Though it hasn’t changed dramatically since it opened along with Disney’s Animal Kingdom in April of 1998, Countdown to Extinction has experienced a few changes in its lifetime.
The most obvious of these changes was the renaming of the attraction to “Dinosaur” in early 2000 after Disney’s release of the movie by the same name. Along with this change came a replacement of not only the logo and signage for the attraction but the dinosaur featured at the entrance. Instead of a statue of a Styracosaurus, the attraction now features a statue of Aladar from the film.
Inside, the attraction stayed much the same with two exceptions: Small changes to the ride experience were made to make it slightly less intense including changes to some animatronic props. In addition, changes to the soundtrack of the attraction were made including removal of effects that gave the impression the vehicles were being chased by a Carnataurus after it was discovered.
The ride is ridiculous now. Mostly in the dark. Waste of time. Bring back original. Kids are crying in it’s a bugs life. Sorry there are plenty of attractions for the faint of heart. Adults need fun too.