Every land in a Disney Park has some level of backstory. But some have more than others. Even really bad lands.
Today we are going to talk about the In-Depth Backstory for Dinoland USA.
This land is regularly pointed out by Disney Fans as the worst land in Disney's Animal Kingdom and one of the worst lands Disney ever built in any park. But it has such an insane level of backstory beyond what you would ever expect for it.
The town that the land is set in was a small fossil town founded in 1947 just off of Highway 498 in Diggs County America. It built up a small tourist industry leading to the creation of a public dig site, Resturantasourus, and the location of the land's main ride.
So let's move on to the original ride in the land, Dinosaur, or Countdown to Extinction as it was originally known.
This ride is set in the fictional Dinosaur Institute, founded in April 1978, which was a more traditional fossil museum until scientists there developed time travel with the help of Chrono-Tech and were able to travel back and study actual Dinosaurs by traveling back in time. They also run the public dig site and Resturantasaurous through the help of their various employees.
Resturantasoarous also serves as the lodging for the visiting students who help to run the Institute, having been converted into this duel use building from a fishing lodge from the town's pre-dinosaur days. They even changed the name of it from simply Restaurant to Resturantosaurous as a joke, and it just kind of stuck.
The time travel invention would completely change the town forever.
Resturantasoarous also serves as the lodging for the visiting students who help to run the Institute, having been converted into this duel use building from a fishing lodge from the town's pre-dinosaur days. They even changed the name of it from simply Restaurant to Resturantosaurous as a joke, and it just kind of stuck.
The time travel invention would completely change the town forever.
This led the institute to start offering tours back in time to see dinosaurs, becoming a major tourist attraction and eventually leading to the events of the ride where Dr. Seeker sends you on a journey to save a dinosaur from the asteroid.
And as with every major tourist attraction, its surrounded by other businesses hoping to capitalize on the success of their neighbor by providing a cheaper but similar experience.
That provides the backstory to the other main section of the land, Chester and Hester's Dinorama, which is a tourist trap trying to catch some of the guests of the Dino Institute. It has all the makings of your classic roadside attraction, cheap off the shelf lightly themed attractions and a merchandise store selling a bunch of slightly related touristy items.
Who are Chester and Hester? They are a couple who lived on the land bordering the institute from before the town's sudden boom in popularity. They owned a small roadside shop for travelers to stop at on their way to somewhere else. After the town's newfound popularity they turned their parking lot into the dinosaur-themed fair that is there today.
Both Primeval Whirl and TriceraTop Spin are tied together by this theme, as a tourist trap set up in the backyard of Dinosaur, the actual destination.
This land may often be derided as cheap and lightly themed, but even it has an expansive backstory to discover hidden throughout the land.
What is your opinion of Dinoland USA? Let us know in the comments below!
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