Normally, when a ride closes down at a theme park, fans lament the loss. Even when the ride never seemed to be all that popular when it was open, the fans seem to come out of the woodwork to say that the ride was excellent, and that whatever is happening that will replace it can never be as good. And so, as demolition begins on the Primeval Whirl roller coaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom, let us at CinemaBlend just say "Good riddance to you, nightmare machine. You will not be missed."
In July of 2020 it was confirmed that Primeval Whirl, a Wild Mouse style steel roller coaster, that had been operating on a "seasonal" status already, was permanently closed. It's been sitting vacant since then, but yesterday, the actual demotion of the attraction began. While there are certainly a few fans of the ride who are sad to see it go, for the most part, there are no tears being shed, because the ride honestly wasn't that popular. Thus the reason its going away in the first place. While Primeval Whirl was a smaller roller coaster, it wasn't really for kids and it wasn't exactly gentle, with many sharp turns that could really shake up even seasoned coaster riders.
Even if you liked Primeval Whirl, I doubt it was so much that it will be missed for too long. Tt was never a "must ride" sort of attraction. However, with it now on its way out, it certainly raises the question of what's going to happen in that space next. No replacement attraction has been announced by Walt Disney World, so nobody is quite sure what the plan is.
The fact that Primeval Whirl is gone has many wondering not only what the future will be for that small piece of real estate, but for the entire Dinoland U.S.A. area of Disney's Animal Kingdom. While Primeval Whirl wasn't a beloved ride, it was the number two attraction in the area after the Dinosaur ride, an attraction that uses the same tech as Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure, but is themed after the Disney animated film from 2000. There have been rumors that the whole land could be in for an overhaul, including possibly being replaced by an entirely new land.
While the Dinosaur attraction is still incredibly popular there's little argument that the land doesn't have the same feel as the other's in Disney's Animal Kingdom, a large portion of the land's space is given over to traditional carnival games, that have always seemed out of place in a Disney theme park.
Whatever the future holds for Dinoland U.S.A as a whole, whatever ends up taking over the Primeval Whirl spot has to be an improvement, right? Even another generic carnival game at least has the benefit of not making you sore.
