The Walt Disney World Resort opened Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park on April 22, 1998.
The fourth Walt Disney World theme park was Disney’s largest, spreading over 500 acres. Its opening introduced a new way to appreciate, enjoy and interact with animals.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom combined Walt Disney’s love of real and imaginary animals with attractions, stage shows and characters.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom takes inspiration from nature and the animal world. The park’s icon — the Tree of Life — features 337 sculpted animals in its trunk. Building architecture, light poles, benches and countless other elements feature animal designs that range from subtle to dramatic.
Since it opened, the park has evolved with new attractions, entertainment and lands such as Asia and Pandora — The World of Avatar. Expansions introduced new attractions, including a whirling white-water raft ride (Kali River Rapids), rocketing on a runaway-train adventure (Expedition Everest — Legend of the Forbidden Mountain), taking flight on a banshee (Avatar Flight of Passage) and exploring a bioluminescent rainforest (Na’vi River Journey).
Lands
- Affection Section
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
- Wildlife Express
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch
- Expedition Everest
- Kali River Rapids
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- The Boneyard
- DINOSAUR
- TriceraTop Spin
- “It’s Tough to be a Bug!”
- The Tree of Life
- Wilderness Explorers
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort