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/* History After Opening Day */
{{Template:Infobox amusement park
| image=TreeOfLifeday.jpg
| caption='''The Tree of Life, the icon of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom.'''| theme=Animals and , nature, conservation
| opening_date=April 22, 1998
| icon=The Tree of Life
}}
Disney's Animal Kingdom is a theme park located in Walt Disney World.
==Conception <ref name= "book"> Malmberg, Melody. The Making of Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. New York: Hyperion, 1998. Print. </ref>==
The genesis of Disney's Animal Kingdom is a began when Disney noted that the idea of an animal theme park located in tested well on surveys. This feedback, combined with the fact that Disney owned several intellectual properties that featured animals, convinced Disney CEO Michael Eisner to send the idea of an animal theme park to Walt Disney WorldImagineering. In 1990, Imagineer Joe Rohde met with Eisner to discuss the new park. Rohde’s vision for the park was threefold, it would feature traditional theme park components, an Epcot Center style pavilion, and a nontraditional zoo. [[Image:AnimalKingdomConcept.jpg|400px|thumb|Concept art for Disney's Animal Kingdom]] Eisner agreed to the basic premise of the park, commenting that like the Magic Kingdom, Disney should also have an Animal Kingdom. With this objective in mind, Rohde and his team of six Imagineers (Kevin Brown, Zofia Kostyrko, Kevin Brown, Christopher West, Tony Marando and Patsy Tillisch) set out to create a basic outline for the new park.
==Construction==
[[Image:TreeofLifeConstruction3.jpg|400px|thumb|Disney's Animal Kingdom under construction]]
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>. 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.
Phase II of Animal Kingdom was planned to be the completion of [[Asia]], along with Phase III being 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. It Camp Minnie-Mickey was essential to be essentially a place holder until the Beastly Kingdom land could be built<ref> http://www.yesterland.com/campmm.html </ref>. Besides the lands, the park would feature the Kilimanjaro Safari which would allow guests to see the animals in a natural way, as if they were on safari.
Like the other Disney Parksparks, Imagineers knew that Disney's Animal Kingdom also has an would need a "weenie" or icon"-The Tree of Lifeto draw guests into the park. The tree of life stands 145 feet tall and is made of mostly steelfirst icon considered for the park was the Animal Carousel <ref name= "book"/>. Imagineers had a hard time figuring out how to make the tree look authenticThis three tiered structure would have featured birds, while being able to withstand hurricane winds. On top of all animals and fish thatguests could ride on, as they went around the tree would also have to house the 3D attraction It's Tough To Be A Bug! The solution they carousel. Michael Eisner eventually rejected this idea because he though it was "too frivolous"<ref name= "book"/>, and Imagineers came up with was actually fairly simple. First they took the structure of an oil rig for the base. 45 secondary branches were then added to the tree followed by 756 tertiary branches and finally 891 end branches. a new icon- The Tree was then covered with 102,583 man made leavesof Life.
==Opening Day==
Disney's Animal Kingdom officially opened on Earth Day 1998 (April 22, 1998 (Earth Day). At the opening of the park, the song The “The Circle of Life Life” from Disney's The Lion King played as guests were showered with rose pedalspetals <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. , and 45 minutes later, the park itself was filled to capacity<ref name= "day"/>. The first offical official guests to Disney's Animal Kingdom were the Werikhas familyBrenda 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 passesto Walt Disney World. Unlike previous theme park openings, the event Grand Opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom was not a star studded oneaffair, although Michael J. HoweverFox, Drew Carey , Stevie Wonder, and David Copperfield did make an appearance in Camp Minnie Mickey to film a television clip for ABCappear <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 Michael Eisner the CEO of Disney read the park's dedication:
{{Quotation|Welcome to a kingdom of animals… real, ancient and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs and dragons; a kingdom of balance, harmony and survival; a kingdom we enter to share in the wonder, gaze at the beauty, thrill at the drama, and learn.|
Michael Eisner <br> April 22, 1998}} Animal Kingdom opened without many problems, however Countdown to Extinction did break down for over an hour. Overall the grand opening was a success.
==History After Opening Day==
[[Image:ExpeditionEverest3.jpg|400px|thumb|Expedition Everest opened in the Asia section of Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2006.]]Although relatively young compared to the other Disney Parks, Animal Kingdom as has gone through a lot of several changesthroughout its history. In 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 to the land at this time were the popular attractions the [[Maharajah Jungle Trek and the Kali River Rapids]] <ref> https://touringplans. The Maharajah Jungle Trek is a wildlife trail along which guests will encounter bats, a Komodo dragon, com/animal-kingdom/attractions/maharajah-jungle-trek </ref> and even a Bengal Tiger. The Kali River Rapids is a white water rafting ride, that takes guests down the Chakranadi River. The [[Kali River Rapids also addresses the issues of illegal logging and habitat destruction]].The [[Discovery River Boats that were once located ]] (which 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 Kingdoms Kingdom's lands were renamed. The former [[Safari Village ]] became [[Discovery Island and the ]] <ref> http://waltdatedworld.com/id131.htm </ref>, while [[Conservation Station became Rifiki]] was renamed [[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 in on Bay Lake. Also changing it's names its name at this time was the popular Dinoland [[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>.
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=Beastly Kingdom1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=One change that has yet to come to Animal Kingdom is the addition Festival+of Beastly Kingdom+Lion+King+closed+Avatar </ref>. Despite a dragon being featured on Following the parkland's logo, there are currently no plans closure the [[Festival of the Lion King]] attraction was relocated to build a new section of [[Africa]] called “New Harambe” <ref> https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/a-new-home-for-festival-of-the land-lion-king-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/ </ref>. Camp Minnie Mickey proved In 2015 the Harambe Marketplace opened to be popular with guests, and it . The new area was determained that the small increase in guests would not warrant the costthemed around a “Colonial-era train depot design complete with a 1960s water tower”. Despite this, remenets of Inside the planned Beastly Kingdom Harambe Marketplace guests can still be found includingvisit 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>.
*Burnt suits of armor were located just outside the cave entrance, and when the Discovery Boats passed this scene guests were told by the boat's captain that the fire was created by The parking lot contains a fire-breathing dragon inside the cavesection named "Unicorn" <ref> http://www.yesterland.com/avatarkingdom.html </ref>.
*Burnt suits of armor were located just outside the cave entrance, and when the Discovery Boats passed this scene, guests were told by the boat'''[[Oasis Exhibits]]'''s captain that the fire was created by a fire- This walking trail allows guests to see many animals including breathing dragon inside the giant anteater, wallabies, exotic boar and more!cave <ref name= "hill"/>.
===Discovery Island=Backstory==Originally called Safari VillageAccording to The World According to Jack the backstory for Disney's Animal Kingdom states{{Quotation|'Once upon a time, no vegetation would grow on Discovery Island is the hub . There were no trees, no shrubs, no flowers, nothing. It was a barren piece of land. Then, one day, a tiny ant planted a seed and made a wish. He asked for a tree to grow – a tree large enough to provide shelter for all the parkanimals. From Discovery Island guests can get Magically, the ant’s wish came true and a tree began to grow -- and it kept growing until there was room beneath its limbs for all of the other lands except Rafiki's Planet Watchanimals from A (ants) to Z (zebras). Disney's Animal Kingdom's iconAnd as the tree continued to reach for the heavens, The Tree the images of Life can be found all the animals that took shelter beneath its shade appeared on Discovery Islandits trunk, roots, and branches.<ref> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2012/06/tree_of_life_at_disneys_animal.html </ref>}}
==Current Lands==To see the current Animal Kingdom map [https://secure.parksandresorts.wdpromedia.com/media/wdpro-assets/parks-and-tickets/destinations/animal-kingdom/Disneys_Animal_Kingdom.pdf?16052017140623'''Click Here'''.]===Oasis===[[It's Tough Image:AnimalKingdomGuideMap2020.jpg|thumb|400px|The 2021 Animal Kingdom map (click to be a Bug!enlarge)]]'''- On this 4D attraction, guests enter Located at the world front of the Disney-Pixar movie A Bugs Life. Here, they meet up with Flick, Dotpark, the Oasis is the first land that guests encounter. Guest Services and even Hopper as they learn some of the challenges of being a bug!Rain Forest Cafe are located here. The Oasis leads to the park's hub, [[Discovery Island]].
'''[[Discovery Island TrailsOasis Exhibits]]'''- On this short This walking trail, allows guests can find Galapagos tortoisesto see many animals including: the giant anteater, lemurswallabies, kangaroos exotic boar and other exotic animalsmore.
===Camp Minnie Mickey[[Discovery Island]]===Originally intended to be a temporary land, Camp Minnie Mickey is located where Beastly Kingdom was supposed to be built. Here, guests can meet their favorite Disney characters including Mickey, Minnie, and Donald. The main attraction located in Camp Minnie Mickey is the Broadway style show, Festival of the Lion King.Main Article: [[Discovery Island]]
Rafiki'''s Planet Watch was called Conservation Station from 1998 until October 2000. It is the only land not accessible from [[Pangani Forest Exploration TrailDiscovery Island]]. In order to get to Rafiki'''- On this 3/8 of a mile walking trail, s Planet Watch guests can observe some of must board the [[Wildlife Express Train]] which travels between [[Africa's most exotic animals. okapis, meerkats, hippos, ]] and Western Lowland Gorillas can all be seen herethe Planet Watch.
Perhaps the most popular land in Disney'''Wild Africa Trek'''- This three hour tour allows guests s Animal Kingdom, Asia was not complete until 1999. Set in the township of Anandpur, the land is home to trek through the African wilderness popular [[Kali River Rapids]] and the Savannah Desert, where they can get an up close look at various African animals. The tour requires guests to pay an additional cost[[Expedition Everest]].
===Rafiki's Planet Watch[[DinoLand USA]]===Rafkik's Planet Watch was originally called Conservation Station, and 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. Main Article: [[DinoLand USA]]
Pandora – The World of Avatar transports guests to the land of James Cameron'''s Avatar. On Pandora guests can travel on the [[Conservation StationNa'vi River Journey]]'''- At Conservation Stationattraction, guests can an in-depth look at how Disney takes care or take flight on a Banshee on [[Flight of the animals located within Disney's Animal KingdomPassage]]. Interactive exhibits and live animals also help guests learn about various animal habitatsPandora – The World of Avatar was constructed on the land formally occupied by [[Camp Minnie-Mickey]].
===Asia=Disney Genie +==Perhaps the most popular land [[Image:AnimalKingdomfastpass.jpg|350px|thumb|Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Asia was not complete until 1999. The land is home to Disney's newest attraction Expedition Everest. Pandora]]{| style="padding-bottom:0px; padding-top:0px;"|-| * [[Kali River Rapids]]| * [[Kilimanjaro Safaris]] |* [[DINOSAUR]] |* [[Feathered Friends in Flight!]]| |-| * [[Na'vi River Journey]]|* [[It's Tough to be a Bug!]]| * [[The Animation Experience]]|* [[Festival of the Lion King]]|-||}
===Lightning Lane===Disney's Animal Kingdom''s two Lightning Lane exclusive attractions are:{| style="padding-bottom:0px; padding-top:0px;"|-| * [[Flight of Wonders'''Passage]]| * [[Expedition Everest]]||- In this show, guests can see various tricks performed by all kinds of exotic birtds. |}
* Disney’s Animal Kingdom contains live plants from every continent on Earth except Antarctica <ref name===DinoLand USA==="trivia"/>.
* In the early 2000'''Finding Nemo- The Musical'''- This Broadway style show is s Disney promoted Animal Kingdom with the phrase NăHTăZū!(pronounced "not a musical retelling of the Disney-Pixar movie Finding Nemozoo") <ref> https://www.mouseplanet. The show runs for approximately 35 minutescom/10581/Its_Nahtazu </ref>.
==References==