Big Red / Little Red storyline being removed from Kilimanjaro Safaris

[byoung]

I will be sorry to see this go.

 

[Mecha Figment]

It would stop the mix of animatronics and live animals, and it would provide an opportunity for a live interactive host to sum up the conservation message to the riders at the end. .

correct me if i'm wrong but the only thing that isn't real is little red.

 

[resol37]

Any word yet on when this rehab will take place?

 

[Eeyore11081]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who had enough of the story.

 

[prfctlyximprfct]

I liked the story, but I've only been to the world twice so maybe hearing it alot more is rather annoying. I dunno, I just think for all the first timers the story added a little excitement.

 

[fairestoneofall]

Really, don't we ride KS for the animals? This ride is one in which I don't think the story enhances the experience at all. I'm with those who'd just prefer to slow down and enjoy the animals.

 

[prfctlyximprfct]

When I was there most of the animals were hidden or just laying around from the heat. Yes, it's nice to see the animals, but on days like this some sort of story adds something extra. I'll be interested to see what they do with it!

 

[Amy&Dan]

It was sort of cute the first couple of times. Now its just stupid. I am glad to see it go! I think it diminshes the ride. And the last few times I have noticed the cm's didnt' seem that much into the whole thing. I'll bet they are very glad to see it go!

 

[goofydiz]

I too am tired of the "Big Red / Little Red" storyline. But, I'll have to see it to believe it though! If they do change the ride, do you really think that the ride time will change that much?

 

[CottontailCurl]

could care either way on the big/little red story. won't be sad to see it go. i do hope they keep the african music that they play at one point during the current attraction. i find it adds a lot to the over all feel of the safari.

This is what I was going to say, that's my favorite part of the safari (well, after the animals that is) and wouldn't mind if they had that kind of peaceful music throughout the safari with the guide telling you about the animals when there are some to talk about.

 

[mking624]

MousePlanet and Jim Hill are reporting that Disney is getting ready for a major rehab of Kilimanjaro Safari, with the main reason being to eliminate the Big Red / Little Red storyline and make the ride just an African Safari with no "big climax ending". Your thoughts?

I SO would love for it to be just a safari. What an awesome opportunity to learn even more about the animals!!

Its really cute and there needs to be some story/plot to that ride because if there isn't then its just similar to a regular old tram ride at your local zoo and Disney is more interesting an dbetter than that.

I respectfully disagree. I've been on several of those "tram rides" at local zoos and have not yet seen one that actually takes you TO the animals where they "freely" roam rather than just passing by the cage they're in. The removal of the storyline won't change the essence of the type of sanctuary they are in....it merely just removes the storyline.

 

[DisneyWorldWisher]

Good!

We hated the Little Red story...it was really boring and our CM had no emotion 'Oh no. Poachers.'

The ride will be a lot better with no story.

 

[WillCAD]

I really liked the storyline. To me, the story of good vs evil, of people who want to pillage nature vs people who want to preserve nature, is iconic and powerful. Maybe Killamanjaro Safari is an oversimplified version, but then, so are many of the classic Disney movies and park attractions.

Yes, I go on KS to see the animals. And yes, I am annoyed when I get a leadfoot driver who slalloms through the course like a cop in a bad action movie, but the story line was not the source of the annoyance.

I think the story line is the main difference between KS and many of the other safari rides in the US that take you through animal habitats. The story is the Imagineers' way of "Plussing it", so that you're not just driving past animals in enclosures, you're on a real African safari, in a real nature preserve, and the story line is an integral part of the suspension of disbelief - just like the Ghost Host's narration and the hitchiking ghosts in HM (otherwise it would just be another haunted house ride), just like the Los Angeles signage and the pre-show in RnRc (otherwise it would be just another roller coaster), and just like the addition of Ellen's stuff to the Universe of Energy (without which it was just a boring documentary with nice dinosaur room).

The story lines are an important part of what makes the Disney parks so much better than any other amusement parks in the world - it's the little things, the details, the stories, and the extra steps that the Imagineers took when creating each attraction, that put them so far above the competition that they are not even in the same class.

Without that stuff, WDW would be just another amusement park.

 

[nikky]

I must say i won't be sorry to see big red and little red go. It alway's annoyed me seeing tha animatronic elephant in a real zoo.lol

 

[Mom2R&D]

They have been slowly taking parts of the “Big Red/ Little Red” story for years. Any on else remember how the ride was when it first came out? (dead big red anyone?).

YES! And thank you for letting me know that I'm not crazy and didn't make this up.

 

[yearbook50]

KS isn't a real safari. Except for the giraffe/antelope areas most of the animal are enclosed in such a way so that they aren't' allowed to freely wander wherever they want. The animals that are allowed to roam freely are the ones that would pose no harm to humans. On a real safari, you could be chased by rhinos (like my school advisers were which did make for really amazing pictures) or by cheetahs (which my friends did when they went to Namibia last year.

It is a good experience yes, but a true Africa safari no.

I'll show you all pictures when I get home from Namibia.

 

[buccikulju]

Willcad wrote: The story lines are an important part of what makes the Disney parks so much better than any other amusement parks in the world - it's the little things, the details, the stories, and the extra steps that the Imagineers took when creating each attraction, that put them so far above the competition that they are not even in the same class."

I agree. They should remove the Little Red story and replace it with a "story" that would still allow for the rickety bridge and little extras that make the ride amusing even if there are no animals to be seen that day. The current story is just a little too corny. I don't want KS to go the way of the Jungle ride and be completely camp and sadly, that's how the Little Red story was starting to feel. I am extremely happy to see it go and eager to find out what will replace it.

I trust that the Imagineers will come up with a "story" to accompany KS that will feel slightly more organic, but fun, interesting and exciting at the same time.

Patty (20 days til POFQ)

 

[Karnak]

I think it would be nice if they slowed it down and did more watching the animals like it should be. I guess if you want to go fast try Everest. (JMHO)

I think that I read somewhere that the "Big Red" story was put in there just to give a reason to speed the ride up a bit. Don't know if that's true or not, but I agree with the posters on here that feel like the story is a bit lame.

I think that it would be a good idea to drop the story line, slow the ride down, and do more animal watching; Expedition Everest does provide enough speed for a day at the park.

Enjoy.

 

[rigs32]

I think the story line is even more out of place now that there are *real* baby elephants. When we first rode, there weren't any and we were angry that it was an animatronic. I agree that hopefully the drivers can spend more time on information about the animals.

I don't see how they could get you closer to the lion safely. It was really interesting to see AK on google earth and see the overhead shot of the trench that you can't see on the ride but separating the lions from the other animals.

 

[foodrocksluver]

I'm thinking that they are going to have to come up with something to put in the story's place. There's a good 5 minutes at the end of the ride dedicated to it. There's pretty much nothing to look at animal wise as you are "outside" the reserve. Either they are going to have to put other animals at the end or they are going to have to come up with another story to talk about at the end.