Let’s Talk about the Early Days of Animal Kingdom
Last month, we discussed the stunning triumph that is Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Specifically, we talked about building a theme park with animals as permanent residents.
However, that’s only half the story. Disney also constructed numerous theme park attractions alongside animal habitats.
Notably, the rides that you know the best at this park aren’t from opening day, though. Instead, they came later.
So, let’s talk about the early days of Animal Kingdom and the park’s gradual expansion with theme park attractions.
A Brutal Start
The Disney Decade proved overly ambitious and a bit underwhelming.
Financial constraints prevented then-CEO Michael Eisner from achieving his vision.
To wit, Disneyland Paris proved a massive drain on resources, forcing Disney to cut some corners with Animal Kingdom.
The most daring themed land at this park, Beastly Kingdom, never got built, which is tragic.
In a way, we’re all the better for this. Disney later used what would have been Beastly Kingdom’s land for Pandora – The World of Avatar.
Still, insiders lament the decision Eisner made at the time. He could have picked one of two themed lands, Beastly Kingdom or…DinoLand U.S.A.
Yeah, that’s a Greg Oden drafted before Kevin Durant type of mistake. Eisner had his reasons, though.
Since the beginning, Disney connected themed attractions to catalog movies.
In the late 1990s, Disney was committing massive resources to Dinosaur. This 2000 movie was to be their first foray into computer animation.
DinoLand U.S.A. would have tied into the movie. In fact, Disney built the DINOSAUR ride you know and love for this reason. Oddly, it doesn’t really connect to the film’s story, though.
Overall, early park guests deemed DinoLand U.S.A. cheap-looking and carnivalesque.
This complaint would later transfer to Disney California Adventure, which featured similar carnival-style attractions.
These two mistakes, combined with the box office disappointment of Dinosaur, played contributing factors in Eisner’s fall from grace.
When Roy E. Disney, nephew of Disney, refused to re-up in 2003, he cited failed animation and theme park mistakes as two of his main beefs.
Roughly 18 months later, Eisner announced he would step down. So, that says a lot about Animal Kingdom’s opening day attractions.
Day One Rides
The Disney theme park that has changed the most from opening day is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, none of its day one attractions have survived.
Animal Kingdom did slightly better. Here are some attractions you still know:
- The Boneyard
- Conservation Station
- DINOSAUR
- Festival of the Lion King
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Wildlife Express Train
So, at least on paper, that’s a solid list. Realistically, we’re only talking about four actual attractions, though.
The Boneyard is a playground, and the Conversation Station is an elaborate petting zoo with some other remarkable amenities.
Similarly, the train provides transportation across a vast theme park. So, it’s not a true attraction.
In truth, I should describe Kilimanjaro Safaris similarly. It shows off the animal habitats. It’s an amazing Imagineering triumph but also just a Jeep ride.
By process of elimination, Animal Kingdom features two shows that remain to this day, both of which are entertaining.
We lost Festival of the Lion King for the body of a year, and fans missed it dearly. It’s Tough to Be a Bug! isn’t quite the same experience, but I really like it.
Realistically, only one Animal Kingdom ride has stood the test of time, not counting Kilimanjaro Safaris, which is Zoo: The Ride.
For all the storyline struggles of Dinosaur the movie, DINOSAUR the attraction is a masterpiece.
Still, fans spent years holding Beastly Kingdom against the park, indicting it for what it lacked rather than what it offered.
Disney needed to build new rides to satisfy these disgruntled guests.
The Post-Opening Rides
The first addition arrived within a year of the park’s opening. Disney constructed Kali Rivers Rapids as an environmentally conscious raft ride.
Yet again, fans criticized it for being too similar to amusement park attractions and not Disney enough.
I’ve always felt that rationale misses the entire point of the attraction. Still, I’ll acknowledge that other river raft rides from the 1990s were every bit as good.
The following two attractions definitely did nothing to change the perception that Animal Kingdom rides weren’t impressive.
I’m referencing TriceraTop Spin, which remains today, and Primeval Whirl, which mercifully died in 2020.
Even as someone who admires Animal Kingdom deeply, I cannot dismiss the criticisms of the park’s first five years.
These rides weren’t up to snuff relative to Disney standards. Park officials knew it, too.
Once Disney’s cash flow improved, it committed to building an entire man-made mountain at Animal Kingdom.
By this point, Imagineers had a few chips on their shoulder as well. They’d heard the complaints about Animal Kingdom.
On top of that, other theme parks had created roller coasters that made Disney’s seem outdated and a bit childish.
Thus, Expedition Everest came into being as proof-positive that Animal Kingdom rides could dazzle…and that Disney roller coasters could terrify.
Amusingly, Disney made one of its worst mistakes ever with the mountain’s foundation.
A miscalculation led to the Disco Yeti, as the ride always operates in B Mode. Nobody cares, though.
If anything, the flaw makes Expedition Everest more fun, the thorn on the rose.
A Dry Spell and Finally Salvation
Here’s the fascinating part of this discussion. Expedition Everest debuted in 2006, roughly eight years after Animal Kingdom opened.
So, during the first ten years after the park started, it only added TriceraTop Spin, Primeval Whirl, and Expedition Everest.
That may sound like a period of little activity. In truth, it was MUCH better than what came next.
After Expedition Everest in 2006, the next new ride at Animal Kingdom was…Avatar Flight of Passage in 2017.
Yes, the park’s ride updates remained barren for over a decade, although part of the explanation is understandable.
Disney announced Pandora – The World of Avatar in 2011. As such, park officials expected new rides much sooner.
Unfortunately, Imagineers and James Cameron shared a vision for this themed land that wouldn’t prove simple to bring to life.
Thankfully, when Pandora opened, the proof was in the pudding. Fans immediately recognized the stunning advances in theme park immersion.
Attendance went up by the equivalent of 25 percent virtually overnight, securing the ride side of Animal Kingdom for several years afterward.
Still, the persistent complaint regarding this park is that it’s consistently underachieved a bit with its rides.
As Walt Disney World enters its 50th-anniversary celebration, you shouldn’t be surprised if Disney announces some grand plans at Animal Kingdom.
The park remains imbalanced, at least from a ride perspective. Everyone pulls hard left to Pandora and Africa when the park opens.
As such, DinoLand U.S.A. remains problematic to this day, as it just doesn’t appeal to enough park visitors.
Eisner’s mistake continues to have ripple effects more than 20 years later.
Still, Animal Kingdom remains a hallmark achievement in theme park innovation for its melding of rides with animal habitats.
I fret that critics too often miss the forest for the trees.