An Evening at Disney's Animal Kingdom

I absolutely love Disney's Animal Kingdom at night! It's just a giant expanded version of the Magic Kingdom's Adventureland! There's few things I enjoy more on my Walt Disney World vacation than zooming out the mountain of the Expedition: Everest ride on those tighter than tight curves of the track. This stunning photo captures the beauty and mystique of it all. Pandora's beautiful and Kilimanjaro Safaris' fun, but taking off in search of the yeti is my favorite nighttime pleasure at Disney's wildest theme park.

(Photograph copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Another Tree of Life

Disney's beautiful Animal Kingdom may be the crown jewel of the Florida parks. With Disney's Hollywood Studios a mess, Epcot losing its way, and the Magic Kingdom being reproduced in every Disney resort worldwide, Imagineer Joe Rohde's baby could soon become the very reason people travel to Florida to "do Disney". 

This piece of concept art admittedly took quite a bit of work to make viewing it easier. I found it in very small scale with colors askew, but I thought it was worth the effort to show off a different option of the Tree of Life than what was finally built. Certainly, this version is much less spectacular but still charming.

With the World of Avatar / Pandora and Rivers of Light coming in the next year, it is going to get very busy in this beautiful Oasis. Floating mountains to giant trees to Expedition: Everest, the place is only getting better! Hope the suits are ready...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disney's Other Tree of Life

Disney's Animal Kingdom park has always fascinated me. It's just so different than the other three parks. It has an organic feel that is a very nice contrast to the fantasy of the Magic Kingdom, grandeur of Epcot, and the highly stylized tinseltown glamour of the quickly changing Disney's Hollywood Studios. 

In this fairly rare piece of concept art, you can see a very different version of The Tree of Life. Is it from Imagineer Joe Rohde? Someone else? I do not know. Regardless, with much less dense vegetation surrounding it, the whole thing takes on a more streamlined look. The final result as built is a much better icon that works with the rest of the park.

The tree will change again when the additions of the Rivers of Light water show and the new Avatarland / World of Pandora. Additional lighting effects will tie the tree into look of the new expansion and become a living backdrop of projected designs and flourishes, complementing the show.

Come 2017, these changes will make Animal Kingdom a bit more splashy, ensuring higher crowds during the evening- and finally a chance to explore this beautiful place deep into the nighttime hours. Finally. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland vs. Disney World: A Look at the Parks in 2015

Disneyland versus Disney World again? Sure, it's done all the time by park fans on discussion boards and folks deciding where to take their next Disney vacation. With so much news about the parks in the last few months, taking another look just makes sense.

I'm a huge Disney park fan of decades with lots of visits and photos to prove it. So, I am not here trying to be unfair. For some folks, a Disney vacation is the last thing they would do. Not me. By their actions, the Disney Company itself has forced me to reevaluate where I spend my hard earned cash. And if you've read the blog for awhile, it's generally been elsewhere these days. I am a tough critic to please as I've seen Disneyland and Disney World at their best. Unfortunately, that was then, and this is now. Very, very different times. 

What's the bottom line? At this point in time Disneyland and the expanded resort are worth your travel dollars if you just have to go to Disney this year. Avoid Florida unless you've never been or its just been way too long between visits... or if you're dying to see the Harry Potter attractions at Universal Orlando.

Just taking a closer look at the Florida parks should tell you it's not the right time to go.  Animal Kingdom is a beautiful destination but strange mess of construction walls, broken effects on key attractions like Expedition Everest and the poorly generically named Dinosaur. Avatar won't be open for years. Nor will Rivers of Light evening water show, and even the more recent expansion of Africa will add additional shops and restaurants but not attractions. 

Don't even get me started on the third Walt Disney World park: Disney's Hollywood Studios. "Hot Set"? More like hot mess. Thankfully, that hat is gone, but then, so are a few attractions in a park that has so little to do. Star Wars Land is light years away. An expansion of Toy Story Mania only adds capacity but nothing new. Speaking of new, you can go to see the new Starbucks if that's enough to make you pay for a ticket there.

Epcot. Once my favorite Florida park, it's been a hodgepodge of additions that are more like subtractions. Characters have invaded and continue to do so where they do not belong. More booze, more food. It's the new theme of a once amazing place, a place now on creative life support.

A beautifully redone but somewhat shallow New Fantasyland is worth a visit to see the Magic Kingdom in person. Just not yet. One park addition does not a Walt Disney World vacation make. There is nothing show stopping, compellingly new, that's been built in the World to get me to hop on a plane. Maybe one day, but not now.

As it stands, from a park alone viewpoint, Walt Disney World is three days- one at Magic Kingdom, one at Epcot, and one day split between two half parks. If you go to Florida, take time to visit Universal Orlando and the beaches to fill out your week. Like most anything these days, the natural wonders created by the Almighty God are just as fascinating and beautiful as manmade magic.

Let's go over to the Disneyland Resort in comparison. It's not perfect there either, but it is still a better choice this year for a diehard Disney park fan. 

With the 60th Anniversary celebration coming, guests can get their fill of new parades and shows and a retro, nostalgia fueled day at the park. After all, Walt himself built the place. Notice, again, a trend: There's no new attractions, but at least those that are there- and there are plenty- are generally in working order. 

California Adventure continues its reign as the pretty younger sister that everyone has to see for themselves. A single visit to Cars Land will remind many old timers of the kind of excellent, immersive, attractions and areas that old school Imagineers used to build. Before the age of short attention spans of guests and money grabbing antics of Company leaders more interested in lining their pockets than providing first class entertainment. Remember when Disney led the way in constantly adding to their parks and not Universal?

Even though the offerings are better and with far less construction than in Florida, a visit to the Disneyland Resort remains a two day experience, one for each park. Again, get out of the parks and into the State. Or just get out of the parks altogether. At least for a few years until Disney earns your money again.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Odds and Ends: Disney and More

Where to begin? There's not enough at this point in time for a single topic post, but there is just enough for a variety of comments regarding Disney news and More. So, with apologies to my friend Alain Littaye...

A return to the name Polynesian Village Resort? Great move. Usually when Disney suits play on nostalgia, it is accompanied by lots of retro merchandise. It's a clever way to acknowledge the buying power of long term fans, make a few bucks, and take their eye off the fact most of the Walt Disney World property is much ado about nothing compared to Universal Orlando. A demolished waterfall lobby? Bad news- no question. The iconic center and heart of the resort is now under wraps. And it is a tragedy. Not like real human loss, but it is an aesthetic loss to be sure. Trader Sam's whatever-they-are-going-to-call-it. Um, ok. If it's a great retro 60's thing, it may work well. I'll wait to see it for myself.

Michael Jackson. A previously unreleased track, Love Never Felt So Good is really... good, almost great. And why shouldn't it be? Either version, with or without Justin Timberlake, sparkles. The production is top notch, but it is Michael's understated vocals that pull no punches and set it apart. Recorded after the Off the Wall sessions in 1983, it fits on that disc, and it is instantly better and more danceable than anything off Thriller.

The glut of Christian themed films leaves me mixed. Noah plays nothing like the Biblical truth. Heaven is for Real entices with a great story, and Son of God puts in a good word for Jesus. Yet, if you really want to know what God has to say about Himself and the state of mankind, pick up a Bible and begin with the book of John in the New Testament. Don't rely on someone else- do your own reading, your own research, and make up your mind on your own. Your choice for all eternity is on the line. 

After a brief visit to the Disneyland Resort as few weeks ago, I am convinced that the California Kingdom is in much better shape than its counterpart in Florida. The hotels and Downtown Disney looked terrific- especially the shopping area's new Starbucks- and just a quick peek into California Adventure shows it to be a park with much potential now that there's been an awakening of sorts with its extensive remodel. I didn't do into either park, but I can guarantee Disneyland's once majestic Tomorrowland is still well overdue for a revisioning. 

Back on the East Coast, I am loving the look of the new Lion King theater at Animal Kingdom. Not only does it belong in Africa as it has from the opening of the park, it looks appropriately authentic. Let's just hope the crowds don't overwhelm the area of this already underdeveloped, low attractioned, but exceedingly beautiful theme park. It has all the potential to be my favorite park in Florida. But let's be honest, however beautiful Avatar / Pandora might be, it will not be enough. Rivers of Light will be a nice addition as it allows guests to tour in the evenings when the parks are usually their most beautiful, yet it still needs something. More charm, more hidden little attractions, something.

After seeing the completed Seven Dwarf's Mine Train and the effect is has on the entirely opened New Fantasyland, I am starting to think this Magic Kingdom may eventually surpass Disneyland in the beauty category. Not the attraction count or quality, not the shop and restaurant options, but the physical look of the place. The vast expanse of concrete that once was is now a beautiful, almost mesmerizing piece of placemaking. Even though there's fewer dark rides, the foliage is lush, and the opportunity to enter the worlds of Belle, Gaston, Ariel and Eric is hard to pass up. There's no New Orleans Square here and Liberty Square has lost some of its unique offerings, but Tomorrowland is much more cohesive in theme and execution- and it has the Transit Authority. However,  Adventureland is a mixed bag, but its made up in Frontierland by no pirates on Tom Sawyer Island and the venerable favorite, Country Bear Jamboree. 

The current state of Sports and Politics generally leaves me disgusted, so I'd best go back to the realm of entertainment...

The Voice's on the show's namesake are much more gifted this year than most of those found on American Idol. I'll miss Shakira, and I don't get Adam Levine's new blond do, but the judges are much more engaging than the three on Idol. I do like them individually, but the chemistry is not there.

Why The Voice can't build a superstar like Idol can is something I do not understand, but they have yet to produce a Carrie Underwood or even a Chris Daughtry. Or even an Elliott Yamin. (And what is he doing, by the way? The man can sing.) There's just not much else to enjoy on television, and Downton Abbey isn't back for another seven months. It's good. It's time to be outside anyway. 

There is one good thing on television these days- the commercials for the Harry Potter expansion at Universal Studios Florida. I've seen exactly one film and read none of the books, but my wife and I agree that our next visit to Florida will mean two days away from Disney so we can visit both the Studios and Islands of Adventure. The Mouse had better get going. Universal has upped the ante by adding attraction after attraction in a speed that Disney only uses for building out timeshares and new restaurants at Epcot. 

Oh, my beloved Epcot! What a shadow of its former glory. The Future World paint scheme does reveal how out of touch the suits are with the purpose of the park, trading its former glory for the latest trends in Disney films. Ratatouille in France? I don't believe it for a moment. Another bakery perhaps, but an attraction in World Showcase? Nope. Restaurants and bars are all they build there these days. And speaking of Ratatouille, what is it with building a French themed attraction in Paris? Isn't that akin to building a California themed park in California? ;)

Well, enough ranting. I'm going to go back and enjoy my family. Time passes much too quickly, and I have other places to explore. Our next trip will be to Switzerland and France- without a Disney castle in sight. I cannot wait!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Most photographs by Mark Taft.)

Rivers of Light to Flow at Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom's nighttime events are few and far between- but not for long! Here's a nice piece showing Disney Imagineering's plans for the evening show Rivers of Light. Starting with water screens a la California Adventure's great World of Color, add a unique focus, perhaps Disney Nature films, and you've got a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

By the way, don't forget to look for the previous post on the 25th Anniversary of The Disney-MGM / Hollywood Studios. I was there just two weeks after opening, and this article shares the park's interesting history, tons of art, and all my now vintage photos. It's worth the read!

(Art copyright the Walt Disney Company.)

Pandora / Avatar Art Appears for Disney's Animal Kingdom

Finally happened- Disney released some real and substantional concept art about Avatarland / Pandora for Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World- and a pretty nice model, too.

They also threw in some news about new nighttime safaris in Kilimanjaro and an evening light show. Good move! Nice to see Joe Rohde involved in something on the mainland again.

With the new Imagineering emphasis (or should I say accounting emphasis) on making this park work, I'll finally have another article to write for my series about the evolution of this park. For newer readers, Part One of this popular series begins here- with links to all six parts!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)