ANIMAL KINGDOM
TOURING
- Attraction Seating
Photo Gallery - Basic Services
- Calendar of Events
- Character Meet and
Greet FAQ - Extra Magic Hour
- FASTPASS
- Fun Facts
- Guide Map
- Kennels
- Operating Hours
- Overlooked Attractions
- Reader Tips
- Rehabs and Closures
- Restaurant Photo Gallery
- Ride Restrictions
- Smoking Policy
- Special Needs Travelers
- Animal Kingdom
in a Wheelchair - Ticket FAQS
AT A GLANCE...
AVATAR
Construction Begins?
- Dinosaur
- The Boneyard
- Dino-Sue
- Chester and Hester's
Dino-Rama
--Primeval Whirl
--Triceratop Spin - Finding Nemo: The Musical
ENTERTAINMENT
IN-DEPTH BLOGS
- Chester and Hester's DinoRama
- Dinoland USA - Part 1 - Part 2
- Discovery Island Shops
- Expedition Everest Part 1 - Part 2
- Everest Temple
- Lights at Animal Kingdom
- Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
- Pwani View Guest House
- Rafiki's Planet Watch
- Royal Couple of Anandapur
- Seats in Animal Kingdom
Special Reports
- Animal Kingdom Youngsters Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
- Asian Tigers
- Nile Hippopotamus
- Okapi
- West African Crowned Crane
- Animal Kingdom Turns 15
- Animal Kingdom Turns 10
- Animal Kingdom Turns 5
- Kaleidoscopic Kingdoms
OTHER WALT DISNEY WORLD
THEME PARKS
OTHER DISNEY THEME
PARKS
Welcome to Disney's
Animal Kingdom
JAMBO EVERYONE!
In January 1990, Imagineering
Concept Designer Joe Rohde met with Michael
Eisner about a proposal for a new animal park.
His concept was simple: a traditional theme park, an
Epcot style pavilion, and a nontraditional zoo. Disney's
Wild Animal Kingdom Project was announced June
5, 1995 and ground was broken in August 1995. The name
changed a bit during the next couple years and the
Grand Opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom was
held on April 22, 1998. Animal Kingdom celebrated its 10th
Anniversary on April 22, 2008!
Disney's Animal Kingdom is a spectacular theme park unlike anything you have ever experienced!
OVERVIEW
The Adventure Begins at Animal Kingdom --
Each morning, 15 minutes before the schedule opening time, you can go through the turnstiles and head to the Tree of Life area. Soon, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy arrive to welcome you to the park! Mickey appears and gets on the truck and you can follow them into Harambe as the Adventure Begins in the Animal Kingdom!
The
Tree of Life, an impressive icon, stands tall in the distance
as you emerge from the entrance, called the Oasis. Then think
of the park as a bicycle wheel, the Tree of Life is the hub and
the various lands stretch out like spokes.
Animal Kingdom opened with the Oasis, Safari Village (renamed Discovery Island), Camp Minnie-Mickey, Africa, Conservation Station (renamed Rafiki's Planet Watch), Dinoland USA and a small portion of Asia. Before the park's first birthday, a larger portion of Asia opened to complete the circle.
Some say Animal Kingdom is only a half-day park and not worth the price of admission. I disagree, yet there is a fair group of visitors that feel that way. I tend to think those are the folks who run from attraction to attraction, with the sole purpose of checking off what they have done and to hurry and get to what is left. By doing so, you'll miss much of what Animal Kingdom is about.
"Disney's Animal Kingdom won't be for everyone. The difference will largely be in one's expectations. Come expecting "rides" and you're bound to be disappointed. That's why Disney is advertising it as "a different kind of theme park". If you come expecting to learn a bit about animals, to view them in as natural a situation as any zoo in the world, to experience a themed environment as convincing as Main Street or Hollywood Boulevard, and to be awed by the many fantastic details from the walkway design to the Tree of Life, you'll love it!" (ZaZu)
The exquisite detail that Disney is known for shines through in Disney's Animal Kingdom where landscaping and attention to details dominate the 500 acre park.
The exciting Wild Africa Trek is a jaw-dropping journey only a few Guests get to experience. The expedition is a true encounter with African creatures in their native habitat.
Two "calmer" "Behind the Scenes Tours" are offered for you to learn more about Animal Kingdom.
On the southwestern edge of the Walt Disney World Resort, Imagineers have created a nature rich and protective environment for exotic animals. Most of the barriers between the animals and you are natural looking or invisible.
Disney craftsmen had the difficult task of making something brand new look very old - with crumbling walls and roots sticking up into the walk ways. To create just the right feeling, buildings are a maximum of 30 feet tall, while many of the trees are more than 40 feet tall.
The park is beautiful with wondrous vegetation, broadway class show (Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo), a 20-minute journey into an African savanna (Kilimanjaro Safaris), an adventure to find the Yeti (Expedition Everest) time travel back to the Cretaceous Period (Dinosaur), and lots of exotic birds and animals to discover.
Animal Kingdom has an afternoon parade: Mickey's
Jammin' Jungle Parade.
What's NEW/COMING?
-
COMING Adventures Outpost Character meet and greet
-
COMING Wilderness Explorer Program - Beginning May-June 2013
-
NEW Pick up a new Amimal Guide at the main Guide Map Pickup Location as you enter the park.
- COMING?? AVATAR - Construction scheduled to begin ?????
What's Going - Going - Gone...
A
wide variety of sources were used to obtain the Animal Kingdom information
found on AllEars® including: Discussions with Cast Members, various Animal
Kingdom Guide Maps, WDW Media Releases, the Backstage Safari Tour, Cast publications such as Eyes and Ears,
"The Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park", and "The
Making of the Animal Kingdom Theme Park", by Melody Malmberg.
