Primeval World
Encyclopedia
The Primeval World is a short attraction on the Disneyland Railroad
at Disneyland in Anaheim, California
and on the Western River Railroad
at Tokyo Disneyland
in Tokyo
, Japan
. It comes immediately after the Grand Canyon between Tomorrowland Station and Main Street Station. At the Primeval World, you see a number of dinosaur
s in a supposed natural habitat after traveling back in time. It appears to have been based around the Rite of Spring
segment of Fantasia
.
The Primeval World diorama were originally constructed by Disney for the 1964 World's Fair and was viewed from inside a Ford Mustang Convertible rather than a train. The attractions It's a Small World, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and the Carousel of Progress were also constructed for the same Fair and transferred to the park after the closing of the fair in 1965.
Disneyland Railroad
The Disneyland Railroad , originally the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a narrow gauge railroad at Disneyland, Anaheim, California, United States, that was inaugurated on the park's live television preview on July 17, 1955. This live steam railway was constructed for $240,000; each of the...
at Disneyland in Anaheim, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and on the Western River Railroad
Western River Railroad
The Western River Railroad is Tokyo Disneyland's version of its steam-powered railroad. It does not circle the whole park; it instead passes through Advenutureland, Frontierland and Critter Country. Additionally, this railroad differs from other Disney railroads because its track gauge is 30" as...
at Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland
is a 115 acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It comes immediately after the Grand Canyon between Tomorrowland Station and Main Street Station. At the Primeval World, you see a number of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s in a supposed natural habitat after traveling back in time. It appears to have been based around the Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
segment of Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
.
Dinosaurs & Other Prehistoric Animals
- MacraucheniaMacraucheniaMacrauchenia was a long-necked and long-limbed, three-toed South American ungulate mammal, typifying the order Litopterna. The oldest fossils date back to around 7 million years ago, and M...
: a herd of Macrauchenia are first presented. - HyaenodonHyaenodonHyaenodon is an extinct genus of Hyaenodonts, a group of carnivorous creodonts of the family Hyaenodontidae endemic to all continents except South America, Australia and Antarctica, living from 42—15.9 mya, existing for approximately .-Morphology:Some species of this genus were amongst the largest...
: similar to Walking with BeastsWalking with BeastsWalking with Beasts is a 2001 six-part television documentary miniseries, produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. In North America it has been retitled Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, and the original Discovery Channel broadcast was narrated by Stockard Channing...
. One is perched on a cliff. - PhorusrhacosPhorusrhacosPhorusrhacos was a genus of giant flightless predatory birds that lived in Patagonia, containing the single species Phorusrhacos longissimus. Their closest living relatives are the much smaller seriema birds...
: a giant bird seen attacking a small mammal. - MegatheriumMegatheriumMegatherium was a genus of elephant-sized ground sloths endemic to Central America and South America that lived from the Pliocene through Pleistocene existing approximately...
: a giant ground sloth is seen eating. - Woolly MammothWoolly mammothThe woolly mammoth , also called the tundra mammoth, is a species of mammoth. This animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia with the best preserved carcasses in Siberia...
: three mammoths (male, female and young) are presented. The male mammoth is trapped in the tar pit and attacked by a SmilodonSmilodonSmilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
. - SmilodonSmilodonSmilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
: seen attacking the struggling male mammoth in the tar pit. - DimetrodonDimetrodonDimetrodon was a predatory synapsid genus that flourished during the Permian period, living between 280–265 million years ago ....
: while not a dinosaur, but a reptile that went extinct before the dinosaurs existed, this mistake has already been made in various dinosaur franchise. - Giant Snails
- Giant Scorpion
- MeganeuraMeganeuraMeganeura is a genus of extinct insects from the Carboniferous period approximately 300 million years ago, which resembled and are related to the present-day dragonflies. With wingspans of more than 75 cm , M. monyi is one of the largest known flying insect species; the Permian Meganeuropsis...
- Flying Lizard
- BrontosaurusApatosaurusApatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
: this may or may not be the real name, as the names are never mentioned on the train. Looking at the time it was made and common knowledge, it can be assumed that it is Brontosaurus. Both adults and juveniles are present. The real name is ApatosaurusApatosaurusApatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
. - Pterodactyl: a more correct term would be PteranodonPteranodonPteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
. These aren't seen actually flying, but are perched on cliffs. - TriceratopsTriceratopsTriceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
: these are seen in their own section of the ride, with a number of hatchlings and two parents present. - StruthiomimusStruthiomimusStruthiomimus is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. It was a long-legged, ostrich-like dinosaur.The bipedal Struthiomimus stood about long and tall at the hips and weighed around...
: this may be any ornithomimid fitting the appearance, but Struthiomimus is most likely. Other possibilities include GallimimusGallimimusGallimimus is a genus of ornithomimid theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. With individuals as long as , it was one of the largest ornithomimosaurs...
and OrnithomimusOrnithomimusOrnithomimus is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America.In 1890 Ornithomimus velox was named by Othniel Charles Marsh on the basis of a foot and partial hand from the Maastrichtian Denver Formation. Another seventeen species have been named since...
. - TyrannosaurusTyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
: one of the last dinosaurs to appear. It can be seen fighting a stegosaur around a lava pit. The tyrannosaur is incorrectly depicted. - StegosaurusStegosaurusStegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
: one of the last dinosaurs to appear. It can be seen fighting a tyrannosaur around a lava pit.
The Primeval World diorama were originally constructed by Disney for the 1964 World's Fair and was viewed from inside a Ford Mustang Convertible rather than a train. The attractions It's a Small World, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and the Carousel of Progress were also constructed for the same Fair and transferred to the park after the closing of the fair in 1965.
Mistakes
- As with many of the dinosaur-based items in the world, it depicts dinosaurs from all different time periods and places in the same habitat. This is also seen in The Land Before TimeThe Land Before TimeThe Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
, and Dink, the Little DinosaurDink, the Little DinosaurDink, the Little Dinosaur is an animated series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The series originally aired on the CBS Kids block on CBS from 1989 to 1991. The series was developed for television by Karen Willson and Chris Weber....
. - Many of the dinosaurs are out of proportion to their actual size.
- The Tyrannosaurus near the end has a number of faults:
- the head is the wrong shape
- there are three claws on the hand (three fingers like an AllosaurusAllosaurusAllosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...
or GiganotosaurusGiganotosaurusGiganotosaurus is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur that lived around 97 million years ago during the early Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. It included some of the largest known terrestrial carnivores, slightly larger than the largest Tyrannosaurus, but smaller than the...
); Tyrannosaurus had two. - it is standing upright, which has been determined wrong
- its tail is dragging on the ground
- the brontosaurs are seen chewing plants like cows. This is known to be incorrect, as they swallowed their food whole and it was broken down by gizzard stones (gastroliths).
- Dimetrodon went extinct before the dinosaurs existed.