Welcome to the first in a new series here at TPE. After the conclusion of our popular and long-running Epcot Center's Cancelled Attractions series last week. This new series, Disney's Animal Kingdom's Cancelled Attractions will take its place, with a new article being released every Tuesday at 10AM.
Today we start by looking at the canceled Tiger Rapids Run attraction planned for Disney's Animal Kingdom's Asia section.
This attraction, planned as part of phase 2 of Disney's Animal Kingdom, was intended to be an Asian counterpart to Kilimanjaro Safari. The intention was that the safari would provide a look at all of the animals native to Africa in the park and then Tiger Rapids Run would showcase all of the animals native to Asia in the park.
This was very similar to the original concept for Jungle Cruise. Originally Jungle Cruise was meant to be a boat ride past live animals, but this idea was abandoned after Walt Disney and the Imagineers discovered all of the problems that happen when you combine nocturnal animals with a water ride (some of whom could swim).
Disney tried to revisit this concept in designing Disney's Animal Kingdom, but ran into many of the same problems that the original team ran into with the Jungle Cruise. On top of which the namesake tigers could swim, making the idea of a boat ride featuring live tigers along the river banks a very bad idea.
They also ran into a different problem. Being a rapids ride, Disney could not control the speed of the boat as it flowed through the ride path. This wouldn't make for a good ride when the main attraction was alive and could be moving, making them difficult to see.
Disney tried to revisit this concept in designing Disney's Animal Kingdom, but ran into many of the same problems that the original team ran into with the Jungle Cruise. On top of which the namesake tigers could swim, making the idea of a boat ride featuring live tigers along the river banks a very bad idea.
They also ran into a different problem. Being a rapids ride, Disney could not control the speed of the boat as it flowed through the ride path. This wouldn't make for a good ride when the main attraction was alive and could be moving, making them difficult to see.
The animals were eventually moved to nearby displays and trails, and the rapids ride was scaled down into what we know today as Kali River Rapids. The animal theme was replaced with one of deforestation.
The problem is there was only really one main show scene, leaving the rest of the ride shockingly sparse for a Disney ride. This is a weird case where the ride still got built despite major elements being canceled prior to construction, leaving behind a ride that just feels incomplete, because, in fact, it was.
So that's our first entry in our Disney's Animal Kingdom's Cancelled Attractions. Be sure to come back every Tuesday for more in-depth looks at canceled rides from Disney's Animal Kingdom. Next week we look at The Excavator, which would have been Disney's first wooden roller coaster.
If you liked this and want more in-depth looks at Disney rides that never got built be sure to check out both Epcot Center's Cancelled Attractions and Attractions from Neverland, two series following Disney rides that were canceled at various stages of design and even construction.
The problem is there was only really one main show scene, leaving the rest of the ride shockingly sparse for a Disney ride. This is a weird case where the ride still got built despite major elements being canceled prior to construction, leaving behind a ride that just feels incomplete, because, in fact, it was.
So that's our first entry in our Disney's Animal Kingdom's Cancelled Attractions. Be sure to come back every Tuesday for more in-depth looks at canceled rides from Disney's Animal Kingdom. Next week we look at The Excavator, which would have been Disney's first wooden roller coaster.
If you liked this and want more in-depth looks at Disney rides that never got built be sure to check out both Epcot Center's Cancelled Attractions and Attractions from Neverland, two series following Disney rides that were canceled at various stages of design and even construction.
Comments
Post a Comment