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.