Two weeks from today, I’ll be heading East with my friend, co-host and daughter, Alice Hill. We’re getting there a day or two early for the MiceChat Invasion of Walt Disney World. We’re going to Sip and Nibble our way around Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival, party with Dusty and the gang at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and check out Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’re headed that way, I really hope to see you there (info below)!
While we’re on the subject of Walt Disney World, let’s talk about a Disney’s Animal Kingdom rumor. Once upon a time, there was supposed to be a land there called Beastly Kingdom, with dueling dragon roller coasters – long before Harry Potter was even a thing – a unicorn and a magical boat ride. Budgets got cut and we got Chester and Hester’s Dinorama and Camp Minnie-Mickey instead. The camp is gone for camp of another kind with the advent of Pandora: The World of Avatar, (which has an expansion pad and attraction story just about ready to go with the upcoming release of Avatar 2) and now it looks like we might be saying “bye, y’all” to Chester and Hester’s, theme park gods be praised.
“Primeval Whirl has been closed for months, even in the busy season,” notes Orlando Weekly, citing that one of the off-the-shelf coaster’s twins in the United Kingdom was found faulty in the investigation following a horrific accident with the coaster. The ride maker was found guilty and had to pay a hefty fine.
The spinning coaster was finally in testing mode again at Animal Kingdom as recent as yesterday, but I’ve still got to wonder why they let it just sit there unused for so long. But, honestly, this land is the weak link in the Animal Kingdom at the moment and the easiest area to retheme due to two of the rides being simple to remove carnival attractions. The E-Ticket Dinosaur ride could also be rethemed to just about anything, it’s Indiana Jones at Disneyland and a dark box with partially built Dinosaurs in Florida.
If Dinorama went away, what would take its place? Zootopia is a good idea to chew on, what with the characters all being animals, a cool train through different habitats in the film that screams “make an attraction out of me”! and lots of marketable things like ice pops and Shakira CDs. But there’s a problem: the Asian parks have a five-year clause for exclusivity – that’s why Walt Disney World’s TRON coaster can open no sooner than the five-year anniversary of Shanghai’s version of the attraction. Zootopia is set to open in Asia in a little less than three years from now; that would make a seven-year-plus wait, and, frankly, Animal Kingdom just can’t afford that.
Why? Look at the queues for Flight of Passage. It’s HOURS long. There are only nine attractions in Disney’s Animal Kingdom (and one of them is shut down). They desperately need an E-Ticket to help sop up all of those people, and DINOSAUR the ride just isn’t doing it – speaking of which, yes, I’ve heard the rumors of Indiana Jones Adventure – Temple of the Forbidden Eye going in there. It might happen. It’s cheap enough to make a clone versus building a whole new attraction. There’s already a clone in Japan, but with a different theme because Mara in Japanese is…well, not a nice thing to say to someone. Why Animal Kingdom? Snakes…it would have to be snakes. Why not? Indy belongs at the Studios park. He’s already got an attraction there.
So what could go into Dinoland? Rumor has it that it’s none other than Wakanda, home to the heroic Black Panther. The jeep ride could be re-themed to be SHIELD-friendly as easily as it can be re-themed to Indy. It takes place in a beautiful, fictional African country; there’s a focus on animal and cultural conservation alongside modern living; heck, the Black Panther is named after an animal!
But wait, what about that pesky contract with Universal that covers the Marvel characters? Isn’t Black Panther one of them? I’ve seen him at Islands of Adventure! Welllllll….according to Jim Hill, their grasp on Black Panther isn’t strong enough to be enforceable with that pretty-much ironclad contract because while we’ve seen Black Panther, what we’ve seen is a single painted flat of the character. He doesn’t appear in person, nor in any shop, ride, attraction nor restaurant. Disney can use him.
But what if they can’t? They could have Wakanda without the Black Panther, which would be a terrible thing. They could work out a deal with Universal once and for all releasing the Marvel characters – maybe trade them the rights to a certain yellow family from Springfield in exchange for the Marvel characters. The possibilities are endless.
Having the Black Panther characters in the park would also help with the struggling nighttime show, Rivers of Light, which isn’t pulling in the numbers enough to make Animal Kingdom a full day-to-night park. Everything is resting on Pandora, and the strain is showing with guest complaints about not getting to ride or waiting two hours plus for the attractions.
What do you think? Would you like to see Wakanda, Zootopia or Indiana Jones make their way to Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Or, do you have a different idea for Dinoland’s stomping grounds? Let me know in the comments below, and please share from the sharing buttons!
Here Are Those WDW Events . . . Come Join Us:
Remember that trip to Disney World that I mentioned earlier? This is what I’m talking about! Join me and Dusty and a whole lot of other MiceChatters for a trip to Disney World. We’ll eat our way through the Food & Wine Festival and do all the Halloween things!
Mickey’s Halloween Party – October 17, 2019
Join us for the Magic Kingdom’s Halloween Party. The MiceChat group will meet up early and then head off together for parades, fireworks, and some trick-or-treating. Click the link to our Facebook event page (HERE) and let us know if you’ll be joining us.
MiceChat Sip and Nibble – October 18, 2019
If you haven’t done a Sip and Nibble with us, it’s time you do. We’ve found the best way to visit Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. We take turns buying bites and drinks from each of the festival kiosks and share with the group. It’s a great way to try everything without breaking the bank. It’s also a fantastic day of friendship and fun. Let us know if you’ll be joining us on our Food and Wine Festival Event Page (HERE)
Halloween Horror Nights Meetup – October 19, 2019
Are you up for more of a Halloween challenge? We absolutely love Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. There’s safety in numbers, so help muffle Dusty’s screams and join us for a meetup at one of the country’s top haunts. More information (HERE)
For more info, check out this article and join our MiceTrip Facebook Group
Disney World Tickets & Travel
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There are a lot of great things coming up . . . Halloween, Christmas, the opening of Rise of the Resistance, Food & Wine Festival, and more. Lock in the savings now!