New Project for Dinoland?

[queenmetroid]

I’m fascinated to see what happens when one of the IP that these single-theme, multi-attraction lands falls out of favor. Interestingly enough, WWoHP might be the closest because of all the fall-out surrounding JK Rowling. But, yeah, it’s one thing to swap out Splash Mountain or Jimmy Neutron…whole other to do that to a Pandora or How to Train Your Dragon.

That's an interesting thought experiment. I think it depends on the use case. For example, Pandora is actually a special case because, whether through luck, foresight, or skill, it works regardless of any familiarity with the IP because it's predicated on being a beautiful alien world with a focus on nature. I don't necessarily think many people are going on either attraction for the Avatar IP itself (as massively popular as it is) because they are largely a tour of nature divorced from a specific main character. It's arguably the same thing for the rest of Animal Kingdom as well, which is why the park works so well other than the lack of rides. It's divorced from reliance on nostalgia or other factors that Disney typically leans on. You could scrub Animal Kingdom of Disney references with relative ease as it stands right now.

Harry Potter, on the other hand, mostly requires that you know and understand the IP to gain anything from the rides. To that end, you simply could not turn the theme park into generic wizard land and it would have to be completely demolished. I personally think that JK Rowling will pull a George Lucas someday and reliquinish control for a payout if the franchise begins to wane in popularity so much that it hurts her pocketbook. I don't doubt that if Universal could get the rights to Harry Potter for a few billion dollars, they would do so because it would be cheaper than razing the property at three theme parks and coming up with new lands from scratch.

 

[Grabnar]

shows how creatively bankrupt they are

If you want another example of this you should watch the Bright Sun Films exploration of the various unbuilt Disney Resorts.

Disney is in a rut in every sense of the word. It’s pretty telling that the biggest expansion they’ve done recently was a coaster clone that they still botched and had substantial cost overruns on.

Eisner, for all of his faults, at least had creative instincts.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I am by no means an insider so take this with a grain of salt but from the little birdies I hear… I’d say this is Zootopia by Memorial Day 2027.

 

[Nick]

I am by no means an insider so take this with a grain of salt but from the little birdies I hear… I’d say this is Zootopia by Memorial Day 2027.

Zootopia 2 comes out either 2025 or 2026 (based on reserved Pixar spots since Zootopia 2 doesn't have a date set). If they do announce this this fall and assuming they are ready to start work on the ride January 2024, there should be no reason that a reskin of a ride can't be ready to go for 2025 with the Moana area being probably around 2027, which would be just after the live action adaptation comes out.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Zootopia 2 comes out either 2025 or 2026 (based on reserved Pixar spots since Zootopia 2 doesn't have a date set). If they do announce this this fall and assuming they are ready to start work on the ride January 2024, there should be no reason that a reskin of a ride can't be ready to go for 2025 with the Moana area being probably around 2027, which would be just after the live action adaptation comes out.

1. Disney doesn’t do almost anything that fast, Tiana feels like an exception because it’s taking over a more iconic ride in their most popular park so they have to act quickly.
2. Zootopia 2 I think is more 2026 based on the slate, I could be wrong though, just a pure guess.
3. Moana live action film will likely open alongside the land, so 2027 does make sense for Moana. I’ve heard Zootopia is a priority though and has been for quite some time, so I suspect that first. Also a larger re-skin than people are giving it credit for. Just my hunch!
4. Not diving into reasons why because we all know… but there’s gonna be “less” investment in Florida for a bit. More DVC, less park additions. Once Epic opens I suspect they kick back into high gear, whatever that ends up meaning for them.

 

[Nick]

1. Disney doesn’t do almost anything that fast, Tiana feels like an exception because it’s taking over a more iconic ride in their most popular park so they have to act quickly.
2. Zootopia 2 I think is more 2026 based on the slate, I could be wrong though, just a pure guess.
3. Moana live action film will likely open alongside the land, so 2027 does make sense for Moana. I’ve heard Zootopia is a priority though and has been for quite some time, so I suspect that first. Also a larger re-skin than people are giving it credit for. Just my hunch!
4. Not diving into reasons why because we all know… but there’s gonna be “less” investment in Florida for a bit. More DVC, less park additions. Once Epic opens I suspect they kick back into high gear, whatever that ends up meaning for them.

Disney is acting as fast with Tiana as they did with Maelstrom converting to Frozen, which is to say they are taking their time. Tiana just gives the appearance of going faster because we can see visible work. Remember, it's not opening until Fall 2024.

Disney does a lot of things slow, but when they reskin or do updates to rides, things tend to be a little faster. Star Tours 2.0, Test Track 2.0 (8 months for both), Soarin Around The World (flick of a switch after they tested it overnight), Festival of the Lion King relocation (5 month show hiatus). Frozen took the longest out of these more recent things at 21 months. Tiana will have taken around that same 21 month if it opens in October.

If we think that the Frozen/Tiana ride conversion timeline is something that would be similar with Dinosaur (there's no real reason why it should be much different), then IF the ride were to close in January 2024 (that's a very big if), then it would probably be announced for a 2025 Fall opening. If they wait until later into 2024 or even early 2025 to close the ride, then you'r looking at late 2026 at late 2026 at the earliest with an opening possibly falling into 2027 if it maps similarly to how these other high profile conversions have taken (or in Tiana's case, is planned to take).

 

[tielo]

What if they went with cash cow #1 Toy Story!
It has a dinosaur. it's not forced into this park yet and the story writes itself.
An orphans wide eyed girl (plot of almost all Disney movies) gets an educational toy set about the Mesozoic Era. It has a jeep that can travel in time (did they rip off a Universal movie?) and in story book style you ride trough the timeframe meeting toy dino's while the girl's voice tells you all kind of boring stuff. Exit souvenir shop with more Toy Story tat.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Disney is acting as fast with Tiana as they did with Maelstrom converting to Frozen, which is to say they are taking their time. Tiana just gives the appearance of going faster because we can see visible work. Remember, it's not opening until Fall 2024.

Disney does a lot of things slow, but when they reskin or do updates to rides, things tend to be a little faster. Star Tours 2.0, Test Track 2.0 (8 months for both), Soarin Around The World (flick of a switch after they tested it overnight), Festival of the Lion King relocation (5 month show hiatus). Frozen took the longest out of these more recent things at 21 months. Tiana will have taken around that same 21 month if it opens in October.

If we think that the Frozen/Tiana ride conversion timeline is something that would be similar with Dinosaur (there's no real reason why it should be much different), then IF the ride were to close in January 2024 (that's a very big if), then it would probably be announced for a 2025 Fall opening. If they wait until later into 2024 or even early 2025 to close the ride, then you'r looking at late 2026 at late 2026 at the earliest with an opening possibly falling into 2027 if it maps similarly to how these other high profile conversions have taken (or in Tiana's case, is planned to take).

I think this would be more along the lines of Tiana and Frozen, but the facade work will be significantly more extensive which I think makes the timeline about 6 months longer, plus it’s a re-skin but all of dinosaur and some queue work would likely be done. Idk what the ride is, but it’s been rumored to takeover dinosaur forever so I’m working under that theory here.

I think the ride will be closed for 2 years, they’ll probably attempt another new show at AK to create some draw, then this opens sometime early-ish 2027. I think it closes December 31, 2024. Just a pure guess.

 

[mainejeff]

My feelings about AK have evolved over time. I now consider it the most relaxing and enjoyable park...and has always been the most immersive. I still feel like Pandora was the best addition to a Disney park in the last decade. That was the game changer for me that that made AK the absolute best. I still think that a forested mini-land with Ewoks could have fit in nicely into AK with a family launch coaster (speeder bike), play area with elevated areas in the "tree tops" and family restaurant with heavy theming.....would have been great for the Dinoland area. I fear for what will actually transpire with this area....maybe EU will drive them to invest more heavily and give us something outstanding.

Also a shutout to the best Starbucks on Disney property....lol.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I still think that a forested mini-land with Ewoks could have fit in nicely into AK with a family launch coaster (speeder bike), play area with elevated areas in the "tree tops" and family restaurant with heavy theming.....would have been great for the Dinoland area.

We have a studio park already.

 

[mainejeff]

We have a studio park already.

We have a movie franchise in AK already.

 

[JungleSkip]

We have a movie franchise in AK already.

Listen, I’m loathe to defend Avatar, but at least it does have a conservation/environmentalism bent to it. Return of the Jedi does not

 

[mainejeff]

Listen, I’m loathe to defend Avatar, but at least it does have a conservation/environmentalism bent to it. Return of the Jedi does not

Ewoks in the Redwoods does.

 

[mainejeff]

But hey guys.....if you want Zootopia over a Redwood forest themed family area.....have at it!

 

[Nick]

We have a movie franchise in AK already.

Avatar fits tangentially on the themes of environmentalism and the Pandoran wildlife and animals that you see on NRJ and with the Ikran on FOP serving a bit in the Beastly Kingdom role of the fantastical, never was creatures.

Star Wars and Ewoks belong nowhere near DAK.

Listen, I’m loathe to defend Avatar, but at least it does have a conservation/environmentalism bent to it. Return of the Jedi does not

Avatar fits DAK a hell of a lot better than Zootopia will, too. Moana at least has a connection to the ocean, but that's really about it.

 

[JungleSkip]

Ewoks in the Redwoods does.

No, it really doesn’t.

Avatar fits DAK a hell of a lot better than Zootopia will, too. Moana at least has a connection to the ocean, but that's really about it.

I don’t think Moana fits at all. The movie has nothing to do with actual ocean creatures.

That being said, at least Moana is *popular*. I understand why they’d want to build more stuff featuring it. A lot of their blue sky/current projects just seem to feature stuff with little to no relevance in the zeitgeist. San Frantokyo in DCA? Zootopia? Coco in Adventureland? Who are these things *for*

 

[mainejeff]

Ewoks living off the land in the Redwoods doesn't "fit" modern day AK? If y'all hate the Ewoks....just admit it....lol. But like I said....if you want Disney to just run amok with neon Zootopia and whatever else they have planned (hint: none will include environmentalism or conservation!).....then again....have at it! I just think that Disney could have included some nostalgic Star Wars synergy with a land that could at least be themed to a forest and leaned toward what AK is about....natural settings. Weird that you guys can't acknowledge that the "look" of the land could have been much better than most other ideas or rumored themes that have been thrown around.

No, it really doesn’t.

Yeah....the a forested area themed to Redwoods does. You think Ewoks lived in the forest with modern conveniences.....they used rocks for weapons and lived in the trees.....duh!

 

[JungleSkip]

Yeah....the a forested area themed to Redwoods does. You think Ewoks lived in the forest with modern conveniences.....they used rocks for weapons and lived in the trees.....duh!

This has nothing to do with conservation. It was just George doing another Vietcong analog.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

My feelings about AK have evolved over time. I now consider it the most relaxing and enjoyable park...and has always been the most immersive. I still feel like Pandora was the best addition to a Disney park in the last decade. That was the game changer for me that that made AK the absolute best.

I’m with you here. One thing I dont relate to on this site is most people’s mantra of MOAR RIDEZZZ! When I was like 12 years old, yeah, that’s all I cared about. In my 20’s, they’re a fun place to go every once in a while just to be outside sipping a beer, walking around, and eating some guilty pleasure food. Nowhere in Orlando offers a better environment for that than Animal Kingdom, except for maybe Epcot.

 

[mainejeff]

This has nothing to do with conservation. It was just George doing another Vietcong analog.

Not sure what a forested area in AK themed to the Ewoks has to do with Vietnam but I think I'm done with our little back and forth. Have a nice day!