Dinos in Pop Culture - Animal Kingdom: Miscellaneous DinoLand U.S.A.

And for the last part of Animal Kingdom, we are going to look at many of the miscellaneous dinosaurs around DinoLand U.S.A.:

The entrance sign to DinoLand U.S.A. which features the Brachiosaurus from The Boneyard. 

Right next door to Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama! is Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures store. Here we are looking at the front of the store and neighboring Dino-Rama!.

On the way to the store we have this random billboard, which is likely being used as a photopass backdrop.

And then there is this thing that has always fascinated me. This "thing" is also reminiscent of the Crystal Palace Iguanodon (like the Dino Diner in Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama!) but far more gaudy than anything has a right to be. 

Front entrance to the store with the appropriate billboards for the authentic time period. 

Another billboard over the store advertising our imminent doom by asteroid.

Within the store we have a plethora of dinosaurs littered about. 

With tons hung up from the ceiling.

And out the back door of the store there are a few random dinosaurs to play on. Unfortunately, it was getting dark by this time and I couldn't really take pictures of them but I did manage to grab a shot of the Corythosaurus here.

 Another Dino Institute logo on an ice cream stand. 

 My favorite sign of the entire park right here for "Trilo-bites".

  Here is a random dino skull and hands next to the "Gargantuasarus World Tours" sign, of which the name "Gargantuasarus" is completely made up. The skull itself here is also indecipherable, with hints of T. rex mixed up in it.

You can find all of my Dinos of Disney compiled on my website at Dinojim.com.

Dinos in Pop Culture - Animal Kingdom: Outside the DINOSAUR Ride

Today we are going to an area within DinoLand U.S.A around the:

DINOSAUR Ride

It has actually been a very long time since I have ridden the DINOSAUR ride, or even been inside the building, so these pictures are primarily from the area surrounding the ride. There is one very notable inclusion from this area which I will go into below.

 Here is the main entrance to the DINOSAUR ride with Aladar the Iguanodon from the movie Dinosaur (2000). 

Here is the text from the ride website:

A Joyride to the Dinosaur Age Travel back in time on a perilous race to rescue an Iguanodon before the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs strikes. Step inside the pristine halls of The Dino Institute, a one-time secret research facility and museum that is home to real fossils dating back to when dinosaurs walked the earth. Stroll past prehistoric exhibits and behold the colossal skeleton of the carnivorous Carnotaurus, one of history’s most feared dinosaurs. 

A Secret Mission Make your way into the research control center and watch an informative video about your expedition into the primeval past. The briefing takes a turn when you’re recruited to rescue an Iguanodon from extinction and return to the present with the 3.5-ton dinosaur in tow. There’s just one problem: the date you’ll be visiting is when a giant meteor hit earth and caused the extinction of nearly all living things. 

Blast to the Past! Board a sturdy, 12-seat Time Rover and race through a darkened forest in search of the tagged dinosaur. Speed past a spiky Styracosaurus grappling with a nearby tree. Brace yourself as you careen through unpredictable hairpin turns, a ragged Alioramus foraging for food nearby. Dart around a fearsome Velociraptor hunting for prey and avoid the clutches of a Cearadactylus soaring overhead. As the countdown clock ticks, meteors crash all around you: The end is near. Suddenly, the terrifying roar of an unimaginably huge beast can be heard in the distance. Is it the friendly Iguanodon you’re searching for—or the dreaded Carnotaurus looking for a meal? Time is nearly up. Will you complete your mission and make your escape? Or will you join the dinosaurs and become extinct?

Location of the DINOSAUR ride.

Here is Aladar at night.

 Some posters around the ride building promoting the dinosaurs that you'll find on the ride. 

Here is Alioramus,

 Carnotaurus,

and Styracosaurus.

 But here is the big thing that I wanted to see... SUE!!!!!

If you don't recall, back in 1997 Sue, the T. rex, was sold at auction for one of the highest prices ever paid for a fossil. The purchasing entities were a combination of the McDonald's Corporation, The Chicago Field Museum, and Disney. In return for purchasing the skeleton, Disney acquired a cast of the skeleton, which you see here. The actual skeleton is mounted at the Chicago Field Museum for everyone to see.

 Actual skeleton of Sue with a reconstructed skull at the Chicago Field Museum.

The real, crushed, skull of Sue on display nearby the skeleton at the Chicago Field Museum.

 Sue in a grainy nighttime photo.

 Slightly better nighttime photo of Sue.

 Sue's informational plaque.

You can find all of my Dinos of Disney compiled on my website at Dinojim.com.

Dinos in Pop Culture - Animal Kingdom: The Boneyard

Today we are going into an area within DinoLand U.S.A called:

The Boneyard: Fossil Fun Site

The Boneyard was probably the best "paleontological" area of all of DinoLand U.S.A. and has several features within it. The first thing you notice as you enter DinoLand U.S.A. is a giant Brachiosaurus skeleton that you walk under.

The story behind this area is that the Boneyard is "run" by an organization called The Dino Institute. The Institute is a made up organization (at least I'm pretty sure it is) designed to make the experience appear that much more real. Within the Boneyard there are several slides, mazes, stairs, and bridges around fake rock walls will "fossils" built into them.

 A welcoming sign. 

The Dino Institute's logo

A view of a potential dinosaur excavation site.

A large bone within that excavation site.

 A Parasaurolophus skeleton built into one of the walls. 

  Random mammoth skull within a field of dinosaur bones. Seemingly out of place but we will come back to the mammoth. It does have a purpose here. 

T. rex skeleton towards the back of the complex.

 Many of the dinosaurs also come with informational signs so that the kids can learn some more about them if they are interested.

 Pachycephalosaurus

Towards one side of the area there is a walkway that brings you across a bridge to another area that is an active "dig" and theoretically a different rock layer since this area isn't dinosaur specific. To get there you must now walk essentially within the Brachiosaurus. 

 Looking up into the Brachiosaurus skeleton as I walk by.

 As you leave the walkway, you can look down into this separate area made up of an entire dig site. And what are they digging here?

 Why it's a mammoth! Told you we would come back to that.

 Complete with a descriptive board to give the kids the information that they need.

 Back across the bridge we head to go to the play area. As you walk around the back it appears they have a whiteboard set up with with a list of the fossils they are working on.

 However, looking at the names of the species and other info, I'm questioning the veracity of this information.

 Random T. rex statue next to the whiteboard.

 And a little more information about the science of paleontology in general. 

You can find all of my Dinos of Disney compiled on my website at Dinojim.com.