It is here that I would place two new highly detailed and immersive lands that would complement the existing areas of the park. Animal Kingdom already does a very effective job at transporting Guests to the faraway lands of Africa and Asia, introducing them not only to their animals but also their culture, art, and architecture. I would therefore use this expansion plot to transport Guests to two other continents: South America and Australia. These new areas of the park would also deliver several new attractions, which the park desperately needs.
The lush tropical rainforests of South America lend themselves perfectly to creating a highly immersive land. Guests would be able to walk through a dense jungle environment, filled with exotic flowers and plant life, past waterfalls and rivers.
They would also encounter a wide variety of animals, such as two-toed sloths, giant anteaters, spider monkeys, golden lion tamarins, toucans, macaws, and jaguars.
After winding their way through the trails of the rainforest Guests would encounter a riverside village made up of a series of thatch-roofed buildings.
Here, students from a local university have set-up camp to study the creatures and plant life of the rainforest as well as the negative effects of the logging companies that have been chopping down trees at an alarming rate. Thus the message of conservation is very strongly tied with the attractions in this area.
This village is the embarkation point for two attractions, both of which emphasize the natural beauty of the rainforest and the importance of protecting this environment. The first attraction would be the Amazon River Adventure, a river rapids attraction that replaces the current Kali River Rapids. This attraction would mark a major upgrade over Kali River Rapids in that not only would it be longer and far more immersive, but it would also feature live animals.
The back story for the attraction is that students from the local university have prepared a river rafting expedition to study a few of the more remote parts of the rainforest and have invited you along. The first half of the ride is very calm. As the raft passes through the dense jungle, Guests encounter other small fishing villages and a wide variety of birds, monkeys, and other exotic animals.
Guests then come upon the devastation of a logging camp, where hundreds of trees have been either chopped or burned to the ground. This scene presents a marked contrast to the natural beauty earlier in the ride.
From here the ride takes a tumultuous turn as the raft picks up speed and Guests encounter a series of violent rapids as they race past waterfalls, get spun around in whirlpools, and narrowly escape an attack by a school of piranhas before returning back to the village. The attraction would thus offer far more in the way of thrills than the current Kali River Rapids.
The second attraction would be a suspended roller coaster that would make you feel as though you were zip-lining through the canopy of the rainforest. The coaster would not be heavy on thrills in terms of loops or drops, but riders would whip narrowly around trees, through caves, and past water falls. The experience would be more of a family coaster, along the lines of a Big Thunder Mountain in terms of thrills. Believe it or not, a rollercoaster similar to this was actually planned for Epcot at one point and would have been a part of a completely re-imagined Land pavilion. I think this new South America section of Animal Kingdom would be the perfect home for it.
The other new land on this large expansion plot would be Australia. It would not be as extensive as the South American section, but it would still highlight some of the continent’s more unique animals as well as its Aboriginal culture and traditions. The land would be divided into two distinct areas. In one, Guests would be able to walk trails through the majestic Australian Outback.
Here, they would encounter a variety of animals such as emus, platypus, dingoes, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils, and koalas.
The other part of the land would be more whimsical and appeal more toward families with younger children. I have realized in my reimagining that Animal Kingdom is in need of more attractions that would appeal to a younger audience. Australia presents the perfect opportunity for this as it allows for the seamless integration of an immersive area based on Pixar’s Finding Nemo. However, rather than being out in the open, this sub-land would take a page out of the book of Tokyo Disney Sea. Here they have an area of the park known as Mermaid Lagoon, themed after The Little Mermaid, which is located entirely inside in order to give the illusion that you are under the sea.
Guests would be totally immersed in the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef as seen in the movie as they walk amongst larger-than-life coral.
Most the attractions here would be smaller and nothing really groundbreaking in terms of new technology, but they would be fun options for children. Taking inspiration from Tokyo Disney Sea this area would feature Jumping Jellyfish, a version of the classic parachute attraction.
There would also be a Blowfish Balloon Race, a gondola-style spinner attraction.
Finally, The Whirlpool, a variation on the teacups.
While these attractions may not be anything special, it is the highly immersive theming and detail of the area that would really be the main draw. In addition, this area would become the new home for the Finding Nemo Musical as well as meet-and-greet areas. The headliner attraction of this area, however, would be Crush’s Coaster. This attraction is one of the most popular at the Disney Studios in Paris and would provide some mild thrills along the lines of the current Primeval Whirl. Guests ride in a turtle shell through elaborate show scenes depicting different events from the movie before going on a high-speed spin through the EAC where the turtle shell itself starts to spin as it moves along the track. The attraction is very much like a more thrilling and more highly detailed version of the Seas with Nemo and Friends attraction currently at Epcot.
Thus, this Finding Nemo area would provide much needed attractions for younger Guests in addition to some mild thrills and its indoor location would make it a great escape from the Florida heat.
With the addition of the new lands of South America and Australia, Animal Kingdom would become a more complete park. Not only would Guests now get to experience the environments and witness exotic animals and plant life of nearly every continent, but these new lands would include the addition of a variety of much-needed attractions. In addition, these lands would continue the park’s legacy of creating highly immersive atmospheres that transport Guests to these faraway lands. However, my re-imagining of Animal Kingdom is not done yet. There remains one more area for expansion and it is an area that has generated much buzz and controversy since it was first announced. Stay tuned for my next entry as I describe my plans for creating the land of Pandora from James Cameron’s Avatar.
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