Mouse Extra

Today’s Bulidng My Imagineering Resume is by Mike, contributing write to Mouse Extra/  Part two of his three part proposal to expand the Animal Kingdom brings us to Australia. 

Now, let’s move across Discovery Island to the Theater in the Wild where the Nemo musical is currently playing. It seems to me this would be a great jumping off point for a new area dedicated to the world’s aquatic environments, called “Aquatica.” Everyone who has seen the newest Little Mermaid Special Edition DVD has checked out the animated mock up Little Mermaid ride. Put it here.

As for animals, we already have an indoor coral reef at Epcot. So to avoid duplication, we’ll pay tribute the National park system with Alligator River Park trail. American alligators and crocodiles would be viewed along with other animals from the region like herons, ducks, raccoons, bobcats, and maybe even manatees. I would include a building for the smaller creatures like insects, frogs, snakes, and fish. I would also add displays on the history of our national park system. Other exhibits could include sea lions, which are always popular. At my zoo, we have a huge flight cage for pelagic (ocean going) birds like gulls, terns, cormorants, and penguins. This area could host an old idea from the aforementioned Beastly Kingdomme, Loch Ness Landing. This would be a restaurant with seating around a lagoon. Periodically, guests would hear bag pipes in this distance followed by a bubbling in the center of the water. Finally, old Nessie would come up and look down at the diners.

But we do have the Living Seas. I can feel some of you out there wanting to steer clear of the water. I think its different enough, but I do have an alternate plan. The Nemo musical could also be a springboard for an Australia area. A walkabout exhibit featuring kangaroos, wallabies, and the like from Australia’s wild lands would be the main exhibit. I would also construct a rainforest home for kiwis, snakes, and koalas. A thrill ride could also be developed such as a hybrid coaster (part coaster, part flume) racing the through the outback. Of course, the obligatory “shrimps on the barbie” food stop would be there.

Universal Studios has announced what many already knew, Harry Potter is coming to the Islands of Adventure theme parks.  Thankfully, the rumors can finally be put to rest after years and years of discussion.  Scott Powers of the Orlando Sentinel has the best story I have seen this morning.

Universal plans a 20-acre “Wizarding World,” a little bigger than the average size of its themed “islands” at Islands of Adventure. Part would be carved away from what is now “The Lost Continent” island, and the rest would be land now used for employee parking and park support, outside the back fence.

The new, “seventh island” would feature reconstructed and rethemed attractions, and all-new ones, Scott Trowbridge, vice president of Universal’s Creative Studios, said in an interview. The Hogwarts castle and locations from Rowling’s Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade village will be created as backdrops to attractions, shops and restaurants.

Universal is going to move quickly, planning to break ground this summer and open the new area in 2009.  Apparently some existing attractions may be “re-themed” to fit the Potter world, which sounds awfully cheap on the surface.  But considering that neither Universal nor Harry Potter holds much interest to me, I can’t complain too much.

The most important aspect in all this is what effect this can have on Disney World.  Michael Eisner, former CEO, was extremely competitive when it came to Universal.  If he were in charge, we could expect a similarly huge announcement and rush to open before Universal.  But he’s not the boss anymore, and it will be fascinating to see if Bob Iger responds in similar fashion or with more patience.  I, for one, hope Disney responds in a big way. 

If “Wizarding World” is a huge hit, will the long rumored villains themed park be announced?  Could Harry Potter usher in a renewed zeal to build the Beastly Kingdomme?  Could there be something even more exciting around the corner Disney could use to take the wind out of Universal’s sails?  Either way, Potter has surely raised the bar in Orlando.

Jim Hill, within a book review he posted this morning, revealed some interesting information on way may be the plot in the potential fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film.  And it is very intriguing…

…(Pirates 4) will reportedly be built around Jack Sparrow & Barbossa. With the two captains initially reconnecting in the just-founded city of New Orleans before they then join forces and head off to Florida in search of the Fountain of Youth.

Man, let’s hope he is right about this one.  That sounds like a fantastic film.  In my opinion, Barbossa and Sparrow are what made the Curse of the Black Pearl such a terrific film.  Their contrasting, yet similarly ruthless and witty styles were what injected so much fun into the first movie.  Dead Man’s Chest was missing this element, and that’s why it didn’t play as well to me.  The simple fun of swashbuckling buccaneers was replaced with a convoluted story. 

Also, instead of focusing on Barbossa, we spent more time with Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.   The result was the viewer having to endure more Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, whose characters were not nearly as dynamic as the Captains.  Also, and this is meant with no disrespect to either actor, but both of whom have no where near the ability to entertain on screen like Geoffrey Rush.  Either as a result of acting or writing, Swann and Turner are boring characters, especially Turner.   And sitting through the forced love scenes and poorly delivered jokes is not the highlight of the Pirates films.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting this morning that six people, including a cast member, were injured yesterday while evacuating Kali River Rapids.  The ride itself was not the issue, but the way riders were taken off during a shut down.

Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said the company conducted safety checks of the ride and did not find any problems.

It did determine, however, that the platform used to evacuate people from the ride vehicles “disengaged and slid.”

None of the injuries appear to be serious, and the ride has reopened.

Today’s Building My Imagineering Resume is by Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra.  Today is the first of three articles dedicated to Mike’s ideas for building upon the Animal Kingdom theme park. 

One of the things you consistently read on Disney websites, message boards, and blogs is the Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a half day park. I’m not a subscriber to that theory myself, but that may be due to the fact that I am a zoo “buff.” I have volunteered at the world renowned Bronx Zoo for over seventeen years. I own volumes on biology, conservation, and zoo exhibitry. However, I know most people are not that extreme in their feelings on zoos. While I can spend an hour easy leisurely strolling through the Maharajah Jungle Trek, others whip through it in ten minutes pausing briefly along the way. Zoos have long known that the average visitor spends less than a minute at each exhibit. For those people, maybe the Animal Kingdom is merely a half day park which was only increased by a half hour with the addition of Expedition: Everest. For this reason, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has less single day pass guests than the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. If Disney invests in additional attractions at the Animal Kingdom, it can be safely assumed that the single day and non-park hopper crowds will increase.

Let’s start off with Camp Minnie Mickey shall we. This was initially meant to be a temporary land occupying the space destined to become the Beastly Kingdomme (more on that later). However, Camp Minnie Mickey turned out to be popular and the Beastlie Kingdomme (or however its spelled) turned out to be quite expensive. Thus, Disney turned the theater for the Festival of the Lion King into a more permanent structure. Now, I love that show. It’s the best of its kind at Walt Disney World, but it belongs in Africa. So lets move it to either somewhere near Harambe or adjacent to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I understand the expense of that is prohibitive to the Board of Directors, but what the heck.  It’s my article, right?

Instead, I would turn both the character greeting area and the Pocahontas show into attractions in a new land, “America.” Since each continent has at least one walk through exhibit, we’ll create Grizzly Canyon, a mountainous terrain with Mexican wolves, cougars, and other animals. The path leads into a darkened cave where the lights switch day and night so the nocturnal animals, such as foxes, owls, and badgers, are more active. This would also include a colony of small fluttering bats, perhaps even vampire bats. At the Bronx Zoo, we used to have a colony of these creatures and they would lap up blood from a small dish. The path would end, of course, at the Grizzly bear’s domain.

I would also like to see an area for younger kids. Near the Canyon, I would construct Bambi’s Grove, or maybe something themed on Pocahontas. Here, I would have small exhibits with common critters like white-tailed deer, beavers, rabbits, and porcupines. Mixed in with the animals would be a carousel where children ride forest animals like elk, moose, and bison. A kiddie-coaster (along the lines of Goofy’s barnstormer) called Flight of the Bumblebee would zip kids past oversized flowers, spiders, and ladybugs in a giant garden.

Also, in this land, I would develop an ancient Mayan ruin named after an ancient Mayan word, perhaps meaning “unity” or some such. This area would contain the gift shops, maybe one with a Native American flare, the counter service food area, and a sit-down restaurant. I would go with Cuban and/or Caribbean cuisine as neither choice has been given any real justice at the World. The highlight of this area would be Amazon, an aquatic journey deep into the Amazon rainforest. The ride would start off passing riverbank exhibits for jaguars, capybara, tapirs, and a troop of loud howler monkeys. Then, your boat slides under a heavy canopy turning everything pitch black, where all you hear are insect calls and all you see are a caiman’s eyes. You then drop down a short (like Maelstrom) waterfall drifting into a brightly lit greenhouse filled with colorful tropical birds, like toucans and macaws, and primates. If you’re lucky, you may spot the sloth or tree anteater. In the water, there are species of turtles and Amazon fish. Perhaps, there is even the rare Amazon River porpoise. The dark drop is for two reasons- the lack of light keeps the birds from flying away, the drop keeps the fish in.

When Pleasure Island first opened, it was a real departure for Disney. The home of Mickey Mouse opened up a venue of adult-oriented nightclubs and bars where scantily-clad woman danced on stage while employees sold test tube shots to passersby. Various nightclubs have come and gone, have been renamed, or re-themed, and now Pleasure Island is set for a significant overhaul. Through the years though, the Adventurers’ Club remains the most Disneyesque of the establishments there.

The decor is straight out of an old movie. The place is jammed packed with curios, trophies and knickknacks from across the world. The idea is that you’re in an early 20th century hunters’ or explorers’ club. Unlike the other dance joints and comedy club found on Pleasure Island, this place has in-character cast members mingling with the patrons. After hanging around for a bit, a guest will be able to notice that there is a little more going on here than just some funky Zulu masks and the like. You may see eccentric cast members talking to mounted animal heads on the wall- that talk back. These actors range from french maids to prim and proper butlers.

If you sit at the bar, be aware that you’re stool may suddenly rise or fall. The masks on the wall may move or even talk. Also, the cluttered momentos allegedly amassed by the members are fun to peruse. The level of detail here is amazing even by Disney’s standards. Specialty drinks (this is a bar after all) include The Kungaloosh and the Jungle Juice. There is no food.

Finally, you should make sure you stick around for awhile. The audio animatronic old main in the main foyer will interact with the more “lively” cast members to announce a show, which is not advertised, you just have to luck out. They will show you to the library or one of the other rooms such as the treasure room or mask room for a brief, offbeat comedy routine about club members’ various achievements and escapades. You very well may be inducted to the club learning the club’s song and secret handshake to boot.