Walt Disney Adventures: Part I | Eastern North Carolina Now

    The Tree of Life was the first exhibit built in the Animal Kingdom theme park. More than just the replication of a gigantic tree, the Tree of Life is a steel and concrete sculpture, with the detailed reliefs of a variety of animals formed and carved from the concrete skin by very talented artists, and laminated with special resins, to resemble wood carvings of the multitudes of creatures that inhabit our Earth. These special resins give the exterior of the "Tree" a brown complexion and the intricate detail of the animals of the land, the air and the sea, give this composite sculpture the look of bark. The 145' tall "Tree" serves as an anchor at the center of Animal Kingdom, just as it is anchored into the good soil of a former Orange Grove. At the core of the "Tree" is the structure of an oil rig, that is fixed so deep below ground level, that the Tree of Life can withstand the winds of a category four hurricane, and yet, still provide enough space below ground to house a theater in its base. This theater can seat over 300 folks to enjoy the performance of crowd favorite "It's Tough to be a Bug."

    As we made our way toward the Africa Exhibition, after leaving the Tree of Life, the flora began to rise up and darken our pathway, until it appeared that we would become entangled in the living jungle. And then, I noticed its movement: humanlike, but yet, more like a tree, still moving toward us.

    It was eleven feet tall, mostly shades of green and the colours of other living matter, and moving toward us, and in a moment, it was past us. The jungle was expanding now, less restrictive, oppressive, and then we walked through a misting fog and into an African Village.

    From this point, we noticed we could stay for the show of tribal chants and dances, but we chose to continue our path to the Kilimanjaro Safaris: an expedition where we could avoid the prospect of animal poachers, and witness animals in the wild from the safety of our all road vehicle.

    It was a rough ride over various terrains, through streams and over roads, that appeared by all normal standards, to be on the verge of washing away, but we made it. On our safaris, we enjoyed the capability of witnessing crocodiles sunning beside the streams and ponds. We saw giraffes ambling across the top of a rare hill, and among other hoofed exotic creatures, we witnessed a pride of lions. There were many other animals indigenous to the jungles and savannahs of Africa; too numerous to mention, but due to the brevity of my time, I am constrained and must move forth.

    Also in the Africa Exhibition area, which is the largest in the park by virtue of giving the large African mammals the room they need to run, is the Pangani Forest Exploration Trails, where one can observe a variety of animals while on foot. I missed this component within the African exhibit; however, it gives me a reason to return.

    Leisurely strolling from "Africa" through Discovery Island, on our way to Camp Minnie - Mickey for our date to enjoy the visually spectacular Festival of the Lion King, we encountered Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade. Picture a normal main street parade, not dissimilar from any small town American town, but the participants are natives of a unique culture from a far away land. Diversity? Every participant is unique, not only from the spectators but from each other as well. Scantily clad natives from the continent of Africa banging out the deep melodic tones of the drum, while others are rhythmically writhing to the jungle beet. Colorfully dressed natives from the continent of South America, also banging deep bass drum, dancing, with bells tied about their ankles jingling, just as their Native Indian forefathers had done centuries before.

    After negotiating the throng enjoying the parade, we make it just in time for the Festival of the Lion King. The fabulous animated tale of "the circle of life" is condensed to about 25 minutes of live performances, and it is very colorful, melodic and well worth your time. The actors are very talented, and the skillful art direction enabling their original "muppets" to be part of the show is simply fantastic.

    We had spent the better part of our day at Animal Kingdom so it was time to gather up my girls, and move to a new park. So good-bye and we'll be back ... maybe another day soon, or another year in a while.

    This article provided courtesy of our sister site: Better Travelers Now