Changes

Construction on Disney's Animal Kingdom began in August of 1995. Four million cubic yards of dirt were moved and nearly 40,000 plants were added during the park's construction <ref name= "trivia"/>. During this process it was decided that the plants in Animal Kingdom would need to be in the ground for two growing seasons before the animals arrived. This meant that the horticulture team, led by Disney Legend Bill Evans, had until the spring of 1996 to get all the plants in place <ref> http://allears.net/ae/issue863.htm </ref>. This deadline was met, and in the fall of 1997, the animals were brought into the park <ref> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2011/01/kilimanjaro_safaris_at_animal_1.html </ref>. They These animals came from various zoo's or wildlife preserves around the world. A few animals were also from the wild, but were too injured to be re-released. In total Animal Kingdom is home to over 1,700 animals.

As construction on Disney's Animal Kingdom continued, funds for the new park began to dwindle. Eventually it was decided that Animal Kingdom would have to open in three phases. The first phase would consist of The Oasis, [[Safari Village]], [[Africa]], [[Conservation Station]], and an unfinished [[Asia]]. Also included in phase one would be either [[DinoLand USA]] or Beastly Kingdomme <ref name= "jim"> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2001/01/01/309.aspx </ref>. Disney eventually decided to build DinoLand USA, possibly due to the new movie “Dinosaur” that was set to be released in 2000 <ref name= "jim"/>.

Phase II of Animal Kingdom was planned to be the completion of Asia, along with the construction of Beastly Kingdom. Due to the park not being completed on opening day, Camp Minnie-Mickey, a place where guests could meet various Disney characters, was created as a temporary land. Camp Minnie-Mickey was to be essentially a place holder until Beastly Kingdom could be built <ref> http://www.yesterland.com/campmm.html </ref>.

Like the other Disney parks, Imagineers knew that Disney's Animal Kingdom would need a "weenie" or icon to draw guests into the park.The first icon considered for the park was the Animal Carousel <ref name= "book"/>. This three tiered structure would have featured birds, animals and fish that guests could ride on as they went around the carousel. Michael Eisner eventually rejected this idea because he though it was "too frivolous"<ref name= "book"/>., and Imagineers came up with a new icon- The Tree of Life.

Initially, Imagineers had a tough time figuring out how to create the massive icon <ref name= "tree"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2012/06/tree_of_life_at_disneys_animal.html </ref>. The tree had to look authentic, while being able to withstand hurricane level winds<ref name= "tree"/> . On top of that, the tree would also have to house the attraction [[It's Tough to be a Bug!]] (the attraction was chosen over an earlier idea of having a restaurant inside the tree)<ref name= "tree"/> . Eventually however, Imagineers came up with a fairly simple solution.  First, they took the structure of an oil rig for the base<ref name= "tree"/> . 45 secondary branches were then added to the tree, followed by 756 tertiary branches and finally 891 end branches. The Tree was then covered with 102,583 man-made leaves. After the structure was complete, 20 artisans carved over 300 animals into the tree<ref name= "tree"/> . When the Tree of Life was completed , it stood 145 feet tall and looked as if the animals themselves were making up the tree's trunk<ref name= "tree"/> .

Disney's Animal Kingdom opened on April 22, 1998 (Earth Day). At the opening of the park, the song “The Circle of Life” from Disney's The Lion King played as guests were showered with rose petals <ref> http://allears.net/tp/ak/ak_opn.htm </ref>. A half hour after the park had opened; the parking lot was filled to capacity, while 45 minutes later the park itself was filled to capacity <ref name= "day"/>. The first official guests to Disney's Animal Kingdom were Brenda Herr, her husband Damon Chepren, and their son Devon <ref name= "day"> http://thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead.com/apr22.html </ref>. They were greeted by Roy E. Disney and given lifetime passes. Unlike previous theme park openings, the event was not a star studded one , although Michael J. Fox, Drew Carey, Stevie Wonder , and David Copperfield did appear <ref> http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1998-04-20/news/9804190408_1_walt-disney-animal-kingdom-disney-theme </ref>. Some 5,000 reporters were also on hand as Disney CEO Michael Eisner read the park’s park's dedication:

Although relatively young compared to the other Disney Parks, Animal Kingdom has gone through several changesthroughout its history. The first major expansion of the park came in 1999 , when [[Asia ]] was finally completed <ref> http://allears.net/tp/ak/ak_asia.htm </ref>.Added at this time were the popular attractions [[Maharajah Jungle Trek]] <ref> https://touringplans.com/animal-kingdom/attractions/maharajah-jungle-trek </ref> and the [[Kali River Rapids]]. The [[Discovery River Boats]] (which were located had a dock in Asia) closed with the opening of the new attractions <ref>http://waltdatedworld.com/id55.htm</ref>.

In 2000 and 2001 many of Animal Kingdom's lands were renamed. The former Safari Village became [[Discovery Island ]] <ref> http://waltdatedworld.com/id131.htm </ref> and Conservation Station became [[Rafiki's Planet Watch ]] <ref> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/07/rafikis_planet_watch_the_forgo.html </ref>. The change in name to Discovery Island coincided with the closing of the Discovery Island attraction on Bay Lake. Also changing its name at this time was the popular [[DinoLand USA ]] attraction [[Countdown To Extinction]]. That ride was re-named after, and slightly altered , to tie into the 2000 Disney movie [[Dinosaur]] <ref> https://www.mouseplanet.com/10881/Remembering_the_Magic_Countdown_To_Extinction__DINOSAUR </ref>.

2001 also saw another expansion in Disney's Animal Kingdom. At this time, [[Chester and Hester’s Hester's Dino-Rama ]] was added to DinoLand USA. This mini land housed Midway Games (later renamed [[Fossil Fun Games]]) and the [[TriceraTop Spin]] <ref name= "d23"> https://d23.com/a-to-z/chester-hesters/ </ref>. The following year on March 31, 2002, [[Primeval Whirl]] was added to the area <ref name= "d23"/>.

The next set of majorchanges major changes came to Animal Kingdom in 2006. In DinoLand USA, Finding Nemo- the Musical replaced Tarzan Rocks, which had been there since 1999 <ref> http://allears.net/tp/ak/nemo.htm </ref>. Also in 2006, the “E-Ticket” roller coaster [[Expedition Everest]] was built in [[Asia]]. The attraction is a roller coaster set in the Himalayas, and it includes a close encounter with the fabled Yeti. By including the Yeti in the attraction, Disney's Animal Kingdom finally featured a mythical creature (which had been promised since the park’s dedication).

In 2014 Camp Minnie-Mickey was closed in order to make way for a new area of the park based on James Cameron's 2009 film “Avatar” <ref name= "attractions"> https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Festival+of+Lion+King+closed+Avatar </ref>. Following the land's closure the [[Festival of the Lion King]] attraction was relocated to a new section of [[Africa ]] called “New Harambe” <ref> https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/a-new-home-for-festival-of-the-lion-king-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/ </ref>. In 2015 the Harambe Marketplace opened to guests. The new area was themed around a “Colonial-era train depot design complete with a 1960s water tower”. Inside the Harambe Marketplace guests can visit various food vendors who sell African inspired quinine <ref> https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/04/fun-new-tastes-at-harambe-market-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/ </ref>.

On February 17, 2017, Rivers of Light, Disney's Animal Kingdom's new nighttime show, opened to guests <ref> https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/rivers-of-light-officially-opens-february-17-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/ </ref>. Finally , on May 27, 2017, [[Pandora- The World of Avatar ]] opened to guests <ref>https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/just-announced-pandora-the-world-of-avatar-will-open-may-27-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/</ref>. Based on the 2009 James Cameron film, Pandora- The World of Avatar transports guests to the planet Pandora and features the attractions [[Flights Flight of Passage]] and [[Na'vi River Journey]]

Located at the front of the park, the Oasis is the first land that guests encounter. Guest services and the Rain Forest Cafe are located here. The Oasis leads to the park's hub, “Discovery Island”[[Discovery Island]].

Originally called Safari Village, Discovery Island is the hub of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. From Discovery Island guests can get to all the park’s other lands except for [[Rafiki's Planet Watch]]. Animal Kingdom's icon “The Tree of Life” can be found in Discovery Island, inside which guests can find the [[It's Tough to be a Bug!]] attraction.

Home to the popular [[Kilimanjaro Safaris]], the Africa section of the park takes place in the fictional village of Harambe. According to the land's backstory, Harambe was once a colony before gaining its freedom in 1961 after a peaceful revolution. Harambe is currently home to a wildlife reserve, where tourists can see some of Africa's most interesting animals. In 2014 the Africa section of the park was expanded to house the relocated [[Festival of the Lion King]].

Rafiki's Planet Watch was originally called Conservation Station from 1998 until October 2000. It is the only land not accessible from [[Discovery Island]]. In order to get to Rafiki's Planet Watch guests must board the [[Wildlife Express Train ]] which travels between [[Africa ]] and the Planet Watch.

Perhaps the most popular land in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Asia was not complete until 1999. Set in the township of Anandpur, Asia the land is home to the popular [[Kali River Rapids]] and [[Expedition Everest]].

Pandora – The World of Avatar transports guests to the land of James Cameron's Avatar. On Pandora guests can travel on the [[Na'vi River Journey ]] attraction, or take flight on a Banshee on [[Flight of Passage]]. Pandora – The World of Avatar was constructed on the land formally occupied by [[Camp Minnie-Mickey]].

*Straws, balloons , and cup lids are not used inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom to protect the animals from potential choking hazards <ref name= "guide"> http://www.guidetothemagic.com/animalkingdom/animalkingdom5.htm </ref>.

*Two Micronesian Kingfisher chicks were hatched at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, raising the world population of these birds by 3 percent <ref name= "trivia"> http://allears.net/tp/ak/ak_fact.htm </ref>.

*Disney’s Animal Kingdom contains live plants from every continent on Earth except Antarctica <ref name= "trivia"/>.

*There are over 61,000 costume pieces worn by Animal Kingdom cast members.

*At over 500 acres, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is large enough to fit the [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Epcot]], and [[Disney's Hollywood Studios]] inside of it <ref name= "guide"/>.

*In the early 2000s 2000's Disney promoted Animal Kingdom with the phrase NăHTăZū!(pronounced "not a zoo") <ref> https://www.mouseplanet.com/10581/Its_Nahtazu </ref>.

*Disney’s Animal Kingdom features the largest groups of Nile hippos and African elephants in North America <ref name= "trivia"/>.