Changes

The attraction that would eventually become the Discovery River Boats was originally intended to be an exciting boat ride. On this attraction guests would come face to face with a fire breathing dragon, spot a unicorn, get attacked by a kraken, and spot a live dinosaur <Ref name= "google book"> https://books.google.com/books?id=fi9o1LXtkKsC&pg=PT182&lpg=PT182&dq=Discovery+River+Boats+Unicorn&source=bl&ots=qzAsPIm6Kb&sig=trRObEJP3qQdTtX5kcBiIM6BQag&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFAQ6AEwCmoVChMI662NwYzkyAIVyOAmCh1ZlQO9#v=onepage&q=Discovery%20River%20Boats%20Unicorn&f=false</ref>. According to Jim Hill the attraction's original plot would have been:{{Qutation|As your boat floated past the opening of the cave, you would have seen a duplicate of the dragon found in the cavern under Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant at Disneyland - Paris. Only WDW's version would have been a lot more active than France's sleepy monster. This dragon would have craned his neck out of the cave, roared at the guests and then breathed fire their way, before once again settling back down to sleep. <br> At this point, your boat driver would have started to get nervous. He would explain that he was worried that the dragon's roaring would awaken the Kracken, a mythical Greek sea monster that was known to lurk along this stretch of Discovery River. Sure enough, the water around the boat begins to bubble ominously. Off to one side, the huge fin of the Kracken suddenly cuts through the water. As the boat begins rocking back and forth, you're certain you're headed for a watery grave. Just then, your captain pulls out a lyre and begins plucking an odd tune. As the boat stops rocking and the water stops bubbling, the captain explains that music puts the Kracken back to sleep. <br> Once that it's safe to move on, the boat continues to head up river. Just as you round the bend, your captain points off excitedly to your left. There on the shore, you catch a glimpse of a unicorn. The beautiful white creature -- shrouded in mist as it stands in a picturesque grove of trees -- paws the earth lightly with one hoof and nods its golden horn our way. The unicorn's only visible for just an instant, but it truly is a beautiful sight. As your boat pulls up to the dock in Harambe, you and your fellow guests would still be buzzing about the wonders you <ref> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2001/01/01/309.aspx#sthash.DWT7IjP1.4hwMPmCl.dpuf </ref> Due to budget constraints however, the scale of the attraction was greatly reduced <Ref> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2004/10/19/479.aspx </ref> . Instead of being a full on attraction, the River Boats would instead preview Animal Kingdom’s various lands and provide transportation to the other side of the park. In the parks preopening literature, the attraction was described: