Indy at Disney's Animal Kingdom

JasonMa

Active member
Interesting rumor this morning of an Indiana Jones land possibly coming to Animal Kingdom:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...n-adventure-to-disneys-animal-kingdom.930506/

This time I'm hearing lots of rumors from multiple sources about Indiana Jones coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom. The most extreme of them include all of Dinoland USA being replaced with an Indiana Jones themed land. This would include the closing of Dinosaur to convert it into the Indiana Jones Adventure, an archeology-themed dig site to replace the Boneyard, and the demolition and eventual replacement of Chester and Hester's Dino-rama.

This poster has had good sources in the past. He was the first to break the news of the Great Movie Ride closing for example.
 

TheFedora

Active member
JasonMa said:
Interesting rumor this morning of an Indiana Jones land possibly coming to Animal Kingdom:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...n-adventure-to-disneys-animal-kingdom.930506/



This poster has had good sources in the past. He was the first to break the news of the Great Movie Ride closing for example.

A whole themed land for Indiana Jones? That sounds pretty exciting, hopefully indicative that Disney plans to really push forward if they have plans for this now to try to get ready for 2020. Anyway not sure about it being in Animal Kingdom, probably would do better in Hollywood studios.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
I think it's a great idea. DinoLand U.S.A.'s rickety carnival rides and unshaded faded asphalt seem like Disney saying "you could have stayed home and gone to your county fair, suckers!"

The Dinosaur ride (themed on the forgotten 2000 movie) uses the same mechanics of Forbidden Eye and could be the same or a similar adventure.
 

Forbidden Eye

Well-known member
An Indiana Jones land would be awesome...but it doesn't fit the theme of Animal Kingdom. Like at all. Then again, since Avatar opening and Guardians opening in DCA, it seems pretty clear Disney doesn't give a damn about theming.

I like the idea of Temple Of The Forbidden Eye of being unique to Disneyland. Cloning it would be cheapening it.
 

IndyBuff

Well-known member
They need to bring the Indy ride to Disney World and place it somewhere. It's too good not to be featured there.

As for an Indy Land itself, I love the idea but sadly the fanbase just isn't big enough to support something like that, especially in light of Star Wars and other lucrative franchises. If done properly they could probably bring in a healthy amount of people but it would take quite a bit of work. Hollywood Studios would be a perfect setting for something like this.
 

TheFedora

Active member
IndyBuff said:
They need to bring the Indy ride to Disney World and place it somewhere. It's too good not to be featured there.

As for an Indy Land itself, I love the idea but sadly the fanbase just isn't big enough to support something like that, especially in light of Star Wars and other lucrative franchises. If done properly they could probably bring in a healthy amount of people but it would take quite a bit of work. Hollywood Studios would be a perfect setting for something like this.

Yeah I think so too. Whats needed is the new movie plus a big marketing push to try and get the Indy Fanbase big again I think. For comparison, the JP fanbase was really small before Jurassic World came out and was almost dead, but now it seems to have pretty much grown really popular again.
 

micsteam

New member
I to would like to see more Indy in Hollywood Studios, I think it is the natural place for it, but I have to agree with Moedred. It would be financially a better move, as said, the Dinosaur ride uses the same mechanical set up as Temple of the Forbidden Eye and Dino Land is getting tired. With so much $$ commitment to Star Wars land and Toy Story Land it doesn't make sense to plan another multi billion dollar expansion onto Hollywood Studios plus the article at the intro to TheRaider.net does make a good point that WDW might hold back until they see the excitement for the upcoming Indy 5. :hat:
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
ak-map-pandora-1.png


Here's a close-up of a 2017 Animal Kingdom map. When I visited off season last decade, it made sense to close around 5 because there wasn't much to do.

Indyland could be called The Americas (to go with Africa and Asia) and Dinosaur could be converted to an Aztec temple theme like at Tokyo DisneySea. No need for an animal Macguffin, just the atmosphere of a Rainforest Cafe and maybe some creepy crawlies would help it match the park's theme.
 

TheFedora

Active member
Moedred said:
ak-map-pandora-1.png


Here's a close-up of a 2017 Animal Kingdom map. When I visited off season last decade, it made sense to close around 5 because there wasn't much to do.

Indyland could be called The Americas (to go with Africa and Asia) and Dinosaur could be converted to an Aztec temple theme like at Tokyo DisneySea. No need for an animal Macguffin, just the atmosphere of a Rainforest Cafe and maybe some creepy crawlies would help it match the park's theme.

Wow, that map doesnt look like it has very many attractions. I remember going a long time ago and feeling the same way even as a kid about the lack of attractions at Animal Kingdom.
 

IndyBuff

Well-known member
Animal Kingdom was fairly dull until Expedition Everest, which definitely gave the park a massive boost (except that the animatronic Yeti is still broken, which is a bummer). The safari is pretty good and Dinosaur is decent, but both get old after a couple rides. They really need something more there and it's a shame they never developed Beastly Kingdom. That would have been AMAZING.
 
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Le Saboteur

Active member
Moedred said:
No need for an animal Macguffin, just the atmosphere of a Rainforest Cafe and maybe some creepy crawlies would help it match the park's theme.

An act of desperation?

That's not, like, how theme works. You can spin it any way you like, but there's nothing about Indiana Jones that fits in with the idea of man's relationship with the natural world and conservation. As an archaeologist he deals with the man made world (and the preternatural). Leave the animals to the biologists and naturalists.

But he rode an elephant once!

IndyBuff said:
They need to bring the Indy ride to Disney World and place it somewhere. It's too good not to be featured there.

You will take your Temple du Peril and you will like it.

I watched one of these videos once, and now they keep popping up onto my YouTube "recommended for you" things.


Fix Asia first.

This whole idea is terribly conceived.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Le Saboteur said:
As an archaeologist he deals with the man made world (and the preternatural). Leave the animals to the biologists and naturalists.

But he rode an elephant once!

Send in the POPE!

230px-Popemobil_Mai_2007.jpg
 

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
Le Saboteur said:
An act of desperation?

That's not, like, how theme works. You can spin it any way you like, but there's nothing about Indiana Jones that fits in with the idea of man's relationship with the natural world and conservation. As an archaeologist he deals with the man made world (and the preternatural). Leave the animals to the biologists and naturalists.

Co-signed. I thought the Pandora idea was a terrible conceptual fit, and still do, what with there being plenty of earthly animals and places and real, non-Na'vi peoples, yet untouched in that park. But Pandora as executed is, at times, a compelling visual take on nature taking over post-exploitation, especially in the queue for the headliner ride, with all sorts of bioluminescent lifeforms encrusting some old mining base like so many barnacles on a rusted submarine, leading up to a ride explicitly built around perpetuating the existence of a keynote species.

Indiana Jones could treat a parallel theme about repatriation of artifacts (and Animal Kingdom, to be fair, shows some interest in post-colonialism generally), say, but it wouldn't be about animals.
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
While I agree that thematically it would be better if Indiana were a Paleontologist, Zoologist or some other field directly related to animals, I think you could make it work well. Indy has always been very associated with snakes and both versions of the Indiana Jones Adventure feature snakes heavily. Being as they already have an Asian themed land, I think the version from Tokyo would be the better one to use as a basis. They should theme the land around Latin America, which should have a section of the park just like Asia and Africa. I would design the ride to feature the Mesoamerican serphant deity prominently from the Tokyo version of the ride, just like the Yeti is used as a mystical guardian in the Everest ride. I think an Indiana Jones attraction could easily work well if designed properly.
 

micsteam

New member
I think I need to just spit it out ...as far as Disney is concerned, specifically Walt Disney World, this is about park attendance. I can't speak for Disney Land but WDW wants to increase attendance in the other parks. MK usually has the highest with Epcot following 2nd and HS and AK in that order or tied. WDW is getting away from their initial concepts of what these parks are supposed to be and, I'm a Disney fan, want to change some of the demographics to get more attendance. A good example, Animal Kingdom was a park for animals, trying to have them in " as close to natural " habitat that's why the park used to close early now they're selling out and you have Pandora and a night show. I do believe in what they are doing with Star Wars land and Toy Story land being at Hollywood Studios, these are entertainment based franchises that already have had a presence there. Epcot was supposed to be the future/science/the world and they already pulled Norway's ride about the country and put a Frozen ride and now they're talking Guardians of the Galaxy in Epcot. What does everyone think ??:hat:
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
dr.jones1986 said:
Indy has always been very associated with snakes and both versions of the Indiana Jones Adventure feature snakes heavily. Being as they already have an Asian themed land, I think the version from Tokyo would be the better one to use as a basis. They should theme the land around Latin America, which should have a section of the park just like Asia and Africa. I would design the ride to feature the Mesoamerican serpent deity prominently from the Tokyo version of the ride, just like the Yeti is used as a mystical guardian in the Everest ride. I think an Indiana Jones attraction could easily work well if designed properly.

That's some world class reaching (even if I find Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan to be compelling). The Yeti is not analogous to your feathered serpent god.

micsteam said:
A good example, Animal Kingdom was a park for animals, trying to have them in " as close to natural " habitat that's why the park used to close early now they're selling out and you have Pandora and a night show

Causation does not equal correlation. Animal Kingdom did not close early because it had animals. It closed early because Disney failed to properly build up the theme of Man and Man's relationship with the natural world. Not only are plenty of animals nocturnal or even crepuscular they could have scheduled shows into the evening hours. For example, where's the stunt show featuring the five animal styles of kung fu? Should have been there Day One.

Instead it took them twenty years to put in a half arsed show based on The Jungle Book (and they still don't have an orangutan or melanistic leopard or a sloth bear) and now that Rivers of Light schlock. You'll excuse me for not shedding tears over the perceived inability to draw an audience around the chosen theme.
 

InexorableTash

Active member
Le Saboteur said:
You'll excuse me for not shedding tears over the perceived inability to draw an audience around the chosen theme.

Heh, yes. Disney parks have had a lot of high-concept build-outs that never really clicked with the audience. And a long history of reworking them to be more appealing to the (low-minded?) park goers. Epcot always struggled; turning the Maelstrom into Frozen is the latest highlight. Much of California Adventure has been redone, with my precious Tower of Terror (just the lobby, really; could have stayed there all day - never cared for the ride) being the latest "victim". We almost lost the sub ride until it was Nemo'd up. Heck, even DL's Tomorrowland was flailing for decades until Star Wars overlays appeared.

The "park with multiple enduring-franchise*-themed lands" seems to be their least-unsuccessful strategy. Deviations from that pattern seem to linger for a while, then get reworked into more effective crowd-attractors. (With the crowding at the left coast parks, ensuring there is even density in all corners of the parks must be a priority.)

* = considering "fantasy princess" as a franchise.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Le Saboteur said:
You'll excuse me for not shedding tears over the perceived inability to draw an audience around the chosen theme.

A deeper more SixSigma way to look at this would be what best defines the guest most significant experience that brings them back? I think what Disney has forgotten is how to create a memory. You can overlay till the cows come home, you can theme and re-theme, reinvent rides, streamline consumption, but in all of that, if you forget that the guest come to remember something deeper, you'll never get out of the park what they're trying to put into it.

Small World, and Tiki Room will always be, and not because of any innovation. It's because those two "attractions" resonate a deep memory in most guests, to a past time when Disney was.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
InexorableTash said:
Heh, yes. Disney parks have had a lot of high-concept build-outs that never really clicked with the audience. And a long history of reworking them to be more appealing to the (low-minded?) park goers. Epcot always struggled; turning the Maelstrom into Frozen is the latest highlight. Much of California Adventure has been redone, with my precious Tower of Terror (just the lobby, really; could have stayed there all day - never cared for the ride) being the latest "victim". We almost lost the sub ride until it was Nemo'd up. Heck, even DL's Tomorrowland was flailing for decades until Star Wars overlays appeared.

Theme parks definitely cater to the lowest common denominator. They sort of have to by definition; otherwise, it's doubtful they could support that kind of overhead required and last as long as they have in the case of Disney.

On the narrow point of the various parks being reworked, I agree. California Adventure, however, was a terrible idea from jump. Especially by putting it in California and not laying heavily into the state's... well, mythology. Instead, they put up the postcard version of the state. Again, in California. This might have worked in, say, Shanghai, but I could have driven to the real Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods.

Where's the Zorro Stunt Spectacular? The Rocketeer Roller coaster? Red Car Diner and an improved Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin? Radiator Springs Racers could have been themed around the Central Coast and the Pacific Coast Highway and so on and so forth.

No, California Adventure 1.0 is what happens when you allow the Sharp Pencil Boys to dictate policy.

Pale Horse said:
A deeper more SixSigma way to look at this would be what best defines the guest most significant experience that brings them back? I think what Disney has forgotten is how to create a memory. You can overlay till the cows come home, you can theme and re-theme, reinvent rides, streamline consumption, but in all of that, if you forget that the guest come to remember something deeper, you'll never get out of the park what they're trying to put into it.

I would argue that this is independent of theme. Important, yes, but if theme is the umbrella or raison d'etre, then that guest experience is a supporting character. Once that's established you can drill down into specifics. Without Adventureland's rubric does the Enchanted Tiki Room exist? Probably not. Creating predictability and stifling the creativity that comes from, say, chaos is quite possibly one of the reasons Disney is in this current state of flux as they move away from the 1 Disney philosophy.

What guests value in Tokyo do not always replicate in Orlando. The Japanese don't engage with the parks in the same manner as we do.

Attila the Professor said:
Indiana Jones could treat a parallel theme about repatriation of artifacts (and Animal Kingdom, to be fair, shows some interest in post-colonialism generally), say, but it wouldn't be about animals.

Are you sure that's not an affectation or aesthetic of Animal Kingdom? As opposed to an actual sub-theme? With the Oppression Olympiad commingling with the stench of moral absolutism in the air, I think even this is too politically charged a topic for Disney to want to tackle.
 
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