Tucked away in the back corner of Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is one of the best rides in the park. Originally Countdown to Extinction the ride renamed Dinosaur in 2000 has been in operation since the park opened in 1998. The future is truly in the past but this attraction may be in the past soon if the rumors concerning a re-theme to an Indiana Jones Adventure are true.
At the moment there is no official word but with the news of expansion and the slow demise of the adjacent DinoLand U.S.A. it is hard to feel like the days for the ride in its current form are numbered. This has been speculation for some time – we posted about it in 2017 but it sounds like permits were filed for the area so it might be getting closer.
On our last trip, we visited the attraction and had the rare opportunity to walk through the outdoor queue. The detail in this ride is fun and the story is easy to follow as you assist Dr. Seeker in bringing from the past an iguanodon from the late Cretaceous Period. Sure – technology has made a few laps around the animatronics and the ride itself is a little rough but do we want another trade-off like we got with the Great Movie Ride? I hope not.
I’d love to see the ride modernized and incorporated into the existing Boneyard Playground and Restaurantosaurus and Lounge themes. And a possible unpopular opinion it is time to say goodbye to DinoLand U.S.A.
Until something official is released we’ll continue to ride each time like it may be our last and be a little smug about knowing what the chemicals are in those pipes. (Ketchup, Mustard Mayo)
