Disney’s Animal Kingdom Ride Replacement for TriceraTop Spin?

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Via DisDining.com

Out with the old, in with the new? We’ve seen changes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park, such as the addition of the popular land, Pandora: World of Avatar, and the demolition of the Primeval Whirl roller coaster. Still, it looks like Walt Disney World Resort isn’t done perfecting its fourth theme park.

It’s no secret that of the seven lands in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, including The Oasis, Discovery Island, Pandora: The World of Avatar, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, and DinoLand U.S.A., its DinoLand that stands out as the lackluster portion of the Park. And during a presentation at the 2022 D23 Expo, Disney was clear on its plans to give this portion of the Disney Park a much-needed update.

While Disney executives spoke of two possibilities for Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s next big expansion, including touches of animated Disney films, including Zootopia (2016) and Moana (2016), Moana is shining through as the possible star of the expansion.

So, when Disney releases concept art… we can’t help but take a closer look! Not only do we spot a log flume-style Moana attraction, similar to something like Splash Mountain, for DinoLand U.S.A.’s replacement, but we also see what may be a family-friendly spinning attraction that takes flight.

Sound familiar? Well, it should! Magic Kingdom Park has the nostalgic Dumbo The Flying Elephant and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin attractions. Additionally, in DinoLand U.S.A. Guests can enjoy TriceraTop Spin at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

We’ve taken many flights on TriceraTop Spin with the family, but it looks like Moana by be taking over in the most interesting way!

Disney's Animal Kingdom Expansion

As you’ll see in the up close of the concept art above, the attraction seems to copy the concept of TriceraTop Spin. It looks like Guests are seated in wooden barrels instead of triceratops dinosaurs. The art rendering even shows water jets squirting at the ride vehicles, much like the camels spitting water on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride at Magic Kingdom.

How does this look match the Moana theming? Not only do the flags in the area have the iconic Moana swirl imprint, but Disney executives may have leaked more about the experience.

Remember the fight scene in Moana when Moana and Maui, the demigod, must fight off the Kakamora? In the brief video clip below, look at how similar the above art rendering is to the Kakamora’s ship:

Additionally, when Disney executives spoke of the Moana addition, Guests could one day “help Moana save her people” and “fight off Kakamora” as Guests journey to meet “mysterious animals and creatures of the deep.” By the looks of the art rendering, this storytelling could easily be created with this new Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction.

While the “Dino Ride in the Sky” currently offered with TriceraTop Spin in DinoLand U.S.A. is a sweet ride for young and old, it would be wonderful to see Disney’s storytelling shine through with Moana and the Kakamora when Disney’s Animal Kingdom expansion unfolds.

Now, we await a concrete timeline from Walt Disney Imagineering, in hopes details will be shared soon enough about what’s to come for Disney’s Animal Kingdom attractions such as TriceraTop Spin.

New EPCOT Attraction to Open This Fall!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

A lot is happening at Walt Disney World Resort right now. Guests are celebrating the final months of the 50th Anniversary, enjoying a ton of beautiful art and delicious food at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, riding the new EPCOT attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and watching ride vehicles on TRON: Lightcycle/Run go through numerous tests. Plus, the temperatures in Florida are pretty great this time of year. It’s a truly great time to visit The Most Magical Place on Earth.

The Walt Disney World theme park currently experiencing the biggest change is definitely EPCOT. The Park is now made up of four distinct areas, each with their own personality — World Discovery, World Celebration, World Nature, and the World Showcase. While a lot of areas are being worked on, the largest construction area in the Park will soon be home to a brand-new attraction — Journey of Water: Inspired by Moana.

Journey of Water: Inspired By Moana was first announced back in 2019, and it’s now finally starting to make progress. Most recently, Disney brought in a towering statue of Te Fiti, which stands 16 feet tall! For months, Disney has been teasing that Guests will get to see Te Fiti up close in “late 2023”, but now, we have a more specific opening time frame.

According to Disney, the new attraction will open this fall!

Moana attraction EPCOT

Here’s some more information on the stunning new attraction coming to EPCOT.

Where Water Comes to Life

Stroll along a self-guided outdoor trail where you can play and interact with water as it travels from the sky to the oceans and back again. Along the way, learn about the importance of water and discover its playful personality—just as Moana did on her heroic voyage.

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is scheduled to open within World Nature—the EPCOT neighborhood dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty and balance of the natural world.

Again, we do not have a specific opening date for Journey of Water, but we do know that it will be sometime this fall. It will be so exciting to be celebrating the new attraction while enjoying all that Halloween Time at Disney World has to offer!

Disney Teases Overhaul of DinoLand U.S.A.

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Today, at Disney’s 2022 D23 expo, it was teased by Josh D’Amaro, Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, that DinoLand, U.S.A., could be completely reworked in an upcoming project.

Nothing was confirmed, nor were there any dates or specific themes given, but concept art was revealed from the “blue sky” idea. “Blue sky”  is basically a design process that allows Disney Imagineers to think outside the box and not worry about budgets, not yet at least.

Below is the concept art for a potential DinoLand U.S.A. overhaul:

dinoland

The Dinoland, U.S.A. section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is somewhat divisive among Disney Parks fans. Some love the carnival-themed area, while others feel that it should be rethemed to feature a recent Disney IP, such as Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).

It is worth noting that, at this time, Disney World officials have not confirmed what will replace the Primeval Whirl Wild Mouse-style ride or if Dinoland, U.S.A. will be rethemed at any point in the near future. For now, Guests can continue to visit the area where carnival games, the Restaurantosaurs quick service location, and the Triceratops Spin ride are all available.

DinoLand, U.S.A. features what is possibly Disney World’s scariest attraction with DINOSAUR, a time-traveling adventure. DINOSAUR opened alongside the Animal Kingdom Park in April of 1998, although it had a different name and offered a slightly different experience. DINOSAUR is an intense, exciting, and downright prehistoric trip through time, letting Guests witness the moments just before the dinosaurs were wiped out of existence due to an asteroid impact. As its slogan states, “It’s fast, it’s a blast, It’s in the past!”.

First Look at Massive Addition Coming to EPCOT With ‘Moana’-Themed Attraction

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

Disney just revealed the first look at a stunning addition coming to EPCOT along with the new ‘Moana’-inspired attraction.

Fans eagerly await to enjoy all the improvements and new experiences coming to Disney Parks worldwide. One of the most anticipated attractions is The Journey of Water, an immersive attraction inspired by Moana (2016) that will let Guests interact with magical, living water in a beautiful and inspiring setting.

This all-new attraction was announced in 2019 and would be the first attraction themed after Disney’s film Moana. The attraction is currently developing at EPCOT and is already showing significant progress. However, a breathtaking detail was just revealed as part of the coming D23 Expo announcements.

During a special media preview of the upcoming D23 Expo, Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) shared a few images of a breathtaking detail that will accompany this new attraction, a massive, 16-feet-tall Te Fiti model.

The scale model shows the incredible attention to detail that will go into realizing this attraction and talks about the different teams involved in creating this fantastic new addition, including Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios teams. The process of bringing this massive Te Fiti to life involved the exploration of the character’s pose, the color design of her figure, clay model conceptualization, sketching, and photo reference to study ways to represent Te Fiti protecting the water during its journey.

Per Disney’s information on this scale model:

Te Fiti represent life and the balance of nature. She will be seen protecting water as it voyages around the water cycle. 

During this D23 Expo, Disney describes the Moana-inspired attraction as follows:

EPCOT-Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana

Journey of Water will immerse guests in a lush environment where the story of our global cycle of water is brought to life. As gusts explore the outdoor trail, they will be invited to play and interact with water as it travels from our skies, to our oceans and back again. 

New Design Details from Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana attraction at EPCOT

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

Many exciting things are happening across our parks and resorts in celebration of World Princess Week, and today we are excited to share a first-look at some design details within Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana. This upcoming attraction at EPCOT is taking shape before our eyes, as our Walt Disney Imagineering team and crew of artisans have already begun sculpting the rockwork in this immersive exploration trail.

Designed for all ages, Journey of Water will allow guests to explore and engage with water as it travels from our skies to our oceans and back again. Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with artists and cultural consultants from Walt Disney Animation Studios to bring this experience life, and our team tasked themselves with capturing the beauty of the natural water cycle within the attraction.  We were also inspired by Moana’s fierce determination to protect her environment – her bond with water is unique, and we are excited for guests to learn about the importance of water and experience its playful personality just as she did.

Fans of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” will be delighted to see familiar shapes and characters carved into the rocks and waterways throughout Journey of Water. A great example of this is Moana herself, who will be positioned proudly – celebrating water’s arrival to our ocean.

As part of our design process, Imagineers create models, mock-ups, and maquettes to bring our beloved characters and stories into the parks in sometimes unexpected ways. Above is a behind-the-scenes look for World Princess Week of Principal Dimensional Designer, Jim Towler, sculpting the foam maquette of Moana for this attraction.

This gives a glimpse into the earliest stages of our design process, before paint and additional details have been added. Once the pose of the character is defined, sculptors add detail and texture until the emotional expression of the carving is just right. We then do a paint study and often create full scale samples to test final materials and carving techniques. This process ensures the production and creative vision for the experience align.

Below is another making-of example, showing a sample from the mountain-like forms that will soon mark the entrance to the attraction. Fans will recognize Moana’s iconic spiral, which we portrayed in one of the first concept renderings for Journey of Water.

Every detail helps tell our story.  Here, everyone can see how artisans use paint, scenic treatments, and foliage to bring even more life to our worlds and environments.

It’s certainly an exciting time for our project team as these elements are coming together on site now and in the coming months! Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana will be brought to life within World Nature – the EPCOT neighborhood dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe, and balance of the natural world. Moana is the perfect role model to inspire us to protect and conserve water and guide us through the Journey of Water.

There’s a lot more to share in the coming weeks and months, so be sure to keep following along here for the latest on this exciting part of the EPCOT transformation!