A Disney Park Ride Idea: Kumandra River Rapids

[Winter]

Disney's Animal Kingdom is, not great. It's by no means a BAD Theme park and it has some interesting rides but when compared to the other Theme Parks it's rather lackluster. It's started to turn that around with the edition of Pandora but the other areas are still rather dull IMO. Park of the problem seems to be the parks interesting in being more of a PSA instead of just being a THEME Park. We don't go to Disney World to be reminded of how bad things can get we go there to FORGET the outside world and have fun so AK tries to do both which makes the whole experience IMO, tonally inconsistent.

The best example of this, IMO, is the Kali River Rapids in the Asia section of the Park. The ride wants to show how bad things are in that part of the world but ALSO has to be this fun ride, The Message of the ride gets lost because it's not a story told in via a ride it's a lecture that keeps splashing you with water. It also doesn't help that in order to fit in this message the ride has to grind to a halt to show a burning forest which is mildly uncomfortable because that's actual fire and it's REALLY close so it briefly results in the fun being rudely interrupted before throwing you back into the water.

Thus we come to the idea, revamp the ride and have it tie into Raya and the Last Dragon. Remove the fire and have some close encounters with the Druun (the monsters from that movie) along with a few scenes of Raya being chased by Fang soldiers thrown in and have it were the plot of this ride is set before Raya finds Sisu. Basically what we're seeing is the story of how Raya stole Fang's Dragon Scroll with the pre-show being that we are guests of Fang who are showing us around summer palace where the scroll is kept.

As we go on we can catch glimpses of Raya as she makes her way to were the scroll is being kept which, of course, the part of the pre-show. Then after we leave the room where the scroll is kept "someone" brakes into said room and we also here that there are Druun nearby so to ensure our safety we're set away in a few boats but, of course, something goes wrong and instead of taking the path that we're were suppose to we end up going down the rapids instead were we see Raya trying to escape the Fang soldiers while also avoiding the Druun.

Using a mix of animatronics, a few screens (shielded so the water doesn't get near it) we get a whole new ride that does what any good Disney Theme Park ride should do, give us a ride with a fun story where we see Raya stealing the scroll and how she escaped.

I also think that the Asia section should just be reworked to just be Kumandra as a whole because both Asia and Africa are really boring as park sections but that's a story for another time. But this is a ride that I REALLY want to see get revamped as the Kali River Rapids is rather dull and, like I said, is rather uncomfortable and as a result I personally don't find it to be as fun as it could be.

Raya and the Last Dragon is gaining a lot of popularity and, from what I understand, is HUGE on Disney+ now that it isn't behind a paywall so this would be a great way to inject new life into a rather okay ride. Thoughts?

[Deledrius]

Disney's Animal Kingdom is, not great.

That's your opinion.


Turning the Animal Kingdom park into another Magic Kingdom (they way they're doing to EPCOT) is a bad idea. It's great that, with the exception of the unfortunate Pandora area, the Animal Kingdom is not yet another IP-Land park. I hope it stays that way. I really wish they'd retract the destruction they've already done to EPCOT along those lines.

[Winter]

Disney's Animal Kingdom is, not great.

That's your opinion.


Turning the Animal Kingdom park into another Magic Kingdom (they way they're doing to EPCOT) is a bad idea. It's great that, with the exception of the unfortunate Pandora area, the Animal Kingdom is not yet another IP-Land park. I hope it stays that way. I really wish they'd retract the destruction they've already done to EPCOT along those lines.

In my own defense that does almost seem to be the general consensus on the park. Last time I was at Disney was back in 2017 during the Holiday season and the place was packed at every major theme park EXCEPT Animal Kingdom with one notable exception, Pandora, a section that's based on a exciting IP. Also, I can't agree that Epcot is being turned into another Magic Kingdom because it's retained it's own idea, that it is World Festival that goes on year round.

Sure, one or two rides at the World Show Case were redesigned or created to be based off Disney films like Frozen or Ratatouille but that's been a thing since the park opened. And on the whole WC has kept to the idea that were entering places around the world. And the most popular park in all of Disney is Tokyo Seas in Japan which itself is designed to emulate the Magic Kingdom by the Park Creators own admission.

Every Theme park, made by Disney or otherwise, is based on the original Disney Land Park which includes AK. And to quote Walt Disney himself "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." At some point Animal Kingdom is going to to change but as long as the core of the park remains it will be fine. The River Rapids is rather lackluster when compared to Poopeye's River Rapids at Universal's Island of Adventure and it has a rather short line (at least it did the last few times I was there during the Holiday Season) so I would like to see THAT ride changed to better fit Disney's usual style of rides.