Of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks, Animal Kingdom has long ranked near the bottom of the food chain.
Written off by many as a “half-day park,” it lacked some of the novelty, celebrity and whiz-bang attractions of Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and it rolled up the sidewalks a lot earlier than its sister parks.
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That’s about to change — along with plenty else at Disney’s 45-year-old flagship resort near Orlando.
Starting Memorial Day weekend, Animal Kingdom is coming out of hibernation with extended hours and a stable of new, after-dark offerings.
“Animal Kingdom has never been open at night; it has such a different feel to it,” said Disney Imagineer Laura Offerdahl, who helped produce what will be one of the signature nocturnal attractions: the nightly “awakening” of the park’s iconic Tree of Life.
“Fireflies magically come along and enchant the tree, bringing it to life,” she said about the massive arboreal fixture, whose trunk will serve as a glowing backdrop for high-tech projections of nature vignettes. “A lot of the animal carvings will come to life themselves and tell their own story. The tree is alive all night long, changing in color as the fireflies come and go.”
Members of the media recently got a sneak peek of what the park will look like at night, when Discovery Island and Harambe village take on a festive, street party vibe, populated by roving stilt walkers, acrobats, musicians and soccer players interacting with guests.
Once the sun goes down, you literally see Animal Kingdom in a new light. If you thought riding Expedition Everest was scary (or thrilling) during the day, the effect is twice as powerful in the dark. Same goes for longtime attractions like Kilimanjaro Safaris, where the animals seem more active in the evening — at least the nocturnal lions, African wild dogs and a pair of randy giraffes who happened to be in the middle of getting to know each other better, ahem, as our tram car approached on the bumpy dirt road.
“Move along — this is still Disney,” quipped one of the passengers.
Through the magic of lighting, the safari’s savanna is bathed in a perpetual late-sunset hue. Night safaris have long been on the wish list of veteran Disney executive Joe Rohde, who was instrumental in shepherding the arrival of Animal Kingdom 18 years ago on Earth Day.
“The lack of technology to be able to light that safari at night in a way that you have normal animal behavior, reasonable guest visibility of these animals — it just wasn’t physically possible,” he said. “Once that was doable, it opened the door for everything else.”
Animal Kingdom is in a unique position to capitalize on the box-office success of Disney’s recent live-action hit “The Jungle Book.” The park’s Discovery River will be the stage this summer for a limited-run show, “The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic,” made up of music and special effects.
This buys Disney more time to work out the kinks in its much-anticipated nighttime show, “Rivers of Light,” whose premiere was pushed back to an unnamed date later this summer. Billed as “a celebration of light and sound,” the 23-minute show evokes an elaborate Asian lantern festival. Huge lotus flowers floating on the lagoon will transform into fountains, while screens of water reflect footage shot by Disneynature. The finale will feature bursts of light and soaring animal images in keeping with the ancient belief that when animals pass from one world to the next, their spirits dance in the sky as — you guessed it — rivers of light.
“You want this to be beautiful, meaningful, perfect when it’s open … so we’re perfecting it,” Rohde said. “That’s our thing. We don’t sell junk.”
Here’s a look at what else is debuting at Disney World this spring and summer:
Disney Springs
Formerly known as Downtown Disney, this “re-imagined” dining, retail and entertainment district is scheduled to unveil its fourth and final neighborhood, Town Center, May 15. The centerpiece is a turquoise blue, bubbling spring that, in the made-up lore of Disney, was discovered in the early 1800s by settlers, spawning the surrounding development.
More than 30 new venues will be added by summer’s end, including a couple of restaurants by chefs with Chicago ties.
*Rick Bayless’ Tablas Frontera has a primo location on the artificial spring; diners can share grilled meat, seafood and vegetables served on planks, or tablas.
“We didn’t have Mexican cuisine here, and our guests wanted it,” said Keith Bradford, vice president of Disney Springs. “I just sat through one of the tastings, and it was fantastic. Tableside margaritas and all the dishes he’s well known for will be there in a setting that’s fairly intimate for us — around 200 seats.”
*Bradford estimated that Tablas Frontera would be open in late June or early July, a little ahead of Art Smith’s new eatery, Homecoming — Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar. The Florida-born restaurateur and former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey plans to serve Southern staples like shrimp and grits, and fried chicken.
Epcot
*A “Frozen”-themed attraction is being built in the Norway pavilion, where the old flume ride is giving way to a new boat journey that will take passengers through a snow-covered willow forest, past Troll Valley and up North Mountain to Elsa’s ice palace. Guests can rub elbows with Anna and Elsa in the sisters’ Royal Sommerhus, modeled after a traditional Norwegian cabin in Trondheim. The projected opening date: “sometime this summer.”
*June 17 is when the new-and-improved Soarin’ — make that Soarin’ Around the World — takes off. The popular multisensory aerial adventure has broadened its horizons to give guests the sensation of flying over six continents, taking in landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Egypt and the Eiffel Tower along the way.
Hollywood Studios
*”Star Wars” has proved to be quite a force at the park. Disney is all-in when it comes to the sci-fi franchise, recently adding a live stage show built around the saga’s classic moments and characters, as well as a Captain Phasma-led stormtroopers march, among other things. Construction crews have broken ground on the 14-acre “Star Wars” land, but that opening is far, far away. In the meantime, a longer, more elaborate “Star Wars”-inspired pyrotechnics show is supposed to fire up in June.
Magic Kingdom
*Starting in June, the grand Cinderella Castle stage will roll out “Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire,” a live show packed with Disney characters, old and new. Tiana and Naveen of “Princess and the Frog” and “Tangled’s” Rapunzel and Flynn co-star with the “Frozen” sisters as well as the seasoned likes of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. Bring on the fireworks, stunts, original music and special effects.
*Score one for diversity. Sort of. Elena of Avalor, Disney’s first princess “inspired by diverse Latin cultures,” will join the park’s cast of characters this summer.
Twitter @lorirackl
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