Among us hard core Disney park fans, it is quite in vogue to complain about the current state of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Not that the criticisms are inaccurate. The park is stale and even in disrepair. The Tree of Life is falling limb by limb. The Yeti in Expedition Everest is almost a still life, and the special effects in Dinosaur aka Countdown to Extinction leave much to be desire.
Even the plans for the future do not seem impressive or even in theme. Avatarland, anyone? A trip to a night-lit Pandora could be amazing, but its relevance to the park theme remains questionable.
With all to question and complain about, one thing is certain. When the park excels, it does so exceedingly. The evidence? This stunning photo taken from the trip upwards to the top of the Himalayas. What a view! Even on a cloudy day. And views like this fill the park, making it one of the most gorgeous of all theme parks.
(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)
Even with its current deficiencies, I still find Animal Kingdom to be my favorite. The detail in its design easily surpasses that of the other three WDW parks combined. My wish, of course, would be that WDW management as well as the execs on the west coast, would give this diamond in the rough, the true attention it deserves. It's untapped potential is staggering. It seems that too few of us realize this.
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