Let’s Discuss Animal Kingdom’s Future

Folks, we all know the deal by now.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is changing in the best possible way.

Imagineers will update the outdated relic that is DinoLand USA with some of Disney’s most exciting brands, Encanto and Indiana Jones.

That may prove to be the tip of the iceberg rather than everything we gain in the park. Still, it’s a good starting point.

Let’s discuss Animal Kingdom’s future.

The End of the Beginning

When Walt Disney World introduced Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998, plans called for a celebration of all the wonders of nature.

As envisioned, Animal Kingdom would have included a zoo area consisting of more than a dozen animal habitats, plus theme park sections based on real animals and fictional/historical ones.

DinoLand USA taught kids about the history of dinosaurs, while the planned Beastly Kingdom would have celebrated creatures like dragons.

Alas, budget cuts delayed the construction of Beastly Kingdom until Disney eventually canceled the project altogether.

Meanwhile, DinoLand USA, let’s be honest, never quite got there as a themed land.

The new budget constraints led to the creation of attractions that would have been better suited to a carnival.

None of us likes to admit it, but that is based in fact.

Disney added one E-ticket attraction in the themed land: Countdown to Extinction.

Soon afterward, the lackluster reception to Countdown to Extinction led to its rebranding.

Sadly, Disney connected the ride to a cinematic CGI debacle known as Dinosaur, which cost a lot of money to make but didn’t earn enough to justify its existence.

Since the beginning, Countdown to Extinction/DINOSAUR deserved a better fate and reputation.

So, none of us were surprised when rumors surfaced that Disney would close DinoLand USA and repurpose the space as the Tropical Americas.

Thematically, the idea works, because Animal Kingdom already consists of multiple real-world locales.

Now, it adds a new piece of geography set in the Tropical Americas.

Disney knows that kids don’t really want a geography lesson while on vacation, which it learned the hard way with infotainment rides.

Disney will populate this land with brands that kids and their grandparents will love.

The Encanto Section

The name you need to know is Pueblo Esperanza, which means Village of Hope.

That’s the name of the village that comprises the Encanto community. Think of this place as the surrounding area for the Encanto casita.

We know from Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro that this section will be 11 acres, nearly as big as Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge’s 14 acres.

So, we’re talking about a decent-sized chunk of land that will be rethemed.

Disney will design the residences here in the classic Spanish style, straight down to a fountain where people will gather to share stories.

You can easily imagine an Encanto-themed show here, can’t you? Disney really has thought of everything.

They also promise one of the largest restaurants at a Disney theme park. You can guess the cuisine here.

Children will delight in the carousel, which features hand-carved wooden animals based on Disney stories.

Sorry, kids. I’m calling dibs on Maximus right now.

While the carousel sounds amazing, I’ll go out on a limb and boldly predict that the other side of the village will be more popular.

That’s where you’ll find a famous house – a Casita, if you will.

Yes, you’re visiting the Madrigals on a dark ride set on a significant day.

Little Antonio is receiving his magical gift, and it will be a whole thing. Antonio can speak with animals!

Thus, the dark ride involves encounters with the Madrigals and Antonio’s new friends.

You’ll find many of these friends in Antonio’s room, which has been transformed into a rainforest.

Honestly, the story doesn’t even matter. All you need to hear is dark ride and the Encanto Casita and you’re sold. We all are.

Encanto is one of Disney’s two most popular movies ever on streaming, and everyone would happily trade DinoLand for it.

Indiana Jones!

Disney’s not stopping there, though. The grandparents will want something they know as well.

Let’s be honest. They’re probably sleeping through the repeat showings of Encanto. But they DO remember Raiders of the Lost Ark!

They’re passionate about it despite this harsh truth about the screenplay.

Meanwhile, the grandkids know about it from the “aging rapidly” meme from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Okay, there’s a generation gap, but Disney is banking on the popularity of the Indiana Jones brand, which has served management well at Disneyland Park.

Still, you shouldn’t expect a knockoff of Indiana Jones Adventure at the Tropical Americas.

Bruce Vaughn, the head of Imagineering, promises an entirely new story set in an ancient Mayan temple.

Indiana Jones discovers this “ruin” and recognizes it’s in remarkably good shape.

So, he decides to explore the interior, even though he’s an unwelcome guest. Hey, it’s what he does. He’s an archeologist.

Anyway, Indy inexplicably brings you along for the ride, which strikes me as a safety and insurance risk, but here we are.

We’re delving into the depths of a forgotten Mayan temple with Indiana Jones. I’m Gen X. I want that.

Of course, things don’t go smoothly because it turns out a mythical creature is the sole remaining resident of this temple.

While I doubt it will happen, I so badly want this to be the Yeti’s long-lost sister.

My wife votes for one of the dragons we never got from Beastly Kingdom.

That’s the beautiful part of this mystery. The creature can be whatever we want it to be until 2027, the target opening for the Tropical Americas.

How You May Benefit

In the short term, you may benefit from these changes.

I’m relying on some recent Disney history to make my point.

I’ve occasionally mentioned how fondly I’ve looked back on 2016 and 2017 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

At the time, many derided the park as a “quarter-day” experience.

They meant that Hollywood Studios hosted so few attractions that it wasn’t worth the effort. Au contraire.

For Disney fans, this was theme park heaven, like that South Park episode “Cartmanland.”

We could ride and re-ride E-Ticket attractions like Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania! and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith as often as we wanted.

Meanwhile, other attractions like Star Wars – The Adventures Continue were close to being walk-ons.

Sure, construction walls were visible in the park, but they never ruined the immersion, probably because many attractions were indoor experiences.

There’s a chance that the same crowd behavior will hold true at Animal Kingdom.

I won’t swear my life on it, because I remember the days leading up to Pandora – The World of Avatar.

The Animal Kingdom of 2016 felt a bit more claustrophobic to me, even though it’s a much larger park than Hollywood Studios.

Still, my belief is that the closure of DinoLand USA will primarily have one impact on the park.

It’ll reduce demand during construction.

Since consumers spend less time at DinoLand USA anyway, the in-park behavior shouldn’t change much.

Let the Good Times Roll

Guests will still spend most of their time in Africa, Asia, and Pandora.

Presuming that’s accurate, wait times should decrease due to the overall reduction in attendance.

If I’m right, wait times for Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey should decrease.

Kilimanjaro Safaris is a bit more challenging to predict since it’s the spiritual center of Animal Kingdom, but I think its average wait times will drop as well.

So, you can do most of the same Animal Kingdom experiences while spending less time in line.

The only actual loss is DINOSAUR, and few people love that attraction the way I do.

So, the average Disney tourist can experience more in a shorter period without losing anything.

Then, later, you get the Encanto casita and a death-defying adventure with Indiana Jones!

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