Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, - Animal Kingdom is one of them. near Orlando. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division, it was the largest theme park in the world upon opening, covering . The park is themed around the natural world through both real-life and imagined representations of animals and locations.
Disney's Animal Kingdom distinguishes itself from other Walt Disney World theme parks by featuring hundreds of live animal exhibits alongside traditional theme park elements. The park is located on the western edge of the resort and is isolated from the other theme parks and properties to minimize external disruptions to the animals; as a result, the park does not feature nighttime fireworks shows that would otherwise disturb the animals. In efforts to be more eco-friendly, the park uses biodegradable paper straws and prohibits plastic straws, lids, and balloons. Disney's Animal Kingdom is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, indicating they have met or exceeded the standards in animal welfare, education, conservation, and research.
In 2024, the park hosted 8.8 million guests, making it the 15th-most-visited theme park in the world. It is the most-visited zoo in the world as of 2019. The park's icon is the Tree of Life, a , artificial baobab tree.
History Planning and construction
Disney began planning a new park shortly after the opening of Disney-MGM Studios in 1989. Animal Kingdom was the brainchild of Imagineer Joe Rohde, who had previously designed the Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island. When presenting the idea of the new animal-themed park, Rohde brought a Bengal tiger into the meeting with Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Originally slated as Disney's "Wild Animal Kingdom," Disney announced plans for the construction of the park in 1995 at an estimated cost of $600-$800 million. To design the theme park, Disney Imagineers traveled to Africa and Asia to study the landscapes and wildlife.
In July 1996, construction was underway on the animal holding facilities, the installation of trees, shrubs, and grasses to shape the park's African Savanna-inspired landscape. Disney Imagineers collected seeds from 37 countries to be used for the plants and grasses in the park. The landscaping efforts included spreading four million cubic yards of dirt, planting 40,000 mature trees (a mix of real Savanna species and artificial Baobab trees), constructing of underground utilities, and construction of various waterways, and structures built by over 2,600 construction workers. Many buildings contained thatched roofs assembled by Zulu workers from South Africa. About 1,500 hand-painted wooden horses were crafted in Bali under Disney supervision. Parts of the park were designed to have an aged appearance, with artificial potholes in the safari roads and boats peppered with dents and rust.
Most of the park's animals were acquired in 1997 during the fall; they were held at a rented holding facility in northern Florida for quarantine and observation. Disney hired staff from 69 zoos around the United States to care for the animals.
Operation
The park opened to the public on April 22, 1998. Initial marketing billed the park as "a new species of theme park". Several marketing events surrounded the day. ABC aired a two-hour prime time special about the making of Animal Kingdom, as part of its The Wonderful World of Disney anthology series. Eisner and Disney Vice Chairman Roy Disney hosted an opening day party for 14,000 corporate partners, travel agents, and media figures, which included celebrities such as Michael J. Fox, Drew Carey, Stevie Wonder, David Copperfield, and Jane Goodall. Broadcasts of Good Morning America, Today and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee aired live from the park on April 22.
In 2011, Disney announced a major expansion to the park, Pandora - The World of Avatar, a joint venture with director James Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, with the intention of transforming Animal Kingdom into a full-day operation with added attraction capacity and nighttime experiences. Construction on the area began on January 10, 2014, and the area opened to the public on May 27, 2017.
The park was closed from March 16 to July 11, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.
In September 2023, it was announced at Destination D23 that DinoLand U.S.A. would be replaced with a new area inspired by the American tropics, and It's Tough to Be a Bug! would be succeeded by a Zootopia-themed film in the Tree of Life Theater.
In August 2024, it was confirmed that It's Tough to Be a Bug! show would be replaced by the new show Zootopia: Better Zoogether in the Tree of Life Theater, opening in the winter of 2025, and DinoLand U.S.A. would be replaced by a new Tropical Americas land, set in the fictional town of Pueblo Esperanza, featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones-themed attractions with completion expected by 2027.
In October 2024, the closing date of DinoLand, U.S.A. was pushed to 2025. The first phase of the closure of DinoLand, U.S.A. became effective on January 13, 2025, with the closure of the subsection Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama, including TriceraTop Spin, Fossil Fun Games, and Chester & Hester's Dinosaur Treasures. In February 2025, it was announced that It's Tough to Be a Bug! would close on March 16, 2025.
In March 2025, it was announced that Zootopia: Better Zoogether! would open on November 7, 2025, and would be based on the 2016 movie Zootopia and its 2025 sequel, Zootopia 2, which was released in theaters a few weeks after the show on November 26, 2025. In June 2025, it was announced that the second phase of the closure of DinoLand, U.S.A. became effective on September 1, 2025, including The Boneyard.
In September 2025, it was announced that the third and final phase of DinoLand, U.S.A. will be closed permanently, effective February 2, 2026, including the Dino Institute, and more.
In December 2025, it was announced that "Bluey's Wild World", based on the Australian television series Bluey would come to the park on May 26, 2026, with Bluey and Bingo debuting at Conservation Station.
At the D23 fan event in August 2026, it was revealed that the Encanto and Indiana Jones rides will be called Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto and Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, respectively, and that the new carousel for Tropical Americas will be called El Carrusel de los Animalitos. In addition, it was announced that Yeti animatronic inside Expedition Everest will be repaired.
Park layout and attractions
Disney's Animal Kingdom is divided into six themed areas. The park's Discovery River separates Discovery Island from the other lands. The park is home to approximately 2000 animals representing around 200 species.
Oasis Oasis is the park's logistic equivalent to Main Street U.S.A. and provides the transition from the park's entrance to the world of animals. The main paths feature animal exhibits and dense vegetation and trees lead deeper into the park and then onto Discovery Island. Between the parking lot and the Oasis sits a Rainforest Cafe, which can be entered from both inside and outside the ticketed area.
Discovery Island
Discovery Island is located at the center of the park and is an island within the park's Discovery River waterway. It serves as the "central hub" connecting the other sections of the park by bridges, with the exception of Rafiki's Planet Watch. It was originally called Safari Village, as Discovery Island was the name for the small zoological park located in Walt Disney World's Bay Lake but was renamed after that area, which closed in 1999.
The Tree of Life, the park's sculpted, man-made baobab tree, is located in this section and is surrounded by trails and animal enclosures. Inside the Tree of Life theater is Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, a 4D film inspired by Zootopia. The park's largest gift shops and two of its major restaurants are on Discovery Island.
Pandora – The World of Avatar
Pandora – The World of Avatar is themed to the fictional habitable exomoon, Pandora, from James Cameron's Avatar and devoted to the many extraterrestrial fauna and flora that inhabit it. The land's marquee attraction is Avatar Flight of Passage, a 3D flying thrill simulator that mimics an exhilarating flight on a banshee across the Pandoran landscape. Another attraction, the Na'vi River Journey, is a dark boat ride through Pandora's bioluminescent rainforests. The area opened on May 27, 2017.
Africa
Africa, set in the fictional east African port village of Harambe (not to be confused with the gorilla of the same name), resembles the local villages found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Some snippets from Africa that were duplicated by the Disney Imagineers included a fortress that was found in Zanzibar, and a water-stained, crumbling old building that was found in Kenya. Harambe includes a "hotel”, restaurants, an outdoor bar with live entertainment, and different marketplaces.
The village is the namesake of the Harambe Wildlife Preserve, the fictional home of the area's main attraction, Kilimanjaro Safaris. Prior to boarding, the attraction's queue takes you through the Safari Booking Office, along with a small paddock where radiated tortoises and black crowned cranes can be seen while waiting. Guests then climb aboard an open-sided safari vehicle for an expedition to see African species in several large field enclosures, replicating the African savannas, rivers and rocky hills. The safari features the okapi, greater kudu, saddle-billed stork, bongo, black and southern white rhinoceros, hippopotamus, pink-backed pelican, Nile crocodile, Masai giraffe, blue wildebeest, springbok, Ankole cattle, African wild dog, 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 adjacent Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, visitors trek into the forest to see animals such as the Western lowland gorilla, Angolan colobus, okapi, yellow-backed duiker, Grévy's zebra, meerkat, and naked mole-rat, as well as a walkthrough aviary. On the western side of the Africa area is the Harambe Theater, which is home to the Festival of the Lion King, a live stage show based on Disney Animation's 1994 film, The Lion King.
Conservation Station
Conservation Station is the only section of the park not connected to Discovery Island; it connects only to Africa. Guests board the narrow-gauge Wildlife Express Train for the short trip to and from the area, which consists of three sub-areas.
Inside Conservation Station, it showcases the various conservation efforts supported by the Walt Disney Company. It also gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Disney's Animal Kingdom's animal care facilities, including a veterinary examination room complete with a two-way communications system so the veterinary staff can answer guest questions. From 2019 to 2026, The Animation Experience at Conservation Station was also present in this location.
Nearby was the Affection Section, an outdoor petting zoo that featured domesticated animals like goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, donkeys, and alpacas. In May 2026, it was renamed to Jumping Junction, a walkthrough habitat which introduced animals like wallabies and kangaroos to this section of the park.
Opening with the park in 1998, this section originally opened under the name "Conservation Station" before being renamed in late 2000 to "Rafiki's Planet Watch". Since 2026, the latter name was changed back to Conservation Station for the "Bluey's Wild World" experience, based on the Australian television series Bluey.
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