There’s a strange secret hidden deep within one of Disney World’s most unique attractions.
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While Walt Disney World is known for its iconic dark rides and immersive lands, few attractions have quite the reputation DINOSAUR does at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Loud, intense, and scary, DINOSAUR takes guests back in time as they search for a specific kind of dino to bring back to the present in the hopes of researching it.
This time-traveling adventure almost ends with guests becoming lunch for the dinosaurs, but as is the case with most theme park attractions, riders are able to narrowly escape and return to the Dino Institute in one piece.
If you’re connected to the Walt Disney World community at all, you are likely aware that Disney is planning on closing DINOSAUR forever soon to make way for several new experiences. While sad, it’s hard to deny that the ride, along with DinoLand U.S.A., could use an update.
However, not only are guests losing one of Disney World’s most unique and thrilling rides, they are also losing a hidden connection to McDonald’s.
DinoLand opened with Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998, though the prehistoric area looked slightly different over two decades ago. One of the most significant changes was the loss of DinoLand’s original sponsor, McDonald’s, which presented the entire land, including its rides and attractions.
The iconic golden arches could be seen on attraction signs all over DinoLand U.S.A., including DINOSAUR itself.
Disney joined forces with the American fast-food establishment a few years prior to Animal Kingdom’s opening day, an alliance that would see several iconic McDonald’s items, like fries and McNuggets, make their way into the Walt Disney World Resort.
As a result of this alliance, McDonald’s was able to become the sole sponsor of DinoLand U.S.A., meaning its logo and other hidden details could be found throughout the land.
One of these hidden details can be found inside the queue for DINOSAUR itself, right before guests board their Time Rovers. If they look up at the colored pipes, they will notice one is yellow, one is red, and one is white. While these pipes may look inconspicuous, these colors actually refer to mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise, respectively.
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To go the extra mile, Disney also included a rather complex string of numbers and letters on the side of the pipes, which allows them to blend in with the rest of the laboratory. These letters and numbers are the actual formulas for their respective products.
DINOSAUR opened alongside Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998, though the high-intensity attraction was originally called Countdown to Extinction. This name was changed just a few years later to help tie it into Disney’s animated film Dinosaur, which the company expected to do incredibly well at the summer box office.
Unfortunately, Dinosaur was more of a “modest” hit, grossing roughly $350 million. This is certainly nothing to roar at, though given its estimated budget of $128 million, Disney hoped the film would generate a lot more buzz than it did.
It didn’t help that critics and audiences were mixed on the film itself. Most praised it for its impressive visuals but criticized it for its somewhat generic plot.
Of course, none of this stopped Disney from tweaking its Dinosaur-themed attraction in Florida, with DINOSAUR officially debuting in 2000.
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DINOSAUR, as well as DinoLand U.S.A., will soon go extinct, with Disney announcing its plans to retheme the entire area several years ago. Disney’s original plans seemed to imply that DinoLand would be replaced by Moana and Zootopia-themed attractions, though these plans changed, with Encanto and Indiana Jones now set to take over the prehistoric area.
DinoLand will see a phased closure, with TriceraTop Spin and other smaller experiences closing permanently in January 2025. DINOSAUR will close at a later date, giving fans a little extra time to enjoy what is arguably Disney’s most terrifying theme park attraction currently operating.
Will you miss DINOSAUR? Are you excited for Disney’s new DinoLand U.S.A. makeover?