I-May-gination Exercise Challenge

I will be going to the zoo both days as a chaperone of the kids field trip. 5th grade (group of girls) tomorrow and 6th grade (group of boys) on Thursday. It will be fun though I am slightly worried about the the 6th grade boys. Last year I had a kid tell me he didn't have to listen to me as he was climbing on fences. Hopefully this group will be better.

Have fun at the zoo!

If you're worried about the second group, jot down some info from the signs when you're there with the first group, then make it into sort of a scavenger hunt for the next day. - Having something in their hands should help prevent the climbing!
 
135 minutes since last check in

1705/1860

I can't think of anything new I would create for HS, but I would love it if they would bring back the animation studio, the Great Movie Ride, and the Osborne Lights.

As for AK, I've never noticed the dragon in the sign! I do wish they could find a way to still incorporate Beastly Kingdom. It looks like it would have been AMAZING!!!!
 
Great numbers today everyone! - We have two new reds, and our very first green!! Congratulations to:

:car: Elizabeth Smith,
:car: Twilight Sparkle, and
:hmghost:piglet1979!!

A 15 minutes walk for me, and the team total stands at 5,836 minutes. We're only 749 minutes from pink!! :cheer2:

Quoted from the book:
Each of Walt Disney World's four major theme parks has an "icon," a stunning visual landmark that symbolizes the story, theme and atmosphere...The tree of life serves as the icon for Animal Kingdom. Standing at 145 feet tall, it dramatically embodies the concepts of nature, wildlife, conservation, and the diversity of animal species. As is the case with with other park icons, the Tree of Life is synonymous with Animal Kingdom, and it is difficult to imagine the park without it. However, during the planning process for the park, Imagineers considered a number of different options for its icon...

Over the next three days, we'll explore some of these. The first is the Animal Kingdom Carousel. It was to have three tiers - sea, land, and air - with different sort of ride vehicles on each level. Here is some concept art -

b00911ed769226816bf8f95ccf345833.jpg


While this idea didn't beat out the Tree of Life, you will find remnants of it today - in the sea creatures of "King Triton's Carousel of the Sea" at Disney's California Adventure, and the two-level "Caravan Carousel" at Tokyo DisneySea.

6874143651_e2d6957da0_b.jpg



522cf37663740931de6b68521ed6bc01.jpg
 


60-minute pilates class


1220/1300

and two walks later today (what a gorgeous day!) for another 50 minutes

1270/1300
 
Last edited:


The Noah's Ark idea is actually REALLY cool and would be an excellent look at the historical (whether you believe it really happened or is just part of a creation myth) importance of animals and conservation. But I can understand why they would be afraid to really incorporate it. I don't think that people would necessarily be offended, but maybe they would think it was too silly?

Anyway, adding about 20 minutes from yesterday.
650/690

Edit to add: Another 40 for today.
690/690
:cheer2:
 
Last edited:
Hello again, and congrats to Elizabeth Smith on reaching green and goal!!!! :hmghost::maleficen:hmghost:

I (PollyannaMom) have also reached pink, with 450/600. :Pinkbounc


The team has broken the 6,000 mark with 6,096 minutes, and less than 500 minutes to pink!! :cheer2::cheer2:


We all know AK ended up with the tree of life, but even within that plan, there were a few different options considered:

One tree idea included an observation deck at the top, where guests could look out over the park, and another had a restaurant in the base, instead of the current "It's Tough to be a Bug" attraction. It would have been a fine dining eatery called Roots. There were also two other attractions considered - one based on "The Lion King" and another a "wonders of nature" style attraction hosted by Mother Nature herself.
 
+45

1315/1300

I think Noah's Ark would have been controversial, and if there's anything Disney wants to avoid with regard to the parks, it's controversy.

I would have liked to have an observation deck on top of the Tree, but I imagine it would have been a logistical and crowd-control nightmare.
 
Congrats to our newest team members to reach green - sophy1996 and Twilight Sparkle!! :jumping1:


I don't have my minutes for today yet, but the team total is 6,463 minutes! We're at 73%, and only 149 minutes from team pink! - Go team!!! :cheer2:

Our last Animal Kingdom entry is "The Excavator" - a wooden roller coaster proposed earlier than Expedition Everest, but never built. Here's the story (with some concept art):

https://www.****************.com/fe...built-disney-excavator-disneys-animal-kingdom
 
I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

15 new minutes for me, 465/600.

"Audience Participation Sunday" - If you didn't already say, what was your favorite unrealized AK idea? Did anything especially surprise you?

(Tomorrow, we'll move onto resorts that never made it out of the planning stages, so feel free to share your best ideas for those as well!)

Also - There are only four days left of May. Is anyone available to host for June?

June Host.jpg
 
90 minutes of yard work and 60 minutes of walking since Saturday evening.

1505/1300

I would have liked to see the dragon incorporated somehow. Disneyland Paris has a dragon underneath the castle and something like that (maybe a dragon under the Tree) would have been cool.
 
35 minutes for me today, for 500 even so far.

:cheer2: And we are TEAM PINK at 76%!! (Thank you, sophy1996, for posting a bunch of minutes!) :cheer2:


Now that we've learned some history in all four parks, we'll move on to lost resorts.

The Contemporary and Polynesian both opened with the park in 1971, but did you know there were supposed to be three more "Phase One" resorts built during the first five years? They were to be the Asian, Venetian, and Persian. From "an early Disney marketing booklet published in 1970" (as quoted in the Smith book I've been referencing) -

Each hotel will be a complete major attraction in itself, with its own recreation activities, entertainment, dining facilities, and resort atmosphere. Additionally, guests in any hotel will be able to enjoy facilities of all others and the attractions of the entire "Vacation Kingdom" during their stay.

pc1969model.jpg


In this concept picture, you can see the Contemporary (far right) and Polynesian (bottom left) as they are really located. The Asian is on the left, approximately where the Grand Floridian is now. The Venetian is nearest the center of the picture (between the TTC and Contemporary on the monorail) and the Persian is in the top right corner of the frame, with the blue dome.

Here's another depiction, on an early "Fun Map" by Paul Hartley:
tumblr_o58vj62dwk1t0xyebo2_1280.jpg


Unfortunately for Disney planners, the oil crisis in the early 1970s caused a recession that slashed attendance, and kept these resorts confined to the drawing boards.

Here's a video with some more details on the resort plans and the oil crisis, as well as a surprise fourth idea that also didn't happen:
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top