Could a Nat Geo Ride Come to Disney World? Here's a Clue!

When it comes to new theme park ride ideas, Disney has no shortage of places to find inspiration.

Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

We’ve heard a LOT of ideas lately about some Disney movies that could be part of future park expansions, like Black Panther and Encanto. But a lot of folks tend to forget that Disney also owns a good portion of National Geographic, and believe it or not, there is a possibility of a National Geographic ride coming to the parks!

Think about it. National Geographic has a lot of super thrilling shows that could make for fun theme park experiences. There’s even a show ABOUT Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There are TONS of Nat Geo shows about exploring nature, history, and more, so National Geographic has plenty of rich material that Imagineers could use to create a Disney ride.

©NatGeo

According to Deadline, Tom McDonald, EVP, Global Factual and Unscripted, National Geographic, has thought about the idea of one of Nat Geo’s shows becoming a theme park attraction. He said:

“I know this sounds outlandish but when I started, and I half meant it as a joke, one of the things I said was ‘Wouldn’t be great if one of our shows became a theme park ride at Disney World?’ There are some really interesting conversations happening right now within the system, with Parks and beyond about how we might bring some of our shows to life in the physical world, interesting types of experiences.”

Disney+ Poster

Of course, not EVERY show on National Geographic would make a good attraction, but this is a company that makes a LOT of shows about wild animals, so it wouldn’t be TOO far-fetched to see an attraction pop up in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, right? Or maybe we can get something with SHARKS over at EPCOT’s aquarium? Or perhaps a journey through a lost city or some ruins with Albert Lin (seriously, that guy is AWESOME)? The possibilities are endless!

National Geographic Sharkfest Photo Op in Disneyland

“We’re making a series about Jonestown Massacre [The Cult: One Day In America], we’re making a series about the Boxing Day tsunami [Tsunami], we are definitely not thinking about a theme park ride,” McDonald said. “However, I do think that the priority to us as we go forward is going to be how to bring these things to life in a bigger and broader way. I think that’s one of the things is unique about us, compared to Netflix or Apple for some of the other cable channels. I do think it is part of being part of the wider National Geographic and the wider Disney ecosystem and that feels like it’s not been wholly tapped into yet.”

Limited edition National Geographic book

So it does seem like those over at National Geographic are thinking about their future with theme park attractions, and it certainly is a natural fit with a lot of its programming. We’ll just have to see if Disney agrees.

Stay tuned to DFB for more.

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What do you think? Would you like to see a National Geographic ride at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!