Disney World

Animal Kingdom - Part One

Thursday morning we skipped breakfast at the resort and were off to Animal Kingdom. Disney's Animal Kingdom is the fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than 500 acres (2 km²). It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely around animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself.





As you can see, Miss Judy and I are ready for the Animal Kingdom adventure. We have the Tree of Life in the background.





The Tree of Life, a sculpted 14-story (145-foot tall), 50-foot wide tree, is the centerpiece and icon in Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.

What an amazing piece of construction! Engineered from a refitted oil platform, it is located on Discovery Island, roughly in the center of the park. Its leaves are made out of Kynar. On the exterior are carved images of 325 animals.

Under the Tree is a theater featuring It's Tough to be a Bug!, a 3-D film hosted by Flik, from Disney·Pixar's A Bug's Life. This show had to be the best 3-D experience we had in our stay at Disney World.



This entomologist looks so cool in her sexy 3-D glasses!


There is a hidden Mickey on this tree. On the front of The Tree of Life, facing the Oasis and about one-third the distance up the trunk from the bottom, is a classic (three-circle) Mickey made of green moss. You'll find it to the left of the buffalo. Look for it next time you are here.

As soon as we entered the park, we headed to Camp Minnie and Mickey.

This is the location of one of our "must see" live shows in this park. We were off to see....



...The Festival of the Lion King.

Festival of the Lion King brings the familiar characters of the Disney animated classic film The Lion King from the movie screen to an action-packed stage. This scheduled 30-minute big-as-Broadway live show combines the pageantry of a parade with a tribal celebration.


Through music featured in the film, high-energy dances, and even fire juggling, Disney Characters Timon, Simba, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, Mufasa and more team up with a traveling band of "African tribal performers" to tell the tale of a lion cub who can't wait to be king.

Festival of the Lion King is performed in an air-conditioned theater-in-the-round ( we did not need the air conditioned comfort!) with stadium seating. Judy and I were dazzled by the puppetry, pageantry, colorful costumes, spectacular singing and gymnastics—ole those balletic birds and acrobatic monkeys were fun!

During the Festival of the Lion King show, we all were encouraged to be part of the action. Each of the 4 sections around the stage takes turns acting like a giraffe, a warthog, a lion or an elephant. Did you know giraffes make the same sound as sheep: bleeet! We were in the giraffe section.

This was an outstanding performance!

After Lion King, it was time to eat. We had a "restful" meal at The Rain Forest Cafe.

OK- this is anything but RESTFUL! Animated animals recite facts about the rainforest as the sky claps with the boom of simulated thunder and sudden rainstorms. (Don't worry—you won't get wet!) Lush vegetation, banyan trees, waterfalls, trumpeting elephants and chest-pounding gorillas round out the rich jungle ambience.

I thought these bar stools were really interesting.

I love these restaurants that always provide shopping opportunities on the way to your meal.

Tomorrow - Off To Asia!