Though you might not think lighting could have a big effect on the overall experience of a theme park ride, the recent refurbishments of both Pirates of the Caribbean as well as Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid have shown us that intelligent lighting can vastly improve a ride experience. And fortunately, it looks like Disney is continuing to substantially upgrade the lightning inside attractions around the resort, as evidenced by some amazing improvements inside Dinosaur.

One of the biggest lightning changes guests will notice immediately is the enhanced volcanic eruptions and lightning strikes happening behind the dinosaurs in several scenes. While guests might have noticed a few light flashes here and there previously, these effects are much more prominent now, creating a real sense of danger and giving the ride a bigger sense of depth than it had before.

In addition to these newly plussed up background effects, almost all of the major dinosaur skeleton have also been completely re-lit, and now stand out much more against their various backdrops. And while some of the lights make the dinosaurs a lot brighter (and much easier to focus on while you are zooming past in the dark), some new black lights have also been installed to great effect in the finale scene with the Carnotaurus that make this thrilling moment even more exciting.

3. All the dinosaurs are moving

Speaking of dinosaurs, one issue with this attraction that we were really hoping that this lengthy refurbishment would address was the many non-moving dinosaurs in this ride, that had either stopped functioning altogether, or were operating in a very limited capacity. And fortunately, it looks like Disney has made restoring these dinosaurs job number one, as all of the Dinosaurs are now moving around and functioning like they did over a decade ago.

And in even better news for fans of this ride, the newly improved lighting reveals that many of these dinosaurs have been given some fresh new paint as well, with many new details like scales, scars and more now easily visible right from the Time Rover vehicle. 

While you may have vague memories of dull, drab and slow moving dinosaurs inside this attraction, after the refurbishment these very dinosaurs are exciting and full of life, which is certainly very good news! 

4. Improved audio throughout

While Dinosaur has never had a problem with volume (honestly, this attraction has to be one of the loudest rides at Walt Disney World), many times the dinosaur noises that guests could hear on their journey through the past simply sounded like muffled background noise against the voice on the intercom. However, during this refurbishment, Disney has improved the clarity of the audio in many places, with improved background sound playing throughout the attraction. Various dinosaur noises can now be heard very clearly during the attraction, and even though the audio from the vehicle is still far more prominent than the various grunts and roars from the dinosaurs, the improvement in the background audio makes the ride a lot more enjoyable, and has helps with the overall immersion of the attraction.