I Was Wrong About Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom was far and away my least favorite park at Walt Disney World for the first decade-plus of its existence. Honestly, I was almost bitter at the park for squandering so much potential. It’s the most thematically-pure park, and had endless potential to leverage extinct and mythical creatures. (Updated September 21, 2025.)
Since becoming Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and Floridians (for 4 years), we’ve spent more time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As a result, my opinion of the park changed as compared to our first few visits together as adults. Now that we’ve had more time to slow down and appreciate Animal Kingdom on its own terms, I’ll admit that I was wrong about it.
Phrases like “I was wrong” are not the norm on the internet. The standard modus operandi is to establish a position, entrench oneself in that, and refuse to relent no matter what countervailing reason and opinion are offered. Sorry, fellow internet commentators, if I’ve broken some sort of unspoken code of conduct by admitting that I was wrong.
In my defense, while I will admit that I was wrong, I’m not saying I was totally wrong. In fact, several of my specific points are valid. What I was wrong about were my general conclusions about the park, and my general demeanor and attitude towards it.
Let’s take a look at why I am now an Animal Kingdom fan. And to be clear, I’ve been a DAK fan for well over a decade–this article was originally published 12 years ago to the week and has been updated several times since as DAK has continued to evolve, opening Pandora and Rivers of Light, closing the latter and Dino-Rama, etc.
To that point, let’s start with the latest update, which is actually a rare step backwards for Animal Kingdom…
2025 Update
Animal Kingdom is the park most removed from its last development cycle almost a decade ago, and it has lost more than it has gained since March 2020. It’s hurt by its reduced offerings and construction, and is the park far and away most likely to lose attendance to Epic Universe at Universal between now and 2027.
The next few years will be tough for Animal Kingdom before Tropical Americas debuts in 2027-2028. Already this year, all of Dino-Rama has closed, as has It’s Tough to Be a Bug. The Boneyard play area just closed, and DINOSAUR will go extinct in February 2026. Thankfully, Zootopia: Better Zoogether will debut and pick up some of the slack, but not much.
Animal Kingdom will only have 5 traditional rides from February 2026 until sometime in late 2027 when the first Tropical Americas attraction opens. To be sure, there are stage shows, atmospheric entertainment acts, and animal exhibits that help round out things. But people go to theme parks primarily for rides, and Animal Kingdom is undeniably light on them.
Ardent Animal Kingdom defenders won’t like to hear this, but guests are already voting with their wallets. Animal Kingdom adherents and converts (like us!) argue that average guests just don’t “get” the park. And as we’ll discuss below, there’s truth to that! But there’s also the reality that Walt Disney World waited way too long to start expanding DAK, and there’s also validity to its shrinking attendance.
To this point, Animal Kingdom is the worst performing park at Walt Disney World. During the last year for which data is available, it was the only park at Walt Disney World not in the top 10 for worldwide theme park attendance. Animal Kingdom ranked #16, with 8.8 million annual visitors.
It’s the only Walt Disney World park that didn’t hit the 10 million mark, and it had less than half the annual visitors of Magic Kingdom, the #1 theme park in the world. So even pre-construction, Animal Kingdom was the most-skipped park at Walt Disney World, with half of guests who visited the flagship castle park opting to skip DAK.
There’s a reason for that, and it would be disingenuous to pretend otherwise and claim that DAK attendance is low simply because it’s misunderstood. It would also be inappropriate to not offer an update to this post acknowledging as much, as a lot has changed at Animal Kingdom since we last visited this topic in 2019, and all of it has been for the worse.
Even Animal Kingdom’s most passionate fans would not contend that the park is as good today as it was in 2019. That’s simply an indefensible position. It’s worth keeping that in mind while reading the following, as this is an article that I would not write today. At least, not in such forceful terms.
I still love Animal Kingdom, but anyone who visits in 2025 or 2026 and doesn’t love it is not wrong and is not simply misunderstanding the much-maligned park. Animal Kingdom was better; Animal Kingdom deserves better. And thankfully, Animal Kingdom will be better by 2028.
With that in mind, here’s the case in favor of visiting Animal Kingdom, and appreciating the park in its fully glory as a different breed that’s unique from the other three parks at Walt Disney World…
Park Style & Structure
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a substantial departure from the typical Disney theme park archetype, and this fundamental difference in tone and structure causes many people to misunderstand the park. Conversely, this same difference in tone and structure does give Animal Kingdom its own group of fervent fans who call it their favorite park, many of whom take great offense to criticism of the park. We definitely fell into the former group for our first several years visiting Walt Disney World as adults.
When traveling to Walt Disney World for fun, we’ve basically renounced the commando style, but my ‘epiphany’ that we might have been missing something with Animal Kingdom didn’t come until, of all places, we first visited Disneyland Paris.
Since we weren’t sure if we’d ever be back there, we made a point to soak up as much of that park as we could, doing a lot in the way of exploring, savoring details, and even reading signs or “historical” placards throughout the park. It was an incredible experience and gave me a deep appreciation for Disney’s most beautiful castle park. I later dubbed it a park that’s like a fine wine, and is meant to be sipped, not chugged.
I realized that there was a good chance that Animal Kingdom was the same way, so on our next trip to Walt Disney World, we opted to spend two days there–more time than we spent in any other park. This ‘fine wine’ analogy definitely applies there, too. Simply put, Animal Kingdom is an ambiance park.
Much like World Showcase at Epcot, you can’t go in expecting to do a lot of exciting attractions. Rather, the joy of the experience is in the atmosphere, and in discovering little things that make the theme park a place, rather than a collection of rides.
To me, the atmosphere and these details are a big part of what separates Disney theme parks from other theme and amusement parks. If all you care about is running from attraction to attraction, why do Disney parks at all? There are better options for that.
In terms of “Disney Details,” Animal Kingdom ranks as some of Imagineering’s best work. It’s staggering, really, and even seasoned Animal Kingdom fans are likely to notice new things with each visit. Whether that be new placemaking elements, atmospheric acts, or even quiet corners you’ve somehow missed in the past, there’s a lot that gets missed by casual visitors there for a single day.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the park tone is manifested in the many winding animal trails throughout the park, some of which are listed as attractions on the park map, but many of which are not.
It’s going slowly through the Oasis (entry area) while arriving or leaving instead of racing on. It’s stopping to take a few minutes to watch a couple of animals play. It’s reading what one of the many posters plastered in Africa says, and thinking about how that relates to the theme of the area. It’s sitting back and watching a fountain flow while snacking. It’s all of these things and many more, all of which make Disney’s Animal Kingdom the most detailed and heavily themed park at Walt Disney World. What it lacks in nostalgia for most of us, it should make up for in character.
DAK Attractions
It’s safe to say that everyone knows about Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Finding Nemo: The Musical, Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, and Festival of the Lion King. We think it’s fair to call these all moderately good to great attractions. In the cases of Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids, we think there’s some unrealized potential, but they’re still fun.
It used to be the case that we’d do these attractions (besides Kali River Rapids), eat, wander a bit, and call it a day. It wasn’t until this year that we did Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Feathered Friends in Flight, and Maharajah Jungle Trek. These changed our outlook on Animal Kingdom, as they provided additional hours of entertainment, and also contradicted the notion that Animal Kingdom didn’t do enough to distinguish its animal exhibits from a zoo.
Then there’s Pandora – World of Avatar. Probably not much need to fixate on this, as the expansion is a huge draw and what caused DAK’s attendance to surge back when it debuted. The Avatar area offers two new non-animal attractions that are the biggest draws in the entire park. It also helps tremendously that Avatar Flight of Passage is one of the best attractions in all of Walt Disney World!
Turning to the hidden gems or overlooked highlights, our favorites of these are definitely Feathered Friends in Flight, Maharajah Jungle Trek, and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. Feathered Friends in Flight is entertaining and engaging, with a bit of self-aware, cheesy comedy that works really well in the context of the show to balance out the serious conservationist message.
The intelligence of birds is on full display here, and it’s really quite impressive. It really is a great blend of Disney entertainment and wildlife, and a prime example of how conceptually strong Animal Kingdom is as a theme park. If you like that, be sure to not miss Winged Encounters in front of the Tree of Life.
Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is an excellent animal exhibit, as is the underrated Otter Grotto towards the front of the park. We tend to stop in the latter both upon entering and exiting the park since those little fellas can sometimes be tough to spot.
Maharajah Jungle Trek is a walk-through attraction, but it shouldn’t be dismissed as just a walk-through exhibit. Here, there are scenes that bring you up close to various animals, all while traversing through an elaborately themed Asian environment. While the animal encounters are great, as are the Cast Members here sharing information about them, the environments through which you walk (and even through which the animals roam) are the real star.
At one point it seems as if you’re going through the ruins of a remote temple that has existed for thousands of years, and details abound everywhere. Disney could have just let the animals be the show here, with utilitarian paths between them, but by going further and creating the environments, it feels like you’re an active participant in some sort of exploration. It’s difficult to articulate, but it works really well as an attraction and is very rewarding for guests who take the time to soak it all in.
Pick a half-dozen or so of these attractions, add in dining, roaming entertainment, and wandering around the park to enjoy its many details, and you have a day of entertainment that stacks up well to the other three theme parks at Walt Disney World.
Quietly Great Food Park?!
Speaking of dining, the case could be made that Animal Kingdom is sneakily one of the best food parks at Walt Disney World.
The consensus among Walt Disney World fans is that EPCOT is the epicenter of Walt Disney World’s culinary scene. And that’s probably true given the sheer number of its restaurants in World Showcase and beyond, plus the festival food booths that are present most of the year. EPCOT is probably home to a greater variety of good or better dining than any other park. I’m not going to be a contrarian and suggest otherwise.
But on a single visit, you cannot possibly eat all of that, and the argument can be made that Animal Kingdom has as formidable of a dining scene on a pound for pound basis. Satu’li Canteen and Flame Tree BBQ offer a better 1-2 punch for counter service restaurants than anything at EPCOT. Tiffins and Nomad Lounge are another exceptional 1-2 punch, arguably the best in-park Signature Restaurant and lounge anywhere.
Another under-the-radar pick is Tusker House, which offers the most diverse buffet spread of any character dining experience. Then there’s Yak & Yeti, which is sneakily great as a mid-tier table service. All of these picks are as good or better than their counterparts in EPCOT–and that’s not even the full restaurant roster!
The biggest (valid) criticism of Animal Kingdom’s cuisine scene is that it lacks the same level of snacking as EPCOT. No argument from me there, but DAK does have some underrated snacks, and again, more than any guest could eat in a single day (or even two!).
Start with breakfast at Satu’li Canteen after rope dropping Pandora – World of Avatar, schedule a table service meal (or two!) as a way to pace the day, and do some light snacking in between. With all of that, it’s easy to graze your way around the continents and turn DAK into a full-day park. Maybe a two-day park!
Half Day Park?
Just to underscore a point from the end of the last section: Disney’s Animal Kingdom is not a half day park. Despite the artificial limitation of shorter park hours, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is not inherently a half day park. There’s plenty to do to fill a full day…or two!
The misconception concerning this status is likely perpetuated by theme park commandos, who race from E-Ticket attraction to E-Ticket attraction and try to complete parks in almost a checklist fashion. Experiencing Animal Kingdom in this manner is, flat out, the wrong way to do it. The main reason–that it’s an ambiance park meant to be slowly enjoyed–is set out above.
The other main reason is sort of related to that, and it’s the attraction distribution of Animal Kingdom. If guests are working from a ‘checklist’ of sorts, once they complete the big name attractions listed in the first paragraph of the “Attractions” section, what is left for them to do? The walk-through animal attractions and meandering trails, while very well done, don’t cater to the commando type because there is no instant gratification with these experiences.
This is their fault for viewing a theme park as a list of items to accomplish as quickly as possible, and not Animal Kingdom’s fault.
However, even for more patient guests, the walk-throughs and trails are similar enough to one another that at some point it’s understandable if fatigue from similarity sets in and they grow restless.
To avoid encountering this same fatigue ourselves, we’ve made sure to mix-in these walking and self-guided attractions with more “typical” theme park attractions. This definitely isn’t the most efficient way to experience Animal Kingdom, but it did nicely break up our days there. We think this is a good way to approach the park if you commonly find yourself ready to head for the buses around 1 pm.
So What Is Wrong?
I’m not suggesting Animal Kingdom is without fault. Far from it. The biggest thing that’s wrong is the aforementioned attraction distribution. This might seem to fly in the face of what I said above, as I described Animal Kingdom as a different kind of theme park and it being guests’ own problem if they skip the brilliant animal-centric attractions.
While true, these things don’t change the fact that Animal Kingdom could use more traditional theme park attractions that further distance it from a zoo and provide better balance to its slate. In short, the park needs more rides. It needs more to ‘meet guests where they are’, give them counterprogramming between all of the trails & exhibits so they don’t get “animal fatigue.” It needs more to keep them in the park late, so Walt Disney World can justify later operating hours–and a nighttime spectacular (RIP Rivers of Light).
Beastly Kingdom would have accomplished this brilliantly. Its attractions could not have been anything featuring actual animals, unless Imagineering pulled off some sort of Jurassic Park-type feat and found a way to bring to life beasts that have up until now been mythical. (In which case, I doubt many people would be complaining about more “animal”-centric exhibits.)
Tropical Americas will help with this mightily when it debuts in 2027-2028, but even after that, the park will still be a few rides short of comporting with reasonable guests’ expectations. It’s really unfortunate that dinosaurs couldn’t coexist with Encanto and Indiana Jones.
We’re happy to see Dino-Rama go extinct, as that carnival was an embarrassment to the rest of the theme park, and truly disappointing given how much potential there is for a land themed to dinosaurs. So that removal is a net positive that will eventually elevate Animal Kingdom as a whole.
But the solution was building a worthy dinosaur themed land in addition to park expansion featuring Tropical Americas. Dinosaurs are our greatest national treasure, and it’s time Disney started treating them like it.
Suffice to say, Animal Kingdom could use some attractions about mythical or extinct animals that use Disney ride systems found in other parks. Not necessarily dark rides, but some sort of rides.
A few attractions like this would bridge the gap between Animal Kingdom and traditional Disney theme parks. Animal Kingdom would still have its own, unique identity, and would also have better balance and more ways for guests to break up their time in the park. If not dinosaurs of non-Pandorian mythical creatures, perhaps the rumored Lion King ride will come to Africa in the 2030s.
This list of qualms and areas that should be addressed might seem so long that it almost “swallows” the rest of the praise in this article, but it’s not. If it’s any consolation, my list of what needs to be addressed to perfect Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios would be far longer.
Overall, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an excellent theme park that people under appreciate because it’s not what we’re used to experiencing. It is not perfect and it has clear room for improvement–but not necessarily any more room for improvement than Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Even without improvement, it’s a park that many of us could stand to spend a little more time enjoying and exploring, as it has a great deal of beauty that many Disney fans have never seen.
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Your Thoughts
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is unquestionably the most divisive theme park at Walt Disney World…where do you stand on it? Are you a fan of it, or is it your least favorite park? Think you’ll give some of its “lesser-known” attractions a chance? Hearing from you is half the fun, so share your thoughts in the comments!
Giving the Animal Kingdom the love it deserves is fine by me! The walking trails are simply wonderful and I have whiled away many a moment watching the meerkats in Africa. oh. So. Cute. I want one!
AK is just so much more….chilled than the other parks. Definitely a great place to slow down and take it all in, the monkeys on their islands, a silverback gorilla appearing out of the forest, the tigers taking a dip, the hippo’s ears in the pool….
I agree with you Tom on the land that shall not be named – firmly believe it will never happen. Take that budget and space and make Beastly Kingdom, would be my 2 cents to the ‘suits’.
On our most recent Disney trip (April 2013), we spent our first morning and last day at the Animal Kingdom – the pace there is so much slower than any of the other parks that I find it to be a great way to ease into and out of my rather rapid Disney touring style.
I know in the comments on a previous post you talked about how you thought Wild Africa Trek was overpriced. Now that you’ve found a new appreciation for AK, I would highly recommend the experience. It’s admittedly very pricey, but the behind-the-scenes views and info, and the unique animal experiences can’t be beat. We’re definitely travelers who stick to an incredibly strict budget (even while at Disney), but we thought the Trek was 100% worth the hefty expense.
I shared that opinion of Wild Africa Trek after I gained this new appreciation for AK. This post has been brewing in my head since April, I just now finally had a chance to write it!
We’d love to do Wild Africa Trek sometime, but the price point keeps us away. There are so many other things we’d rather do for that amount of money. Maybe someday!
We took my twin girls on this trek for their birthday back in May and it is one of our best Disney Memories. It is pricey but totally worth it. Our guides were phenomenal and lunch on the Savanna was fantastic. The guides take a lot of pictures and you get the digital photo album as a keepsake. It’s the best “behind the scene” tour we have taken and don’t regret it at all.
Our household is divided on Animal Kingdom. My husband and son love it, my daughter doesn’t care for it much and I like it but don’t love it. My biggest complaint is that if you have small kids there isn’t much for them to ride there. They can go on the safari and ride the dinosaur version of Dumbo. DINOSAUR would terrify my daughter and she’s not tall enough for Expedition Everest. It makes it a long day when there isn’t much for the smallest member of the family to do! However, we loved the Finding Nemo and Lion King shows. I seeing the Bald Eagle and the other birds in Flights of Wonder was amazing!
I can understand that. Does she enjoy seeing animals? Ride-wise, DAK is lacking for the entire family, but we think it’s the non-ride experiences that make up for that.
Great job Tom. First, you are turning this into the top Disney blog on the internet. Articles on Disneyland vs Disney world, the Tokyo series, great resort and restaurant reviews are entertaining and well thought out. Thank you.
AK has always been a solid park for me primarily due to its theming and the animal treks. And Everest is one of my favorite attractions at WDW. I visit the World about 3 times a year and always go to this park. It’s also great for photography!
Great and insightful article as always Tom!! AK has long been a family favorite for all the reasons you listed. We generally go on the first day of our vacation as I believe this park eases you into that “theme park state of mind”. I was wondering what your thoughts are regarding the whole “Avatarland” proposal? One, do you think it will actually happen? Two, do you think this is a good fit for AK? I’m really on the fence about it as I do believe Disney Imagineering could create amazing attractions with this story line, however I am not sure the Avatar franchise falls in with the rest of the park. From my understanding there was talk regarding Avatarland at the D23 Expo in August, your thoughts?
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up!
I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.
Many thanks
I love Zoos and living near San Diego I have been to two of the best zoos around many times. I went to Animal Kingdom for the first time two weeks ago and I have to say it was breath taking, and add to that awesome rides and I was hooked. We didn’t get to stay in the park for more than half a day, becasue the heat and humidity and traveling all day the day before drained us much faster than we thought it would, but oh boy did I want to do so much more and we never got to see any of the shows. We did one of the trails (the one by the Safari) and it was so awesome and the detial beyond the animals made me wish on our first day that we would have added another day so we could go back.
Having never been to the famed San Diego Zoo, I’d be interested to hear how the animal exhibits compare at DAK to the San Diego Zoo. Obviously the zoo will lack what the rest of the park has, but just with regard to animals, how do they compare?
While we only saw a small portion of DAK I would have to say that it is on par with the San Diego Zoo. While the San Diego Zoo is much larger the exhibits of the animals are done in much the same way with trails and open areas to observe the animals There is much more detail on the trails at DAK and there are more cast members at each exhibit to give information at DAK. I went to both this year and I saw no real diffence in quality in the exhibits. As to the Safari the one in San Diego is much better in terms of animals aviliable to see and lenght, its much longer and more comfortable. The information and story given on the Safari is more intersting in DAK.
Thanks for this article! I love both this site AND Animal Kingdom, so I’m happy that you’ve come around to it.
I totally agree that AK needs some sort of end-of-day spectacular to round things out and tie in other parks, but I think there might be a good reason there isn’t one — the noise would upset the animals. Of course, there are ways around that, like not using fireworks and pyrotechnics, and I think it would be worth taking the time to figure out a spectacular endcap to the AK experience.
You know what I think AK needs? Indiana Jones. I just took my first trip to Disneyland, and I think the Indy ride would fit right in. I also think maybe — just maybe — the space that had been set aside for Avatar might be used for something Star Wars themed. Yes, it might just take over a big chunk of DHS, but I think adding it to AK would be so superior aesthetically. The transition from the environments of Asia and Africa to those of Tatooine, Naboo, and Endor would be pretty spectacular and, again, seamless. And a Star Tours “owned” dark ride taking you on a tour of the Galaxies creatures — animatronic tauntauns and bantha? That’s a winner, right?
Eeek! Sorry for commenting in the wrong spot!
My husband & I agree with your “relax-and-enjoy-the-ambiance” approach. AK is his favorite. Yet there is unrealized potential here, and I don’t think it is at night. The extensive foliage & sleeping animals are issues. However a few substantial additions would fill out the park, making it a worthy destination for more of us.
Dinoland was a good Route 66 sort of idea, but is unrealized. From the horrid shaking of Dinosaur and the carny roller coaster, to the lack of real attractions of merit, we have learned it’s all show and no go.
How about an enjoyable dino dark ride? Similar to Disneyland’s? Realism on a small scale shouldn’t be too costly. It would be nice for a cool break and something for the littlest ones.
We love Festival of the Lion King. It is top notch entertainment. There are gems in the AK. But most of it is mere decoration. Nice decoration, but surface treatments don’t hold our interest long.
Personally, I think the Route 66 concept is fatally flawed because the inspiration itself is tacky and cheap. No matter how well done, the land will reflect that. Some things just shouldn’t be the inspiration for theme park lands, and Route 66 is one such thing.
But Route 66 IS the inspiration for an extremely successful park — Cars Land. I think the main issue with Dinoland is that the theming is intentionally inconsistent, with tons of layers and different time periods superimposed on top of one another. I think if they went wholeheartedly 50’s roadside attraction-meets paleontology site it could be fantastic. I love the Dino Institute element, but I think expanding it too much would make the whole thing seem too Jurassic Park, which is probably the best Dinosaur theme park concept possible.
Isn’t it interesting how many different views there are? I’d never spent much time in Dinoland until I visited last month, at which point I walked away wondering what took me so long? Maybe it’s nostalgia, or maybe I had some brain trauma as a child, I don’t know. But I thoroughly loved Dinorama. I can’t tell you how many spots exactly like that I visited as a kid when traveling out West. I loved them!
Now, I’ll admit that I don’t like the midway games there. But the attractions, the theming, yes, the hodge-podge that IS Dinorama – that is what I loved so much about it!
That said, I would gladly trade that entire area for something like Mythica (or Beastly Kingdom, etc), b/c I do believe that it would make DAK a better park. Just so long as they have SOMETHING dinosaur-related….
We leave for Disney this Saturday AM. I am trying to get every last bit of Disney info in beforehand. and love your articles.
That said, your impression of AK reminds me a bit of the Bush Gardens amusement park (in VA).
It has been a top-rated park for years and going back there recently I noticed there weren’t as many rides as other parks. and somewhat disappointed but then I realized it is the details in the park that give it the ambience. BG has a European feel in country/regions and the food there is terrific compared to other park’s way-overpriced hot dogs. And with a child, I realized that BG was nice to sit and relax and enjoy the park setting more than a simple carnival attraction pit like other parks.
Hopefully with 2 kids in tow at Disney we can enjoy these moments like you mentioned above.
I haven’t been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in years, but I remember it being lush and having a lot of natural beauty. I don’t recall it being especially well designed, but I was a kid, so that wasn’t really my focus. I’d love to return someday.
For years we lived an hour from BG Williamsburg and considered it our “home” park. Most summers we went at least one day a week during school break. It really shouldn’t be compared to Disney, it has a completely different feel, but you should try to go and see it for yourself again. It is a beautiful park in its own right, with unique food offerings and shows. It is also a GREAT park for small children which I didn’t expect considering the number of roller coasters.
I have to admit that my husband and I love primevil whirl in Dino land. Yes we are usually the only people without kids on this ride, but who cares! It is just fun and wilder than you think. It is a good little stop on your way to dinosaur. Theming may not be perfect, but I am there to have fun too, and if primevil whirl is fun then why not ride it!
I’m not suggesting that it’s not fun (although I don’t particularly enjoy it, I understand some people do), but if “fun” were the sole criteria for whether or not something should be in a Disney theme park, we’d have a parking lot with fun rides thoughtlessly plopped down. Disney’s standards are higher than fun. Fun is a definite requirement, but they must also be well-designed, on-theme, etc.
I have spent hours shooting waterfalls in the park! I have my light tripod and can stand with it and not botherrr anyone else for some very fine shots. The imagineering details in Asia are amoung the best in any disny property. I have taken some nice ribbons at the photo club with the images of the bicycle just before the tigers. In some ways this is really a photographers park. Your great work from other parks not withstanding Tom ;-). I have told people that the animals are the gravy. Shoot the park as B&W is a real joy. Thanks for all the work at this sight Tom.
I don’t think there is any single “photographers’ park.” It all depends upon your style. If you like abstracts, details, or nature photography, Animal Kingdom is probably for you. If your style is architecture, landscapes, etc., Animal Kingdom isn’t as good of an option. All depends upon the person.
I still think that Animal Kingdom is the worst park for my style of photography, but I enjoy it as a park regardless. YMMV.
Animal Kingdom park has been one of our top parks since our first visit, for all the reasons you listed above. We love the details, so many that we still haven’t seen them all, & they make great photographs as you’ve discovered. Quite often people will look at the pictures from this park & think they’re from another country, the realism is so striking. Flights of Wonder & Majarajah Jungle Trek have long been 2 of our favorite attractions in any park, again for the reasons you listed. I think people give it short shrift by only spending half a day there just to hit the “highlights”–it’s a beautiful park with so much to offer to those who are willing to give it a shot 🙂
I have definitely had a similar epiphany, though I’m still not a huge AK fan. When I was planning our honeymoon, I planned more time there than I typically would because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of things my husband would especially enjoy. I knew he would love Flights of Wonder and the various trails. What surprised me was that I enjoyed them as well. I am still working on reforming my commando ways, but I’ve gotten much better!
You really should hold a seminar on being critical without sounding like cynical old grouch.
Good review! It’s good you’re able to admit you’re wrong…a quality I’m sure Sarah appreciates!
I’m so so glad you liked Flights of Wonder. While AK is probably one of my least favorite of the four WDW parks, it’s a park you can definitely either choose to hurry up and do everything or fill an entire day. I love Dinosaur, the Safari, and Everest, but my favorites are probably Flights of Wonder (possibly my favorite stage show in all WDW) and the jungle treks. It’s almost like a choose-your-own-adventure, and you can make the day as long or short as you want. I’m glad you went back and really experienced it!
I should note that I completely ignore the Dino-Rama part. What were they THINKING?!
Ahh, so there is potential for you to see the light of Phineas and Ferb…
I think the story of Dino-Land can work, but it needs to be made more clear and while they can keep Chester and Hester’s as an attraction aspect of the land, it should be made into a well-themed, family-friendly (ie – not overly loud, scary or fast), but super-interesting dark ride – think Sinbad good. I mean, c’mon, it’s dinosaurs! How do you screw that up? 😉
I haven’t been able to fully experience the park despite visiting twice, because my kids were so young (still haven’t been on Everest or Kali, even though I’ve really wanted to), but I think you’ve got the right idea. I absorbed as many of the rich details as I could where we did go.
My major complaint there is how bone-jarring the ride on Kilimanjaro can be. I’d accept a rough ride, but sometimes it can shake your teeth out.
Dave
Phineas and Ferb are fine with me so long as they stay out of park attractions that will exist in the long term. No issue with their World Showcase game, as that can be easily re-skinned to something else. Journey into Imagination will receive a top-to-bottom overhaul probably once per decade (if that). I don’t see P&F being relevant in 2025. I have issues with their rudimentary animation and the idea of a television cartoon with a significant presence in EPCOT, but their staying power is my biggest concern.
I was just ribbin’ ya on that based on your other post about it. 😉
Keep up the good work, I don’t know how you do all the traveling, blog, photo processing, podcasting AND working, I wouldn’t be able to do it even if I didn’t have kids, but keep it up if you can, it’s terrific and so useful.
Dave
Great article. I don’t understand why some people don’t appreciate DAK for what it is. In terms of the details, it probably is the US’s closest thing to DisneySea. The Imagineers really did a great job with all the landscaping and architecture. Asia and Africa are amazing. Discovery Island and the Oasis are relaxing. Plus the Tree of Life is the best icon at any of the second gates, tie with Spaceship Earth.
Of course there is room for improvement. DinoRama should be gone. A new thrill ride, and a couple of dark rides need to be added. Beastly Kingdom would have been the perfect fit.
Animal Kingdom (with Epcot) should be the more “real” parks at WDW, with limited exposure of Disney films or other IPs. Avatar would be a mistake going there as it would divert the focus from the animals and real world to a Hollywood blockbuster. Beatly Kingdom fits in with the theme of the park so much more. It is a much broader theme with more possibilities for attractions and demonstrates mankind’s perception of animals.
I’d agree that it’s the US park closest to DisneySea in terms of design, but substantively, it’s not on the same level. I like Animal Kingdom now, but not quite that much!
Love the article! For myself- I was sold after my first trip to Disney World eight years ago [I’ve since become a crazy “mousejunkie”]. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge and DAK was the first park we went to. The whole experience was immersive and magical. Aside from Rock’n’Roller Coast and Toy Story Midway Mania, without a doubt, my least favourite park has to be DHS.
DHS ranks last for me, too.
I agree completely! We were always one of the families who slated AK for a 1/2 day, did the headline attractions, and then spent the afternoon and evening at Downtown Disney or our resort. But this last trip we took more time there, mainly because our oldest daughter LOVES animals. She talked to the cast members along the pangani trail, we saw flights of wonder for the first time, and thoroughly enjoyed all of it! So much so that on our last morning, we changed our plans and returned to AK instead of MK to enjoy it a bit more! While we still don’t care for anything in the dinorama area (even dinosaur), and we hate Its tough to be a bug, we will make an effort in the future to spend more time wandering around AK for the animals!
Magic Kingdom will always be my favorite park, but Animal Kingdom is in my opinion one of the best park in Disney World.
Don’t get me wrong I love Epcot and Hollywood Studio. But what I love about Magic Kingdom ( or Disneyland Paris and soon Disneyland when I’ll visit it ) Is the attention to details. Animal kingdom is THE park for this. It’s incredible how everything was taught of. In the meanwhile, even if I simply love World Showcase, the remaining of Epcot seem to be lacking in recent years. Same go for Hollywood Studio which seem to have so much potential ( can’t wait to see Buena Vista street which look like what HS should be ).
Animal Kingdom do exactly what it’s suppose to be. Like Magic Kingdom / Disneyland change the way attraction park should be. Animal Kingdom for me redefine what a “zoo” should be. They took it to a new level and made it an experience you have to go to.
The park isn’t perfect and could improve, but so is HS and Epcot at the moment.
Good points, although I don’t know if I’d put it above the Magic Kingdom, even setting aside my nostalgia for the MK. I think DAK has the potential to be the best, but I still don’t think it’s quite there.
Great post. I’ll admit that I’ve viewed DAK as more of a half-day park in the past, but this post certainly makes me want to rethink that mentality. For starters, I need to explore the Maharajah Jungle Trek (never have) and see Flights of Wonder (again, never done it).
The one thing I do disagree with was your suggestion to remove the parade. I’m not big on parades, but the Jammin (or Jingle) Jungle Parade is my favorite – well, really, the only one I enjoy of the regular parades (gotta love Boo to You!). So unique compared to most of the others.
My suggestion wasn’t necessarily to remove it, just that I’d give it up if that meant getting Legend of Mythica. I think that’s a trade just about anyone who has seen Legend of Mythica would be willing to make!
I completely agree with your old and new assessment of Animal Kingdom. Until last year, when my wife and I took a trip to Animal Kingdom without the kids in tow, we always ran through the park to hit the major attractions. But during our kid free trip we took the time to smell they hibiscus and really see the beauty of the park. The two of us spent an entire day just walking around and taking in all the beautiful foliage and fauna that DAK has to offer. We stopped and watch “De-vine” stroll through the park, we took the time to enjoy the animals at the entrance to the park…it was simply breathtaking. Maharajah Jungle Trek is probably the most well themed and most beautiful spots in all of Walt Disney World. Every time I go I feel I have uncovered a secret area of the park for the first time. Thanks for a great article!