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Disney's Animal Kingdom

36 bytes added, 02:54, 12 July 2019
/* History After Opening Day */
Although relatively young compared to the other Disney Parks, Animal Kingdom has gone through several changes throughout 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 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 , while [[Conservation ]] Station became 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 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 of Disney's Animal Kingdom. At this time, [[Chester and 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 major changes came to Animal Kingdom in 2006. In DinoLand USA, Finding Nemo- the Musical replaced Tarzan Rocks, which had been there operating 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 high speed 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>.
===Beastly Kingdomme===
One change that has yet to (and may never) come to Animal Kingdom is the addition of Beastly Kingdomme. Despite a dragon being featured on the park's original logo, there are currently no plans to build the land. Camp Minnie-Mickey proved to be popular with guests, and thus the land set aside for Beastly Kingdom remained in use. With the announcement creation of [[Pandora- The World of a land based on Avatar ]] it looks is unlikely that Beastly Kingdomme will be built. Despite this, remnants of the planned Beastly Kingdom can still be found including:
*The parking lot contains a section named "Unicorn" <ref> http://www.yesterland.com/avatarkingdom.html </ref>.
*In the first couple years of the parks existence, blasts of fire would be spewed from a cave at the edge of the water near Camp Minnie-Mickey <ref name= "hill"> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2004/10/19/479.aspx </ref>. Also debuting at this time
*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 a fire-breathing dragon inside the cave <ref name= "hill"/>.
==Backstory==