Opening in March of 2002, and located in the “Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama” area of Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland, Primeval Whirl was a steel “wild mouse” type coaster, with spinning cars and dual tracks. Similar in story-line to its neighbor, Dinosaur (formerly Countdown to Extinction), the coaster saw guests traveling back in time and narrowly avoiding an extinction level meteor.
In addition to a wide range of guest complaints stemming from the spinning ride vehicles and tight turns, there were two unfortunate events in which Cast Members working the attraction suffered injuries leading to death. Generally well received by coaster enthusiasts, the attraction was often panned as not fitting the typical Disney mold of story and quality.
In June of 2019, Primeval Whirl was “temporarily” closed. In July 2020, after the park had reopened from the COVID-19 closure, it was announced that the ride would not reopen.