Big Red and Little Red

[DisneyGerry]

Wondering status of the two? Had last safari cut short trying to get the poachers.

I also thought early on--Big Red's story ended differently?

 

[Aurora63]

In the Unofficial Guide, it mentions the story ending badly for Big Red. But every time I've been on it, I remember seeing both okay. Maybe they changed the story line?

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

I THOUGHT I read somewhere on the boards that the ending was too "traumatic" for younger children so they changed it.
Correct me if am wrong!

 

[mmeb144]

I heard the same thing, ilovewinniethepooh. IMHO, they could just cut out the poacher sequence and bring on more animals. Disney has enough animatronics.

Marie

 

[Kimberly815]

I THOUGHT I read somewhere on the boards that the ending was too "traumatic" for younger children so they changed it.
Correct me if am wrong!

Yeah, I had read the same thing. I think they decided it when they were taking test groups on the safari.

 

[TravelGrl]

I was just there, and big red was shot but I don't think she was dead. I think she was going to be ok. Little red was saved.

 

[lentesta]

Do we really say the ending is traumatic? I think it's the shooting that's traumatic, not the ending.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

IMHO, they could just cut out the poacher sequence and bring on more animals. Disney has enough animatronics.

I so agree with you. Just cut out the whole poacher thing. Let the ride just be a safari.

 

[bicker]

I think that segment of the attraction is a small, and relatively painless, tip-of-the-hat to guests who don't like animals, for putting up with the attraction for the benefit of their family members who are, like us, enamored of it.

I've added a VCD MPEG video of the "catching poacher segment" of the safari. It'll be posted on my Animal Kingdom page in the next hour or so:

http://wdw2006.brianandrobbie.com/animalkingdom.htm

Enjoy!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The Big Red story has been changed several times. The first time we rode, Big Red was killed. Now she is okay and you do not see her.

Personally, I would be happy if this rather stupid story were dropped and this was just a ride to look at and learn about the animals.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Yeah, just drop the stupid portion that brings the point home to kids of the importance of saving the endangered species of the world and standing up against things like poaching...Just end the ride with a nice quiet ride through the woods back to the loading dock. Who needs educational messages anyway.

 

[2Xited4Disney]

I was there way back when DAK first opened I remeber Big red being killed... I thought ummm ok this is a bit much....


I agree with cutting the story line, maybe having too seperate lines

"Poacher Hunters" "Safari"

 

[luv2nascar]

I wish they would take it out. My DD was 5 1/2 on her first safari. It seemed too real for her. She was seeing real animals and thought they killed an elephant - she cried.

 

[fran99999]

I wish they would take it out also. My DS7 now still has me call WDW to make sure Big red is OK. I had to have a CM tell him that Big Red was alright at disney as he was tramatized. When we go back this May he wants to go see Big Red to make sure he is alright. He does not want to go on the Safari until they fix that bridge though. I told him they fix it each night but because of the amount of trucks that ride on it it keeps falling apart. He said we should send Uncle Steve down to fix it right. Uncle Steve is a construction worker that builds Bridges up in Onterio.

 

[dmslush]

I wish they would take it out also. My DS7 now still has me call WDW to make sure Big red is OK. I had to have a CM tell him that Big Red was alright at disney as he was tramatized. When we go back this May he wants to go see Big Red to make sure he is alright. He does not want to go on the Safari until they fix that bridge though. I told him they fix it each night but because of the amount of trucks that ride on it it keeps falling apart. He said we should send Uncle Steve down to fix it right. Uncle Steve is a construction worker that builds Bridges up in Onterio.

When we rode it July, I don't remember the bridge 'falling' as bad as it did the first time we rode it in 2001. It just barely dipped and the driver sped up and we were over it. It wasn't bad at all.

 

[Belle's Castle]

My wife and I (stealing her screen name again) went on the back stage pass event that animal kingdom offers. I think it's around $75 a person plus park admission but it was worth it. We were able to touch a rhino and they give you a safari ride without the whole story line (our guide made fun of it a little bit, which was hysterical). I know it is a little pricey but it was well worth it....did I mention you get a backstage pass pin too?

 

[Ilovestitch]

I heard that before AK opened there was an animatronic of a dying/dead Big Red on the safari. But it was upsetting for the real elephants to see it and Michael Eisner thought it would be to scary for kids so they removed it.

When bf and I go on the safari we always joke "man...Disney has a really bad poaching problem!!"

 

[Principessa1284]

can i just tell you that saving that darn baby elephant every 20 minutes gets exhausting? needs to learn elephant kung-fu or something. i want to know how those poachers keep getting in.. worst security ever.

ps - Big red always turns out just fine.. but the conservation message is very important and targeted at the children as opposed to adults so hopefully it'll help them to grow up loving animals and such.

 

[2Xited4Disney]

I wish they would take it out also. My DS7 now still has me call WDW to make sure Big red is OK. I had to have a CM tell him that Big Red was alright at disney as he was tramatized. When we go back this May he wants to go see Big Red to make sure he is alright. He does not want to go on the Safari until they fix that bridge though. I told him they fix it each night but because of the amount of trucks that ride on it it keeps falling apart. He said we should send Uncle Steve down to fix it right. Uncle Steve is a construction worker that builds Bridges up in Onterio.

Your son sounds like a very cute and smart little kid who picked up on every part of the ride.... In my opinon "Killing Big red" was put into traumatize little kids... now he worries about Big red... most kids wouldn't care. you should be very proud that he cares about the "animal conservation" message behind the attraction...

 

[palmtreegirl]

Just road it today and we had the most boring Safari guide ever, a real snoozer. ZZzzzzzzzzzzz. I wish they'd drop the whole storyline too.