Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom DAK has great "bones" and it would be easy for tweek it some and bulldoze where necessary. DAK is just not a complete park. And I would much rather have a train ride to somewhere more intresting than a generic petting zoo that partically bans British tourists because of mad cow disease, in lieu of Avatarland. I think there is enough things already preexisting in DAK that could use some plusing before another "land" needs to be built. DAK is a huge park, having some form of transportation inside the park to the various "lands" would be greatly appreciated.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 A couple of quick thoughts on the AK discussion. I opened the AK and the conservation theme was really pushed by Michael Eisner. I had the chance to ride a couple of attractions with him before the park opened and he talked a lot about the importance of the conservation storylines. Despite what the Imagineers thought, it was Eisner who insisted that Big Red be seen laying on its side. It wasn't until the guest complaints poured in that Eisner finally relented. The name change from Countdown to Extinction to Dinosaur was made to coincide with the release of the Disney film. That was another decree by Eisner. Eisner loved the attraction. When he rode his only negative comment was that the vehicle needed to feel like it "landed" harder when it jumped into the past and the same returning. Eisner was sure that CTX was going to be Disney's answer to Jurassic Park.
Originally Posted By dshyates Guess where else Cameron went? <a href="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2011/10/picture-it-james-cameron-at-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter.html" target="_blank">http://blogs.orlandosentinel.c...ter.html</a>
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper ^^^There's a rumor floating around that Universal declined on bringing Avatar in.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom DAK was over the top environmentalist when it opened. It was like a protest park. Some elements needed to be watered down. Like the chainsaw sounds and the burning forests on Kali. The whole scene regarding Little Red and castmembers with guns on KS needed to be tweeked. Dinosaur is a huge letdown and less dramatic than either the dino scene on the DL railroad or Universe of Energy.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>I could tell you pre-opening stories about Maelstrom. What a headache.<<< PLEASE do.
Originally Posted By leobloom The only way you can really enjoy Maelstrom is if you are tripping on acid.
Originally Posted By danyoung >(In best Miss Lily Litella inpersonation) Never Mind!< Not that it matters, but it's Emily Litella. And I LIKE Maelstrom! Too short, but otherwise fun.
Originally Posted By leobloom The single best thing about Maelstrom is the oil-rig finale. So magical in an industrial sort of way.
Originally Posted By HMButler79 I agree oh the things said about Rhode. Whereas Baxter can be extravagant w/ time, place, and theming inside AND out (Fantasyland '83, Splash, Indy, DLP), it seems Rhode only has a talent for outside physical enviorments that ransport you, but teh actual show scenes of the attractions are lacking. Where Baxter KNOWS how to use his money on sets, theatrical lighting, FX, etc, w/ Rhode we get bare bones inner Everest, bare bones Kali, and some neat things on CTX.
Originally Posted By Manfried Norway? Norway. The last World Showcase Pavilion ever completed. Not sure what that says.
Originally Posted By 2001DLFan <<The fact that Joe Rohde is involved makes me more comfortable with the Avatarland endeavor. At least with Joe around whatever it is going to be, it will be good.>> My question is, was Joe Rhode involved in the initial decision to take on Avatar as part of Animal Kingdom, or was he blindsided with the deal and now faced with trying to make some kind of rationalization as to how Avatar can be incorporated into the park?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Wow! Tough crowd. In many ways I consider the AK to be WDW's best park. Incomplete? Yes. But it has the bones to be the best ever, and Rhode provided that.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Guess where else Cameron went? <a href="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.c...ter.html<<<" target="_blank">http://blogs.orlandosentinel.c...<<</a> There is a picture in the article that shows Cameron at WWOHO accompanied by someone with a Disney name tag. Or does Universal use the same just with their logo printed on it?
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Wow! Tough crowd. In many ways I consider the AK to be WDW's best park. Incomplete? Yes. But it has the bones to be the best ever, and Rhode provided that.<<< We haven't been to many Disney parks, only to DLRP and WDW, but in my opinion DAK is the most beautiful park at WDW and second best after DLP.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Agreed RT and dagobert. While I would still rather go to the san Diego zoo, I think DAK is the most beautiful park in the US. Attractions are strong. And I really lament the loss of the strong convictions of the park as I loved the way it was a tool to surmount ecological ignorance. However, like most things at Disney, the parks are becoming a soulless commercial for ignorant don vivants on the quest of rubbing shoulders with the rubberheaded glitterati of animation. All is very sad to me. A fwiw, I like Maelstrom more than any attraction in fantasyland.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Having been to Norway for real, it is lovely. What is have come to realise by reading recent posts on lp, a lot of folks here don't seem to like the reality aspects of WDW. It is funny, for me, I always perceived the joy of a Disney park as being in a highly stylized augmented reality. Hence why I love epcot and DAK, as well as attractions like lma, with little interest in toon stuff. My pathologically growing hatred and repulsion of all park things tooned is derived by the erosion of ideals and edutainment principles by the manifestation of juvenile indulgences by corporation synergy looking to increase a significant return on investment by milking the population of drones who want more IPR exposure. New Disney to me is like new coke. Difference is, I am one of the few who dislikes the overly sweet formula.
