Disney's Dinoland

[Doug Watson]

Well I have searched here and on the old forum and I can't find any posts on this so I thought I would give it a whirl since it combines two of my favourite things, Disney & Dinosaurs. If there is a post somewhere I apologize for the duplication. Opened in 1998 as part of Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, the themes centre around the fictitious Dinosaur Institute and a roadside dinosaur attraction by Chester & Hester. You enter Dinoland under a cast Brachiosaurus skeleton that is perennially under construction (for some reason I seem to have never taken a shot of it). There is a cretaceous walk, a Dino Dig for the kids with cast fossils, the Dinosaur Ride and Donald's Restaurantosaurus. Chester & Hesters starts with their gift shop where the best toys are the ones decorating the rafters along with actual casts of dino fossils, after that there is a midway with dino themed rides like a Triceratops version of the Dumbo ride and games like Whack a Pachycephalosaurus, their take on Whack a Mole.

When it first opened it had a mini lab where you could watch technicians working on portions of Sue's skeleton. Unfortunately the windows all fogged up from condensation so I only took video. They also had a temporary  exhibit set up with full dinosaur and extinct reptile cast mounts like this Tylosaurus. The lab and the exhibit are gone now.



The Dinosaur Ride opened before the Disney Movie "Dinosaur" but there was always a planned link with Aladar as the main character. The ride was originally called Countdown to Extinction and this is what the front looked like.



After the movie came out it became the Dinosaur Ride and a life sized Aladar replaced the Styracosaurus out front.



The Carnotaursus also took its place on the front of the ride.



Inside leading up to the ride are casts of actual fossils along with this Disney Carnotaurus/T rex hybrid that I have shown elsewhere here.



When you leave the ride you of course exit through a gift shop but there is a cast of an Archeolon mount as well as a Pteranodon suspended from the ceiling.



Outside leading up to the ride is a cast mount of Sue the T rex.





Outside in the queue for the ride there are some bronzes to entertain the crowd, including this Mike Trcic T rex head. He still sells these for any of you with bigger bank accounts than me.



Trcic's Lambeosaurus vs Dromaeosaurs



I believe this is a Leptoceratops but I don't know who the artist is.



Trcic's life-sized "Bird of Prey" is found way at the end of the queue. (It represents Dromaeosaurus for those who didn't know)


Also nearby are two life-size Albertosaurus by Brian Cooley that face each other across the foot path.





Beside the ride is the Cretaceous Walk that includes a Struthiomimus and a pair of Pachyrhinosaurus by Brian Cooley plus a Corythosaurus by an artist that I couldn't determine.







Outside of Donald's Restrauntosaurus they have a live exhibit of a large American Crocodile.



Inside the restaurant it is decorated with casts of actual fossils.

Deinosuchus skull.



My one claim to fame at Disney. When I was still at CMN I painted this cast of the holotype Styracosaurus skull for the restaurant. I actually cast and painted another one for James Kirkland before leaving the museum. 



This is Chester & Hesters Gift shop that you either pass by or through to get to the dino midway. You leave Dinoland by walking under a cheesy concrete brontosaurus much like you would find at some roadside dinosaur attractions.

[Nebuloid]

Amazing, thanks for these photos ! That Trcic Lambeosaurus sculpture is still one of my favourite things ever.

[Doug Watson]

Amazing, thanks for these photos ! That Trcic Lambeosaurus sculpture is still one of my favourite things ever.

You are welcome, when I go back I'll try to remember to take shots of the stuff I keep forgetting about. Yes that is a great sculpt!

[Gwangi]

Amazing, thanks for these photos ! That Trcic Lambeosaurus sculpture is still one of my favourite things ever.

Agreed, this is my first time seeing it and it's certainly a beautiful piece. As unlikely a scenario as it depicts. I also quite like the life-size "bird of prey". I can see why people hold on to bald dromaeosaurs so dearly, it makes me feel nostalgic and this is the first time I've ever seen it!

[Doug Watson]

[ I also quite like the life-size "bird of prey". I can see why people hold on to bald dromaeosaurs so dearly, it makes me feel nostalgic and this is the first time I've ever seen it!

Unfortunately a lot of people miss this since it is at the end of the extended queue for peak times. I think this time it was even roped off so I jumped the rope to get close. The sun always seems to be on the wrong side when I shoot it. It looks even better in person.

[Kayakasaurus]

I think my favorite would by the Corythosaurus, because you can touch/walk/sit on it  that Pachy is awesome, is there any evidence their horns could grow like that, or did they just form a Boss?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I really like the life size pieces..one more reason to get to Disney eventually.

I wonder where the Styracosaurus ended up when it was moved? Seems logical to leave it in Dinoland somewhere.

[Doug Watson]

I think my favorite would by the Corythosaurus, because you can touch/walk/sit on it  that Pachy is awesome, is there any evidence their horns could grow like that, or did they just form a Boss?

Yep, that's my daughter sitting on it. Not that small anymore.....sniff.

No real evidence but it was a theory out there. I went with a boss on mine since no other ceratopsian showed evidence of shed horns that I knew of.

[Doug Watson]

I really like the life size pieces..one more reason to get to Disney eventually.

I wonder where the Styracosaurus ended up when it was moved? Seems logical to leave it in Dinoland somewhere.

I haven't seen it unless they really tucked it away somewhere. They did recycle some of the casts from the original paleo exhibit like the Archeolon and Pteranodon. P.S. I know you would love Dinoland, the ride is a hoot, my daughter got me to take her on it 11 times on our first visit.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I was there almost a year ago and don't remember half of what was there (namely because I was more excited for the living animals). Great pictures! I'll be sure to check out the ones I missed next time.

[Doug Watson]

I was there almost a year ago and don't remember half of what was there (namely because I was more excited for the living animals). Great pictures! I'll be sure to check out the ones I missed next time.

Yes, it's one of our favourite parks and a bit of a hidden gem because a lot of Disney visitors think it is just a zoo and stay away. A great mix of live animal exhibits and Disney magic!

[Doug Watson]

Oh yes, just in case some people are worried there are NO talking/dancing/singing Lemurs anywhere on the Dinosaur ride as well as NO talking Dinosaurs. It is all played straight up. You are sent on a mission by a rogue palaeontologist into the past just before the big asteroid hit to bring back a living Iguanodon. You are on a motion simulator that rides through a diorama inhabited by animatronic dinosaurs. I repeat this is a NO LEMUR ZONE!

I grabbed this shot from the UndercoverTourist.com that gives you an idea what you are in for.

[MaastrichtianGuy]

so since i know that they're is a life sized sculpture of the bird of prey raptor what kind of species of raptor is the bird of prey is

[Doug Watson]

so since i know that they're is a life sized sculpture of the bird of prey raptor what kind of species of raptor is the bird of prey is

"Bird of Prey" is what Mike Trcic named the sculpture, it is supposed to represent Dromaeosaurus.

[MaastrichtianGuy]

ok i already know that the species of what the bird of prey its suppose to be is a dromaeosaurus and when was that cast mount of the sue the famous t-rex was added. was it added in the year of the opening of the park or in the year of the dinosaur movie in 2000

[Doug Watson]

ok i already know that the species of what the bird of prey its suppose to be is a dromaeosaurus and when was that cast mount of the sue the famous t-rex was added. was it added in the year of the opening of the park or in the year of the dinosaur movie in 2000

If you already knew what species it was why did you ask?

The cast of Sue was not there in August 1999 when we were there, they were still working on the fossil but it was there in December 2000 when we went back so it was installed sometime between those dates. I don't know the exact date.

[Dinomike]

That Styracosaurus looks pretty cool! So you say this no longer exists?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I really like the life size pieces..one more reason to get to Disney eventually.

I wonder where the Styracosaurus ended up when it was moved? Seems logical to leave it in Dinoland somewhere.

I haven't seen it unless they really tucked it away somewhere. They did recycle some of the casts from the original paleo exhibit like the Archeolon and Pteranodon. P.S. I know you would love Dinoland, the ride is a hoot, my daughter got me to take her on it 11 times on our first visit.

I bet Disney has a rather large storage area..so hopefully it's somewhere and not junked.

11 times!? Woah..did that take all day?

[MaastrichtianGuy]

now please tell me that disney did a good job on the ride the museum which nowadays isn't there anymore where that tylosaurus skeleton and all the other dinosaur skeleton mounts are the merchandise that were made for the area plus the ride the boneyard and plus the restaurants food stands and the dinosaur ride gift shop and that small gift stand that i saw in the park

[Doug Watson]

That Styracosaurus looks pretty cool! So you say this no longer exists?

I hope it is in storage somewhere but as far as I know it is not on display.