Category: Animal Kingdom

New ‘UP! A Great Bird Adventure’ Show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Opens April 22

Disney recently gave us update that their new show “UP! A Great Bird Adventure,” featuring Russell and Dug from Disney•Pixar’s “UP” will be debuting at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on April 22, 2018!

The new show takes the place of ‘Flights of Wonder’ in the Caravan Theater in the Anandapur village section of the park’s Asia land. The show gave its final performances on December 31st.

Beginning just in time for the 20th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this new entertainment experience for the whole family offers guests the chance to see Senior Wilderness Explorer Russell and his furry friend Dug as they discover species of birds from around the world in their newest adventure in Anandapur village. There will be “UP” close encounters each day with amazing winged creatures!

February 23, 2018
New Baby Hippo Gender and Name Revealed at Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom revealed news about a baby Nile hippopotamus born at the park on January 13. As part of a magical moment on the theme park’s Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction, roughly a dozen Guests were the first to learn that the hippo calf is a boy, and his name is Augustus. Weighing in at 168 pounds, Augustus is the first hippo born at the park in 13 years. He is often seen staying close to his mom, Tuma, and is already winning over Guests with his playful nature.

The birth of Augustus marks another success for the dedicated and highly trained team of animal care experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and it is an important contribution to the worldwide conservation and understanding of these amazing creatures. Nile hippos are a vulnerable species with a declining population.

Augustus’ parents, Tuma and Henry, were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The SSP ensures responsible breeding so there will be healthy and diverse animal populations for years to come.

Guests will see Augustus on Kilimanjaro Safaris and also during the Wild Africa Trek experience and be inspired to take action to protect hippos and other at-risk animals in the wild. To learn more about hippos, visit DisneyAnimals.com.

February 22, 2018
Avatar Flight of Passage Honored with Award for Outstanding Visual Effects

The Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the winners of their annual VES Awards last night, honoring outstanding visual effects in motion pictures, television and other Media. Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom won the award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project.

Avatar Flight of Passage is an innovative 3-D ride experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that allows guests to soar over the incredible landscape of Pandora on the back of a mountain banshee.

This multi-sensory experience uses cutting-edge technology and intricate special effects like never before. Guests can actually feel the banshee breathe beneath them as they fly high above floating mountains, plunge through ancient caverns and skim across roaring oceans.

This marks the second major industry award for this attraction as it also picked up a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement: Attraction.

February 14, 2018
VIDEO: Baby Hippo Delights at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Only five days ago the first birth of a Nile hippopotamus took place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and now were getting a first look at some amazing video of the baby hippo.

This little calf is cute as can be and will no doubt be a star attraction. The newborn is already getting tons of attentions from around the world as guests fall in love with the newest addition to the herd.

For Disney’s animal care experts, the calf’s arrival has been a labor of love as they have spent months preparing for the first hippo birth at the park in 13 years. You can read more about the birth here.

Here is a short video update of the newborn calf with mom Tuma. The pair are doing well and staying close together as they bond. Guests may see Tuma and her adorable calf on Kilimanjaro Safaris day and night. Guests participating in Wild Africa Trek may also see the hippos.

January 19, 2018
A Cashless Disney World Could Be The Way Of The Future
Disney is always a leader when it comes to new technology and once again they are using it to help make guests experiences as simple as possible. Walt Disney World will begin testing a pilot program at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, which will allow for all electronic payments for services and purchases. A cashless Disney is something they feel will be a convenience for guests.

The pilot begins February, 12 2018 and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House will be the first place at the resort to go cashless. Disney has already begun advising guests with resort or dining reservations of the upcoming change.

Disney has been a leader when it comes to electronic payments implementing MagicBands in 2013 that you can use for purchasing and becoming one of the first to accept Apple Pay in 2014. A cashless Disney World in the near future is not out of the realm of possibility.

If you are used to carrying cash here is a list of the forms of payment the resort will be accepting.
- MagicBands
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Disney Gift Cards
- Disney Rewards Redemption Cards
- Apple Pay
- Samsung Pay
- Google Pay
Although the resort will be cashless during the pilot period, you can still use cash for tips and the like and guests staying at the resort can still use cash to add to their room charge capabilities.

It’s not know exactly how long the test will run, but you can be sure that if the results are positive, we will be seeing this rolled out across the entire resort one day.
January 16, 2018
New Baby Hippo Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating the birth of a new Nile hippopotamus. The baby hippo is the first hippo born at the park in 13 years.

Born at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday night, the calf is staying close to mom Tuma. The animal care team is giving Tuma and her calf plenty of room to nurse and bond, so the calf’s gender and weight may not be known for some time. Typically, a newborn calf weighs between 60 and 110 pounds.

This birth comes just six months after two Sumatran tiger cubs were the first of their kind to be born at the park.

This birth marks another success for the dedicated and highly trained team of Disney animal care experts. Tuma and her mate Henry were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan, which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Nile hippopotamus is a vulnerable species with a declining population. This birth is an important contribution to the worldwide conservation and understanding of these amazing creatures. Disney hopes guests will see this adorable hippo calf and be inspired to take action to protect them in the wild.

You may see Tuma and her calf on Kilimanjaro Safaris and also during the Wild Africa Trek experience.

January 16, 2018
Disney’s Care and Conservation of Tigers Supports Species

Now that the new tiger cubs have made their debut and earned their stripes so to speak, Disney is delighted that guests are getting an opportunity to observe the Sumatran tiger cubs at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and marvel at their curiosity and playfulness.

Following the recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, Disney’s team began about three years of planning for these cubs. Because there are fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, “it’s important that we manage a population within AZA-accredited institutions to ensure they don’t become extinct in the wild.” they said.

Unfortunately, extinction is a real possibility – even within our own lifetimes. We hope you will be inspired by the stories of these tigers and want to support them in the wild, too. To learn more about tigers and how you can help reverse the decline of these animals, visit DisneyAnimals.com.

December 28, 2017
Avatar Very Important Piece to Disney Fox Deal

As what could be considered one of the largest media deals of all time, with Disney buying up assets from Fox, could be announced as early as tomorrow, so many fans are focused on the multiple Marvel titles and characters that could be brought home to the company who purchased Marvel for $4 Billion in 2009. But another possible acquisition that deserves a deeper look, if the deal goes through, is that of Avatar and the four sequels that are being directed by James Cameron.

With an entire land devoted to Avatar at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Disney already has a vested interest the film franchise, but it means more than another blockbuster at the theater. It also gives them licensing and merchandise rights. Disney’s theme parks and retail stores will be filled with little ‘plush banshees’ and every other merchandising opportunity they can come up with.

Avatar is still the highest grossing movie of all-time and with multiple sequels on the way, Avatar gives Disney yet more chances to continue its streak of smashing worldwide box office records. If this deal goes through you could count Disney as owning seven of the top ten worldwide highest grossing movies of all time. Worldwide Avatar is still extremely popular, but If the sequels don’t rival the success of the original, it will still be a win even if they bring in just a small fraction of the money that the first film did.

During a recent interview, director James Cameron was asked what it would mean to him if the movie studio was sold to Disney. “Probably not that much,” answered Cameron. He says he’s “always had a good relationship with Fox,” so any sale to Disney “wouldn’t be bad,” he explains. He says Disney “actually at this point in time has a bigger investment” in the franchise than Fox.

Disney and Avatar have been working together on their joint theme park venture for some time and the relationship has been mutually beneficial. The newest addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora – The World of Avatar has been a huge success, but the chance to bring the entire franchise into the Disney fold makes the possibilities limitless for the company.

How they will integrate the various Fox assets if the deal goes through has been a big question, but integrating this into their portfolio will be as easy as bringing the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Bringing home the rights to the original Star Wars film along with several key Marvel titles are extremely important, but if you consider the total revenue that adding Avatar to the mix could bring in, this could end up being the most important piece of the pie.

December 13, 2017
New Sumatran Tiger Cubs Make an Appearance at Animal Kingdom

Starting this week, guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom may get a glimpse of Anala and Jeda, the first Sumatran tiger cubs to be born at the park. The nearly four-month-old cubs are slowly being introduced into their habitat on Maharajah Jungle Trek. The sister and brother pair will be visible periodically as they acclimate to their new area.

Below is an amazing first look of these adorable tigers in their new habitat.

Disney plays an important role in the worldwide conservation and understanding of Sumatran tigers, a critically endangered species whose worldwide population has grown by two with the birth of Anala and Jeda. As part of these efforts, Disney participates in the Species Survival Plan, a breeding program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which helps ensure a diverse, healthy population of threatened and endangered species for years to come.

Their dedicated and highly trained team of animal care experts and veterinarians spent three years preparing for the birth of these Sumatran tigers and have worked tirelessly to provide them with the best possible care so they can grow and thrive. Part of this work included creating a special new backstage play area where the tiger cubs could learn to swim and climb before venturing into their habitat at Maharajah Jungle Trek.

As you may remember from our previous updates, Sumatran tigers are a critically endangered species with fewer than 500 left in the wild. The Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) is working with groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society on its Reverse the Decline initiative to develop strategies for saving these majestic animals.

December 13, 2017
New ‘Up’ show to Replace Flights of Wonder at Disney World

There is an all-new experience coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom slated to start in Spring 2018. The new show features Russell and Dug from Disney•Pixar’s “UP” and will take the place of ‘Flights of Wonder’ in the Caravan Theater in the Anandapur village section of the park’s Asia land.

If you love the bird show don’t worry. The still untitled Up production will also be a bird centric.

This new experience will offer guests the chance to see Senior Wilderness Explorer Russell and his furry friend Dug as they discover species of birds from around the world in their newest adventure in Animal Kingdom. There will be “UP” close encounters each day with amazing winged creatures!

In order to begin to prepare for the new show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, ‘Flights of Wonder’ will plays its final performances on December 31st. So until the end of this month, you can still experience Flights of Wonder at the park.

December 11, 2017