Dinosaur

Description

Dinosaur is a high-tech thrill ride, one of the E-ticket attractions at the Animal Kingdom, where guests are sent back in time to the age of dinosaurs. They meet several of the giant reptiles, and find themselves still in the past as the asteroid that will destroy most life on Earth is hurtling towards the ground. Since Disney tries very hard not to drive their paying customers to extinction, guests get back to the present in the end.

History

At park opening, Dinosaur was called Countdown to Extinction. The name was changed to match the Disney film Dinosaur in 2000 and toned down somewhat.

The ride vehicle is of the same breed as that used in the Indiana Jones: Temple of the Forbidden Eye attraction at Disneyland, which debuted in 1995, three years before Dinosaur. The vehicle is protected by U.S. Patent #5,623,878 filed in November 1995 and awarded in April, 1997.

Why isn't there a T-Rex in the ride? Disney originally planned to have one, but while designing the ride, Carnotaurus sastrei was discovered and the Imagineers decided to use the South American carnivore instead.

Review

Dinosaur is a fantastic ride that showcases all that Disney can do with technology. The story is at least reasonable (once you accept the time travel part, at least), and the ride experience is top notch. There is even a bit of education sprinkled into the pre-show and the ride itself, as each of the dinosaurs you meet is identified by name.

The ride is dark, in some places completely dark, and very loud. Towards the end is an experience that will likely frighten young children. This happens to be where your ride photo is taken, so if you think your child won't handle it well, consider skipping this one - unless you want his shock captured on film.

Photos

Touring Tips

• With the opening of Expedition Everest, Dinosaur is no longer a big draw first thing in the morning. It does not get very busy for an hour or two after park opening, so it is not necessary to rush here first. However, since it is way back in the southeast corner of the park, you will have some backtracking to do if you put it off until after Asia.
• The pre-show is entertaining (and stars Phylicia Rashad from The Cosby Show). If you enter in the middle, consider waiting one more round to see the beginning. This will usually only happen when the queue is not long; when there is a wait, you are sent in to the pre-show area at the start of the movie.

Hidden Treasures

• The large Triceratops skeleton in the queue area is named Raymond. It is an actual fossil, not a replica, donated to Disney by Dr. W. R. Garstka, who found and excavated it.

Walkthrough

Hidden Mickeys

• On the mural in the queue for Dinosaur, a tree hides a Classic Mickey (show picture).