Changes
As construction 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 Kingdom. Disney eventually decided to build Dinoland USA, possibly due to the new Dinosaur movie that they were releasing in 2000.
Phase II 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. It was essentially a place holder until the Beastly Kingdom land could be built. 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 Parks, Animal Kingdom also has an "icon"-The Tree of Life. The tree of life stands 145 feet tall and is made of mostly steel. Imagineers had a hard time figuring out how to make the tree look authentic, while being able to withstand hurricane winds. On top of all that, the tree would also have to house the 3D attraction It's Tough To Be A Bug! The solution they 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. The Tree was then covered with 102,583 man made leaves.
==Opening Day==
Disney's Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day 1998 (April 22). 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 pedals. A half hour after the park had opened, the parking lot was filled to capacity. 45 minutes later, the park itself was filled to capacity. The first official guests to Disney's Animal Kingdom were the Werikhas family. They were greeted by Roy E. Disney and given lifetime passes. Unlike previous theme park openings, the event was not a star studded one. However, Drew Carey did make an appearance in Camp Minnie -Mickey to film a television clip for ABC. Some 5,000 reporters were also on hand as Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney, read the 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.|
===Beastly Kingdomme===
One change that has yet to come to Animal Kingdom is the addition of Beastly Kingdomme. Despite a dragon being featured on the park's logo, there are currently no plans to build the land. Camp Minnie -Mickey proved to be popular with guests, and it was determined that the small increase in guests would not warrant the cost. Despite this, remnants of the planned Beastly Kingdom can still be found including:
*The parking lot contains a section named "Unicorn."
'''[[Discovery Island Trails]]'''- On this short walking trail, guests can find Galapagos tortoises, lemurs, kangaroos and other exotic animals.
===Camp Minnie -Mickey===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.
'''[[Festival of the Lion King]]'''- This Broadway style show uses puppetry, song, dance and special effects to tell the story of Disney's The Lion King.
