Walt Disney World Finally Making Major Changes to Panned Ride

One of Walt Disney World's least popular rides is undergoing serious renovations soon, and it may simply disappear for good before long. Earlier this month, Disney Parks filed a permit for "general construction" on the Primeval Whirl — an attraction at Animal Kingdom that has been closed for over a year. Some fans are now speculating that the small roller coaster will be a completely different ride if and when it reopens.

Disney's new construction permit for the Primeval Whirl was filed sometime in August, according to a report by Walt Disney World News Today. However, the company actually filed another permit back in February for "labor, materials and/or electrical for construction," indicating that these renovations have been planned for some time now. So far, visitors say that no visible work has been done on the Primeval Whirl, and industry experts say that the permits would work just as well for demolition as for updates or changes. However, the permit does mention MLC Theming — a company known more for construction than anything else.

For those that don't recall, Primeval Whirl is a small spinning roller coast meant for younger riders in need of a relatively tame experience. It is made to resemble a roadside attraction in "Dinoland USA," a part of Disney's loose fictional world within the park. It first opened in 2002, promising to take riders "back into time" to before the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The Primeval Whirl was temporarily closed in 2019, with at least two documented cases of park cast members dying following accidents with the ride. At the time, Disney indicated that the ride would be revamped as a seasonal attraction, but it was not reopened in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That seems to leave the floor wide open for any number of changes or additions to the ride, and this new permit shows that Disney Parks is prepared to make an investment. The construction permit expires in April of 2022, so the work will need to be done quickly during the slow winter season. In that time, visitors may get a glimpse of the work being done, so there's a chance that pictures will be shared within the tight-knit Disney Parks fandom online.

Some of those fans are wondering if this contract could signal more widespread, general work on Dinoland USA itself. The area is a little outdated by some standards, and not as historically or scientifically accurate as other parts of the Animal Kingdom. Of course, fans' tastes differ on whether Dinoland USA needs changes. For now, the Primeval Whirl remains closed.