8 Disney Theme Park Rides That Were Turned Into Films

The early 2000's were a difficult time for Michael Eisner, the then CEO of The Walt Disney Company, whose reign at Disney was coming to an unfortunate end. The film Dinosaur, which was released in 2000, was a failed experiment that mixed computer-generated characters with live-action backgrounds, and is a clear reminder of the wrong direction in which Disney were heading.

The ride which the film was loosely based on was originally named 'Countdown to Extinction' and is a dark ride in which guests take a time-travelling journey through the Cretaceous period, rife with dinosaur animatronics.

The ride purposefully used species of dinosaur that are different to the ones seen in Jurassic Park to avoid any sense of familiarity, which makes the Iguanodon and Carnotaurus as the two most notable 'characters'. These two species are also the two most prominent in the film, but this is pretty much where the similarities between the ride and the film end.

The ride was later renamed 'Dinosaur' in 2000 to promote the upcoming animated film and create a sense of synergy even though the film and the ride are only loosely connected, the entire business felt forced and unnatural. While the film itself is not actively bad, the story was criticised for being simplistic and the already questionable visual style has aged very badly since its release twenty years ago.