by Beth Keating
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
July 21, 2020
Like many of us across the country, Disney is staring down the barrel of an economic downturn, wondering exactly what the future of the U.S. economy is going to look like post-pandemic. Indeed, it’s not looking so hot right now as new COVID numbers continue to roll in, particularly in Disney World’s home state of Florida. This week, Disney announced a little belt-tightening of their own, permanently closing several rides, as well as one of their new-ish nighttime shows.
It probably comes as no surprise that one of those now defunct attractions is “Stitch’s Great Escape” in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. (Actually, most of us thought it was already history.) A replacement for the previous “ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter,” Stitch had been an on-again-off-again-sometimes-seasonal location that had neither operated regularly or even recently. It opened in 2004, but sort of closed in 2016 with only seasonal operations. It has functioned primarily as a location for character meet-and-greets since October 2017, which is where our family met Stitch on previous visits to the Magic Kingdom. At last year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Stitch appeared in that location for visits with partygoers, posing in his Elvis outfit.
An interactive theatre-in-the-round creation, “Stitch’s Great Escape” recruited guests as “guards” to keep an eye on the other captured experiments, but Stitch ends up running amuck, with accompanying tactile scares for park guests strapped into harnessed seats. While not as terrifying as “Alien Encounter,” it was not for the faint of heart – or their younger kiddies.
In Animal Kingdom, the evening production of “Rivers of Light: We Are One” is currently dark because theatre shows are on hiatus under the COVID reopening plans. But Disney has confirmed that the show will not be returning even after the parks begin returning to “normal.”
A relatively new show in Disney’s repertoire, “Rivers of Light” had morphed into “Rivers Of Light: We Are One,” incorporating Disney characters into the revamped show just last summer.
The show, an amphitheater style staging in the Discovery River lagoon, originally debuted in February 2017, with the reconfigured version launching Memorial Day weekend 2019. Stunningly beautiful colors, floating lotus flowers, light up animal spirit guides on barges, haunting music, glowing lanterns, lasers, fountains of water, and projections on mist screens provided a serene, peaceful end to an Animal Kingdom park day. Obviously, there were no fireworks because of the animal population, but the slower-moving production was a love-it-or-hate-it kind of show. For our family, it was a one and done. We saw it, appreciated it, but probably wouldn’t have gone out of our way to see it again.
Also at Animal Kingdom (and again, no one is likely shocked), “Primeval Whirl” is one of the rides now moved to the “permanently closed” column. The attraction, consistently plagued with mechanical issues, was only entertaining guests seasonally, and, in fact, had been closed the last few times our family was in the park. The “wild mouse” style roller coaster in the Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama section of the park added to the colorful, carnival-like atmosphere of DinoLand U.S.A., but it was a bit of an anomaly – too crazy for little ones in spite of its cartoony, comic-book like appearance, and not quite wild enough for older teens. Most families just by-passed the ride altogether. With its travelling through time with dinosaurs and meteors motif, it felt a bit like doing the tea cups on a roller coaster frame, with cars spinning in various directions as you careened over the tracks. It certainly earned its flippant nickname of “Primeval Hurl”… which my son and I both came close to doing on one visit. Opened in 2002, it hasn’t operated since last summer, so it didn’t really come as a great bombshell that Disney has decided not to sink any more money into it.
Disney confirmed the Animal Kingdom changes in a cast member memo this week, saying, “As you know, when Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park reopened to our Guests, several experiences, attractions and shows did not reopen with the park for a variety of reasons. While we look forward to adjusting our operation as we continue to learn and grow in our new environment, Primeval Whirl and Rivers of Light: We Are One will not reopen.”
Over in Epcot, where construction walls abound as the reimagined park chugs toward Disney World’s 50th anniversary next year, Disney has confirmed that the previously planned refurbishment of “Spaceship Earth” has been put on hold indefinitely. The announced “Cherry Tree Lane” Mary Poppins attraction near the United Kingdom Pavilion has also been handed a hold ticket. The Epcot Experience preview center has been updated, with Cherry Tree Lane removed.
On a more positive note, while Disney has not released any official word on “Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure” in the France pavilion in Epcot, construction seems to be continuing on the highly anticipated new ride. “Remy’s” was originally slated to open in summer 2020. Construction also appears to be continuing on both the “Tron Lightcycle Power Run” rollercoaster in Magic Kingdom, and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” attraction in Epcot.
As for upcoming food locales, no word yet on an opening date for the “Roundup Rodeo BBQ,” the new table-service restaurant that was due to open in Disney World’s Toy Story Land this summer. “Space 220,” the Epcot table-service restaurant that was scheduled to blast off last winter, has faced numerous delays, and does not yet have a new landing date, either.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
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