much towards the end - but that's fine, because it's where the animatronic yeti was supposed to seal the deal. But it doesn't. So the coaster doesn't really work. Fixing this with a major refurb should be Disney's #1 priority the day that Avatar opens.
• Having said that, EE's queue is the best in the world. The series of small, intensely decorated rooms are a treasure trove, and you can just get lost in the detail. Layers and layers upon layers of detail. It would be an amazing attraction in its own. Photos don't really do it justice, you have to experience it.
• I love the sitar players and the bhangra DJs near Yak & Yeti. It's that depth and cerebral touch that Disney just nail.
• It's Tough to Be a Bug! is better than I remember it being. The animatronics!
• Kilimanjaro, while it doesn't really ring my bell, is a remarkable achievement. The scope, the ambition and the execution is masterful. The way the boundaries and fences between the enclosures are seamlessly blended into the landscape.
• Dinosaur is one of the best dark rides in Florida, no doubt. The pacing and the storytelling is just right, the way that most of it is slow and then it turns wild at the end. It must have taken a lot of restraint and patience at the design stage to do that ("You want to have 50m of track in pitch darkness?!"). But it makes the ending all the better for it. It's just a really really fun ride, and it's not far off its Californian cousin, Indiana Jones. It's fast, it's a blast, it's IN THE PAST!
• Kali is great, if a little short. The queueline theming, as with EE, is unsurpassable. You just want to sink into it like a warm bath. The logging scene is cinematic in scope, and the drop is ridiculous. A+
• The Lion King show wasn't very good. I presumed it'd be a condensed version of the imaginative, arty musical in London, but it wasn't. The huge, gimmicky props made it feel clumsy and awkward. I guess it's for kids though.
• The food at Yak & Yeti is excellent. Just pipped to the post by Mama Melrose's as the best food we had at WDW.
• Err, this review would be longer but the park doesn't have many rides.

 

[rightbackgranty]

The food at the Yak and Yeti is phenomenal - noodles were amazing. We actually visited AK on our days off just to sample the food!
Did you manage to catch the Finding Nemo show? I felt it was the best show that I saw in the 2 weeks at WDW.

 

[Harv]

Nemo was absolutely stunning - so beautiful, the puppetry was outstanding. Animal Kingdom really is an extraordinarily engaging and captivating park; it's just a shame about the tragic eyesore that is Dinoland USA or whatever its called. It totally detracts from the ambience set out so well by the rest of the park and just makes for a tacky, ugly and boring waste of space. The sooner they sort this out (preferably with a bulldozer), the better.

Also agree that critically, the park needs more rides. A lot of them. There just isn't that much to do at AK yet.

 

[jon81uk]

Also agree that critically, the park needs more rides. A lot of them. There just isn't that much to do at AK yet.

I assume you walked the trails and saw the gorillas (Africa) and tigers (Asia).

Personally I think once Avatar and Rivers of Light open, Animal Kingdom doesn't need more rides for years. It is a park about exploring the small paths, finding animals around an unexpected corner and taking your time. The current mix of rides is almost right and Pandora will add a simulator/soarin' style experiance and a boat ride, which means the park then covers most ride types.

Currently, as Sam already mentioned in the Epcot thread, it is Epcot that needs help!

 

[Rob]

A few more details of the boat ride in Avatar land along with the name have been revealed:

Disney has released new details regarding their newest expansion Pandora – The World of Avatar, specifically the new boat attraction.

The new family-friendly attraction will be called Na’vi River Journey.

The attraction begins as guests set out in canoes and venture down a mysterious, sacred river hidden within the bioluminescent rainforest. The full beauty of Pandora reveals itself as the canoes pass by exotic glowing plants and amazing creatures. The journey culminates in an encounter with a Na’vi shaman, who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora and sends positive energy out into the forest through her music.

The new expansion will also feature Avatar Flight of Passage. The E-ticket attraction allows guests to soar on a Banshee over a vast alien world of Pandora. The flying experience – which has been compared to a more advanced version of Soarin’ – will give guests a birds-eye view of the beauty and grandeur of the world of Pandora on “an aerial rite of passage”.

Na’vi River Journey will open with Pandora – The World of AVATAR in 2017.

 

[Rob]

I spy with my little eye... a floating mountain!

Source: Blog Mickey

It's all really starting to progress well now, these next 12 months of construction are going to be very exciting to follow. The most ambitious theme park land ever undertaken is becoming real!

Photos seem to be a bit temperamental so please follow the source link provided if they are not working!

 

[ThemeParkCrafter]

Wow. This looks amazing! Now I am more excited than the Star Wars and Toy Story expansion

 

[Rob]

Some more aerial photos of Pandora - The World of Avatar? Why not! Credit to ORL Park Pass.

Overview of the area:

Looking from the other side:

Show building facades and floating mountains are progressing nicely:

The huge concrete slab is thought to be the location of a restaurant:

A peek at some of the track for the boat ride which looks like it will be using new technology (similar to what is being used on Pirates at Shanghai but this will be a much more gentle ride):

Meanwhile, work on the new Rivers of Light nightime spectacular is progressing:

 

[Lordy]

So I'm assuming the boat ride and theatre are sharing the same building? Looks like the boat ride might be quite small....

 

[Maelstrom]

from what i have read/seen it looks like the boat ride could be partly outdoors and travel around part of the land (there are water ways on the model in front of the huge building and around the floating mountains, plus the leaked plans of the building from a while back indicate the water channel would leave the building. I would imagine you will travel around the outside area before entering inside for a nighttime bioluminescent portion of the ride. saying that the construction photos don't yet show a water Channel outside yet.

 

[Rob]

Little update on Pandora. Apparently Disney are behind schedule with the area but are paying a lot of money to bring it back on schedule. It's all expected to cost around $700-750 million once complete, that is a hell of a lot of money!

 

[Scott]

That is *mighty* expensive...

I'm sure it'll look gorgeous, and it (alongside the dusk safaris and Rivers of Light) will hoopefully add enough to make AK more of an all day destination for people but I still can't help but think "who cares" when it comes to Avatar these days.

 

[Sku]

That is *mighty* expensive...

I'm sure it'll look gorgeous, and it (alongside the dusk safaris and Rivers of Light) will hoopefully add enough to make AK more of an all day destination for people but I still can't help but think "who cares" when it comes to Avatar these days.

The new films coming out will make it seem relevant again, at least in the short term. As for its longevity, it's questionable, but other rides at Disney parks remain popular despite being based on irrelevant old franchises/films.

Animal Kingdom is probably the best park already, it just needs more attractions, which this, along with the night time show, should solve. Animal Kingdom will be pulling huge gate figures, especially with Hollywood Studios in disarray for years.

Even if Avatar is irrelevant, the area and its rides will hopefully speak for themselves.

It's a lot of money indeed, but Disney need to do something about Universal, and Disney certainly have the money to fight them, they only recently seem to have remembered how to spend it. Universals investment boom simply can't go unchecked by the Mouse. Bring on the Orlando theme park wars, all the more benefit for us. The next 10 years at Disney and Universal are going to be huge.

 

[Rob]

Bring on the Orlando theme park wars, all the more benefit for us. The next 10 years at Disney and Universal are going to be huge.

This, this and this again! We are probably heading into the most exciting time ever for Orlando theme parks. Universal have changed the game and now Disney have realised that they need to respond. Will Avatar be as popular as say Harry Potter? I doubt it. But I would imagine Disney realise this also; Animal Kingdom needs new rides and Avatar will serve this purpose as well as bring an increase in guest numbers.

It's obvious that Disney's real response to Harry Potter is Star Wars. It will bring in big numbers and make big bucks. Then Universal have Nintendo Land lined up to open around the same time as Star Wars and that's going to be amazing. And then a third Universal theme park is very likely. And Disney supposedly have two more phases of development for Hollywood Studios after Toy Story and Star Wars (although at least one of these is still in the blue sky development phase).

The downside to it all? The huge success of Harry Potter means that we are probably only going to see IP based rides for time being. I think that is a shame as Disney do come up with some brilliant original concepts when allowed to.

 

[DiogoJ42]

The downside to it all? The huge success of Harry Potter means that we are probably only going to see IP based rides for time being. I think that is a shame as Disney do come up with some brilliant original concepts when allowed to.

To be fair, when the whole park is based on IPs, I wouldn't say this is a concern. Independent parks, on the other hand, should hang their heads in shame.

 

[Rob]

It's been a while since we had an update here! MickeyXtreme on Twitter have a couple of new aerial photos of Avatar progress:

It's starting to look greener now but still a long way to go before it starts looking like an immersive theme park area.

Meanwhile Disney have been having issues with the new Rivers of Light nighttime show. It was scheduled to debut on April 22nd. Disney will be giving more information about new timings by mid-to late May.

 

[Graeme]

The middle section of "rivers of light" has been previewed to the press...