I hope D'Amaro puts the "Animal" back in "Animal Kingdom"
I noticed a pattern with the D23 announcements- that every announcement that seemed to cater more toward the parks fans (Dreamfinder, New³ Tommorowland, Yeti Refurb, etc.) was fairly vague. I attributed this to poor planning- the Disney company trying to stir a reaction out of its fans and get a quick buck.
I think I was wrong. I think these new, better, announcements that are more in line with the wishes of dedicated parks fans came about only after D'Amaro took over, and that's why they're all underdeveloped conceptually. They're brand new.
This might be more of a reach, but it seems to me like the last of the Bob era developments have also been refined by imagineering. I don't think any of us were expecting Piston Peak to come out looking as good as it did, nor the apparent quality coming from Tropical Americas. I also attribute this to D'Amaro.
Considering that Josh was at one point VP of AK, I think he might have a vested interest in that park to begin with. So is it a stretch to say that, under his leadership, we could see actual animal habitats in Tropical Americas (fixing the main problem many had about that land)? Can we expect him to bring AK back to its roots?
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Rohde said in so many words that the lack of animals (at this time) is a budgetary consideration and that he hopes for them to be included at some point.
His response to this question on Instagram:
“I agree that live animals are an important part of the park and that Tropical Americas would be better with live animals. But each opportunity for expansion also comes from a business opportunity. And in this case, the park needs rides for young people…preferably air-conditioned rides for a young people. And so out of a total budget, which, let me remind you is a budget for a remodel not a virgin ground entirely built from scratch land, the driving business priorities have to be met… Because that’s where the deal comes from. However, I do believe animals are important, and I do believe that they should be included in the future when a business plan can be written for that effort.”
AK has always been my favorite Disney park.
It is very different from other parks - nice Vibe and some great attractions.
Avatar Flight of Passage - Kilimanjaro - Expedition Everest
Plus we liked the train ride to the petting zoo are (Which is gone now) Rafiki's Planet Watch was a nice get away from the park while you were in the park....
FYI: Make a Note: Last week of August, first week of September ... The Orlando parks are empty ... Disney and Universal.
They've all but confirmed that there are no animal habitats/exhibits associated with the new land. WDI has been clear of making authentic connections between the new attractions and animals of South America, which was reinforced with comments from Joe Rohde, but they've completely avoided talks of habitats/exhibits. Obviously when it was Dinoland USA, this area (and PtWoA) could not have habitats because it was dedicated to extinct (or fantastical) creatures, so there would be no net change in habitats if there weren't any in Tropical Americas.
However, I do think there's something to be said about having real animals in the area, and not including them in this retheme is a missed opportunity. It's very possible that Disney doesn't see value in expanding their zoological operations that can be expensive to maintain and staff. Also, this area of DAK is isolated from other areas of the park where there are animal habitats/exhibits, and it could have been costly and time consuming to include the needed infrastructure (and backstage areas) to support veterinary staff and spaces. Also when it was announced, Tropical Americas was being fast-tracked and there might not have been the will or budget to completely revamp this side of the park to support live animals when the focus was to get this area of the park back open to guests as soon as possible.