With The Good Dinosaur premiering tomorrow, I’ve been thinking a lot about Disney’s other dinosaurs, specifically the movie Dinosaur and the Rite of Spring segment in Fantasia. Very quickly my mind wandered over to the Disney Parks (which it does quite often), and I wondered, could I find dinosaurs in all four of the parks at Walt Disney World? Let’s find out.
First up: Disney’s Animal Kingdom because, let’s be honest, this one is easy. There is an entire land dedicated to the creatures of the past – DinoLand, U.S.A. which has one of my favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World. Dinosaur is loosely (very, very loosely) based on the animated movie of the same name. There’s also Chester and Hester’s Dinorama which, love it or hate it, tells an incredibly detailed and immersive story.
Our dino hunt has started off strong, so let’s continue the momentum by heading over to Epcot. There, Ellen’s Energy Adventure takes you back in time and lands you in the middle of a clash between titans as a Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus fight for survival much like they did in the movie Fantasia.
Two parks down, two more to go. Disney’s Hollywood Studios boasts three dinosaurs. The first two are Rex and Trixie who host one of the midway games in Toy Story Midway Mania!. The third dinosaur is Gertie who hangs out in Echo Lake. Built in the “California Crazy” style of architecture that was popular in the 1930’s where the buildings themselves would take on unusual shapes, Gertie houses an ice cream shop. Rumor has it, though, that Gertie will be going the way of the real dinosaurs as she will be removed to make way for the new Star Wars land. It’s bitter sweet because Gertie has been a park icon since Hollywood Studios opened in 1989, but I can’t say that I’m not excited for more Star Wars.
The last park, of course, is Magic Kingdom Park. Are there any dinosaurs to be found here? Well, head over to Frontierland and take a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The wildest ride in the wilderness takes you, among other places, through the bones of a T-rex.
It can be done! There are dinosaurs to be found in all four parks! Thanks for going on this dino hunt with me. Did I miss any? What’s your favorite dinosaur in the parks? And, will you be seeing The Good Dinosaur in theaters?
(Photo ©Disney)
Chris grew up during the Disney renaissance of animation and took his first trip to Disney World when he was ten. Even though he has loved Disney his whole life, his obsession didn’t start until he began planning a trip for his honeymoon. Right now, his primary job (at least the one that doesn’t pay the bills) is to indoctrinate his daughter with his love of Disney while at the same time convincing his wife to move to Orlando, so he can become a tour guide in the parks.
