Disney's Animal Kingdom facts for kids
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The Tree of Life, the icon of Animal Kingdom
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| Location | Walt Disney World, Bay Lake, Florida, United States |
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| Coordinates | 28°21′29″N 81°35′24″W / 28.358°N 81.59°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 22, 1998 |
| Owner | Disney Experiences (The Walt Disney Company) |
| Operated by | Walt Disney World Key people: Maryann Smith (VP) Dr. Mark Penning (VP, Animal Sciences) Kristen Stalker (GM, Operations) |
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| Operating season | Year-round |
| Attendance | 8.77 million (2023) |
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a special animal-themed park located at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and run by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. This park is huge, covering about 580 acres, making it one of the largest theme parks in the world. It first opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998, and was the fourth theme park built at the resort. The park is all about the natural environment and protecting animals, an idea that Walt Disney himself believed in.
Disney's Animal Kingdom is different from other Walt Disney World parks because it has many live animals alongside fun rides and shows. The park was designed carefully to make sure the animals are safe and happy. It is located on the edge of the resort, away from other parks. This helps keep the animals from being disturbed. Because of this, the park does not have loud fireworks shows at night. To help the environment, the park uses paper straws that break down easily. It also does not allow plastic straws, lids, or balloons. Disney's Animal Kingdom is recognized by important groups like the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means they meet high standards for animal care, education, and protecting wildlife.
In 2023, about 8.77 million people visited the park. This made it one of the most visited theme parks in the world. As of 2019, it was also the most visited zoo in the world. The park's main symbol is the Tree of Life. This is a huge, man-made baobab tree that stands 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide.
Contents
Park History
Planning and Building
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Disney started planning a new park after Disney-MGM Studios opened in 1989. The idea for Animal Kingdom came from a Disney designer named Joe Rohde. To show his idea for the animal-themed park, Joe Rohde even brought a 400-pound Bengal tiger to a meeting with Disney CEO Michael Eisner!
Disney announced plans to build the park in 1995. It was expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. To design the park, Disney's designers traveled to Africa and Asia. They wanted to study the landscapes and learn about the wildlife there.
By July 1996, building was underway for the animal homes. Workers also started planting many trees, shrubs, and grasses to create the park's African Savanna-like look. Disney designers gathered seeds from 37 countries for the plants in the park. The landscaping work included moving a lot of dirt and planting 40,000 big trees. Some were real savanna trees, and some were artificial Baobab trees. Over 2,600 construction workers built miles of underground pipes and various waterways. Many buildings had thatched roofs made by skilled Zulu workers from South Africa. About 1,500 wooden horses were painted by hand in Bali under Disney's guidance. Parts of the park were designed to look old, with fake potholes in the safari roads and boats that looked dented and rusty.
Most of the park's animals arrived in the fall of 1997. They stayed in a special facility in northern Florida to make sure they were healthy. Disney hired animal experts from 69 zoos across the United States to care for the animals.
Park Operations
The park opened to the public on April 22, 1998. Many special events happened around the opening day. The ABC network aired a two-hour TV special about how Animal Kingdom was made. Disney leaders, including Michael Eisner, hosted a big party for 14,000 guests. Famous people like Michael J. Fox, Drew Carey, Stevie Wonder, and Jane Goodall, who studies animals, were there. Popular TV shows like Good Morning America also broadcast live from the park on opening day.
In 2011, Disney announced a big new area for the park called Pandora – The World of Avatar. This was a project with movie director James Cameron. The goal was to make Animal Kingdom a park that guests could enjoy all day and night. Building for this area began on January 10, 2014, and it opened to the public on May 27, 2017.
The park closed from March 16 to July 11, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.
What's New and Next
On September 9, 2023, Disney announced that DinoLand U.S.A. would be replaced with a new area. This new land is inspired by the American tropics. It was also shared that the show It's Tough to Be a Bug! would be replaced by a Zootopia-themed film in the Tree of Life Theater.
On August 10, 2024, it was confirmed that the new show, Zootopia: Better Zoogether, would replace It's Tough to Be a Bug! in the Tree of Life Theater. It was also confirmed that DinoLand U.S.A. is being replaced by a new Tropical Americas land. This land will be set in a make-believe town called Pueblo Esperanza. It will feature attractions based on Encanto and Indiana Jones. This new land is expected to be finished by 2027.
In October 2024, the closing date for DinoLand, U.S.A. was moved to 2025. The first part of DinoLand, U.S.A. began to close on January 13, 2025. This included the Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama section, with rides like TriceraTop Spin and games. In February 2025, it was announced that It's Tough to Be a Bug! would close in March, 2025.
On March 16, 2025, It's Tough to Be a Bug! had its final day of operation. Work is now underway on "Zootopia: Better Zoogether!".
Park Areas and Attractions
Disney's Animal Kingdom has seven different themed areas. The park's Discovery River separates Discovery Island from the other lands. The park is home to about 2000 animals from around 200 different kinds.
Oasis
Oasis is like the main entrance area of the park. It helps guests move from the park's entrance into the world of animals. The main paths have animal exhibits and many plants and trees. These paths lead deeper into the park and then to Discovery Island. Between the parking lot and the Oasis, there is a Rainforest Cafe. You can enter it from both inside and outside the park.
Discovery Island
Discovery Island is in the center of the park. It is an island within the park's Discovery River. It acts as the "main meeting point" connecting the other sections of the park with bridges. The only exception is Rafiki's Planet Watch. This area used to be called Safari Village. It was renamed after another small animal park in Walt Disney World's Bay Lake, which closed in 1999.
The Tree of Life, the park's huge, man-made baobab tree with animal carvings, is located here. Trails and animal homes surround it. The park's largest gift shops and two of its main restaurants are also on Discovery Island.
Pandora – The World of Avatar
Pandora – The World of Avatar is themed after the make-believe moon, Pandora, from James Cameron's Avatar movies. It is dedicated to the many strange plants and animals that live there. The land's most popular ride is Avatar Flight of Passage. This is an exciting 3D flying ride that makes you feel like you are soaring on a banshee across Pandora's landscape. Another ride, the Na'vi River Journey, is a dark boat ride through Pandora's glowing rainforests. This area opened on May 27, 2017.
Africa
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Africa is set in the make-believe east African port village of Harambe. It looks like real villages found in places such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Disney designers copied details from Africa, like a fortress found in Zanzibar and an old, crumbling building from Kenya. Harambe has a "hotel," restaurants, an outdoor bar with live music, and different marketplaces.
The village gives its name to the Harambe Wildlife Preserve. This is the make-believe home of the area's main attraction, Kilimanjaro Safaris. Guests climb aboard an open safari truck for a journey to see African animals. These animals live in large outdoor areas that look like African savannas, rivers, and rocky hills. The safari features animals like the okapi, greater kudu, saddle-billed stork, bongo, black and southern white rhinoceros, hippopotamus, pink-backed pelican, Nile crocodile, painted dog, Masai giraffe, blue wildebeest, springbok, Ankole cattle, common eland, waterbuck, sable antelope, African bush elephant, mandrill, greater flamingo, Hartmann's mountain zebra, common ostrich, cheetah, African lion, common warthog, and Nigerian dwarf goats.
On the nearby Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, visitors walk into the forest to see animals. These include the Western lowland gorilla, Angolan colobus, okapi, yellow-backed duiker, Grévy's zebra, meerkat, Kenyan sand boa, and naked mole-rat. There is also an aviary where you can walk among birds. On the western side of the Africa area is the Harambe Theater. This is where you can see the Festival of the Lion King, a live stage show based on Disney's 1994 animated movie, The Lion King.
Rafiki's Planet Watch
Rafiki's Planet Watch is the only part of the park not connected to Discovery Island. It connects only to Africa. Guests take a special narrow-gauge Wildlife Express Train for the short trip to and from this area. It has three smaller sections.
Conservation Station shows how the Walt Disney Company helps protect animals and nature. It also gives you a look behind the scenes at Disney's Animal Kingdom's animal care facilities. This includes a veterinary room where animal doctors work. They even have a way for staff to answer guest questions.
Outside, Affection Section is a petting zoo. Here you can meet goats, sheep, cattle, domestic pigs, donkeys, and alpacas.
This area also includes The Animation Experience at Conservation Station. Here, you can learn to draw Disney characters.
Asia
Asia is set in the make-believe kingdom of Anandapur. It feels like places such as Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand and Tibet, China. This was the first new area added to Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1999. Anandapur means "place of many delights" in Sanskrit. According to the park's story, Anandapur was a royal hunting ground long ago in 1544. Asia has both the riverside village of Anandapur and Serka Zong, which is located near the tall Himalayas mountains.
The main highlight of Asia is Expedition Everest. This is a steel roller coaster ride that takes you on an adventure through a forbidden Himalayan mountain. A mysterious Yeti is said to guard this mountain. Nearby is Kali River Rapids, an exciting water ride. The Maharajah Jungle Trek lets guests walk through forests and old ruins outside the village. These areas are home to animals like the water buffalo, bar-headed goose, Sumatran tiger, Indian blackbuck, Sarus crane, swan goose, lion-tailed macaque, Malayan flying fox, Komodo dragon and over 50 kinds of birds. In the Anandapur Theatre, you can watch Feathered Friends in Flight. This is a live bird show featuring birds like the black crowned crane and bald eagle.
DinoLand U.S.A.
DinoLand U.S.A. is set in the make-believe American countryside area called Diggs County. It is all about dinosaurs and other ancient creatures that are no longer alive. The main part of this area is the Dino Institute. This is a place for studying fossils. It is where you'll find the 'Dinosaur' ride. This is an exciting dark ride that takes you back in time to the Late Cretaceous period. Just outside the institute is "Dino-Sue," a copy of a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil. This is the most complete T-Rex fossil ever found. At the nearby Boneyard, there is a fossil site playground area. It has a Columbian mammoth fossil and a copy of a Brachiosaurus skeleton.
At the eastern edge of DinoLand U.S.A. is the Theater in the Wild. This theater hosts Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!, a musical stage show based on the 2003 animated movie Finding Nemo.
Like other parts of Disney's Animal Kingdom, DinoLand used to have animals on display. These animals, which included an American crocodile, Abdim's storks, and Asian brown tortoises, showed how some creatures are related to dinosaurs. Each animal was once found along the Cretaceous Trail, along with a collection of Mesozoic plants. As of 2025, all three species were moved from DinoLand. This was done to make way for building the upcoming Tropical Americas land.
Former and Unbuilt Areas
Camp Minnie-Mickey
Camp Minnie-Mickey was a temporary area designed like a rustic summer camp. It was built where another land, Beastly Kingdom, was planned to be. This area closed on January 5, 2014. It was later replaced by Pandora – The World of Avatar.
Beastly Kingdom
When Disney's Animal Kingdom was first imagined, it was going to focus on three types of animals. These were real animals, animals that used to live but are now gone (like dinosaurs), and animals from myths and stories (like unicorns and dragons). The original plan for Animal Kingdom included a themed section called Beastly Kingdom. This area would be all about creatures of legend and mythology. During the final planning stages, Disney leaders decided to build either Beastly Kingdom or DinoLand U.S.A. first. This was because of money challenges after another Disney park in Europe had problems. Also, caring for the animals at Animal Kingdom was very expensive. DinoLand U.S.A. was chosen first mostly because it cost less to build. In 2000, one of the designers, Joe Rohde, said that the idea for Beastly Kingdom might change or not happen at all.
Places to Eat and Shop
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The park has four restaurants where you sit down and order food:
- Rainforest Cafe, a themed restaurant chain. It is located just outside the main entrance but you can also get to it from inside the park. It is one of two Rainforest Cafes at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Yak & Yeti, an Asian-themed restaurant located in the park's Asia section.
- Tusker House, located in Africa. This was one of the park's first quick-service restaurants, but it was changed into a buffet restaurant.
- Tiffins, located on Discovery Island. It has a themed Nomad Lounge next to it.
There are seven quick-service restaurants located throughout the park where you can quickly grab food:
- Flame Tree Barbecue on Discovery Island
- Pizzafari on Discovery Island
- Satu'li Canteen in Pandora – The World of Avatar
- Restaurantosaurus in DinoLand U.S.A.
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments in Africa
- Harambe Market in Africa
- Yak & Yeti Local Foods Café in Asia
Like other Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney's Animal Kingdom has other spots and carts that offer snacks and drinks.
How the Park Operates
The park usually closes earlier in the day than other parks at Walt Disney World Resort. However, Animal Kingdom started staying open later into the evening on May 27, 2016.
To protect the animals, Disney does not allow plastic straws, lids, or balloons to be used in the park. This stops plastic from accidentally getting into animal homes and harming them. Instead, the park uses paper straws that break down easily. They only offer lids for hot drinks. All restrooms at Disney's Animal Kingdom have doors at their entrances. This is a safety measure so that if an animal ever got out, guests could quickly find shelter safely inside.
Animal Conservation Efforts
As an animal park, Disney's Animal Kingdom works hard to study and protect its animal species. Since the park opened in 1998, the elephants living there have had seven baby elephants. These births happened in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2016. In 2008, the park's giraffes had four newborns. This brought the total number of giraffe births since opening to eleven.
In 1999, one of the park's white rhinoceroses gave birth to a female baby named Nande. In 2006, Nande and Hasani, another rhino from the park, were moved to Uganda's Ziwa animal sanctuary. This was the first time white rhinos were brought back to that country. Sadly, white rhinos had disappeared from that area due to problems there. In June 2009, Nande gave birth to a male baby rhino. This was the first such birth in Uganda in over 25 years! By January 2010, eight white rhinos had been born at Animal Kingdom since the park opened. The most recent was born to another rhino that was also born at Animal Kingdom.
Images for kids
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Safari tour rides show animals in natural environments.
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Elephants at the Kilimanjaro Safari.
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Lion (Panthera leo)
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Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae)
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One of the many flowering plants at the park.
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Africa and Harambe Village
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Scarlet macaws at Discovery Island.
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Tiger (Panthera tigris)
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Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade, which ran from 2001 through 2014.
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Nile crocodiles on display.
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Tortoises being fed
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Park Visitors
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| Year | Attendance |
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| 2013 | 10,198,000 |
| 2014 | 10,402,000 |
| 2015 | 10,922,000 |
| 2016 | 10,844,000 |
| 2017 | 12,500,000 |
| 2018 | 13,750,000 |
| 2019 | 13,888,000 |
| 2020 | 4,166,000 |
| 2021 | 7,194,000 |
| 2022 | 9,027,000 |
| 2023 | 8,770,000 |
As of 2019, Disney's Animal Kingdom was the sixth-most-visited theme park in the world.
See also
In Spanish: Disney's Animal Kingdom para niños
