3rd Anniversary of Pandora – The World Of Avatar

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

It’s hard to believe Pandora – The World of Avatar opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom three years ago! The two attractions in this land, Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey, are absolutely amazing to say the least. On top of that, the land itself comes to life with a different experience both during the day and at night. Two key people involved in making the Pandora so successful, Joe Rohde and Jon Landau, share a video to celebrate the 3rd years since it’s grand opening. Check out the details and video below from DisneyParksBlog:

To tell that tale, we brought together two of the lead creative partners responsible for developing the land: Joe Rohde, portfolio creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, and Jon Landau, producer of “Avatar” and its sequels. These two visionaries assembled a team of thousands to turn a wondrous cinematic digital world into a complete physical environment that inspires and thrills.

Pandora – The World of Avatar is a wonder of our world and has truly ushered in a new era of immersive storytelling at Walt Disney World Resort. 

As you listen to Joe and Jon, you’ll learn how Pandora – The World of Avatar meshes with Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You’ll hear them discuss the similarities between developing a themed environment and a major motion picture. And you’ll gain an understanding of how the stories of the film, the land and the park complement one another. 

Family Recreates “Finding Nemo: The Musical” While At Home

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

We are all dealing with sheltering-in-place due to the novel coronavirus in our ways. Baking, reading, hiking, and working on household projects are some of the most popular activities. However, the Westover/Booren family decided to do something much more musical and recreated Disney’s Animal’s Kingdom’s Finding Nemo: The Musical from home.

Sisters Casey and Charlotte and live in the same neighborhood in Springfield, Oregon. When a statewide shelter-in-place was ordered, Charlotte’s brother-in-law, Jared, suggested they put on a family musical. While the family initially laughed at the idea, Casey’s daughter Charlotte, a theater major (who shares the same name as her aunt), took the opportunity to the skills she learned at Brigham Young University – Idaho to choose and direct the show.

Being a Walt Disney World College Program alumna, Charlotte was keen on choosing a Disney musical, but, she wanted to involve her extended family without overwhelming them with too much material. She settled on Finding Nemo: The Musical and assigned roles to the whole family. Set pieces and props were easy to find as the family owns an event company that was temporarily shuttered, and they utilized their homes for rehearsals.

With gatherings being off-limits, they were given permission by their church to use an empty performance space for their final show, which they posted on their YouTube Channel, sans audience of course. You can watch the full performance below and for more on the family and some behind the scenes clips, see the “Meet the Family” video below as well.

Thank you to Westover/Booren family for sharing a little Disney magic at home!

New Babirusa Piglet Born At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom has shared some exciting news! Their first ever birth of a babirusa piglet has just happened… and it’s a girl! Welcome to the world sweet Kirana. Check out the details below as shared by Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks. Is it weird that we want one?! So cute!

We are squealing with delight! Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating a first for the park: the birth of a babirusa piglet. And, it’s a girl! Our Disney animal care team has chosen to name her Kirana, which translates to “sunbeam” in Indonesian. 

Babirusas are part of the hog family, native to the swamps and rainforests of the Indonesian Islands. They’re known for their unique snouts and magnificent tusks that can grow up to almost 17 inches! Close relatives of the babirusa also live at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, such as the warthogs on Kilimanjaro Safaris and the KuneKune pigs at Affection Section. 

This birth is another success story for our dedicated team of Disney animal care experts, as parents Betty and Mentari were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP) overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The SSP assures responsible breeding for endangered species, such as the babirusa pigs and Asha, the Hartmann’s Mountain zebra foal recently born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  

Over the last 15 years, Disney animal care experts partnered with reproductive biologists and the SSP to “crack the code” on breeding a babirusa pair. The piglet is making an important contribution toward the worldwide conservation and understanding of the species, which will help ensure a future generation for these vulnerable animals. 

The Disney Conservation Fund has supported projects in Africa for more than 20 years to inspire grassroots conservation and improve livelihoods. These projects can help protect Africa’s amazing wildlife and benefit the hogs – such as babirusas – living in these habitats. 

The piglet is healthy and bonding with mom inside their den at the park. To learn more about hogs, visit DisneyAnimals.com.

Virtual “Ride & Learn” With Expedition Everest

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom

One of our very favorite attractions at Walt Disney World is Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This is one of those attractions we could ride again and again! The smooth coaster has a fantastic thrill level which features the Yeti which you’ll find is causing all sorts of trouble to the track in this Forbidden Mountain. DisneyParksBlog is sharing a virtual “ride and learn”. Hold on tight as we ride along and dream of the day we get to be on this one again!

Looming over Disney’s Animal Kingdom stands a massive, snow-capped mountain that beckons adventurers and thrill-seekers brave enough to attempt a journey to the “top of the world.” Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is an iconic attraction at Walt Disney World Resort, and today we’re inviting you to take a virtual ride on this fantastic and foreboding coaster in our newest “Ride & Learn” video.

ou’ll find Everest in the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. At the base of the mountain is the office for Himalayan Escapes, the travel company that brings curious tourists to the mountain’s peak aboard a special train. As you make your way toward the train, you see the results of past excursions and begin to understand what awaits you – most notably rumors of a ferocious beast lurking somewhere in the mountain …

It’s at this point we join our virtual ride, where you’ll learn more about Expedition Everest and how it was created. I love that this particular trip takes place at night – my preferred time of day to experience this amazing attraction. So gather your courage, hold on tight and conquer this mountain once and for all.

Grace From Disney’s Animal Kingdom Gorilla Family Celebrates 1st Birthday

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Check out this super cute birthday girl! Grace, a member of the Gorilla Family at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is celebrating her 1st birthday! The team at Animal Kingdom is sharing the birthday celebrations with us! Check out this dose of sweetness from DisneyParksBlog as Grace’s birthday was celebrated.

It was just over a year ago now that Grace was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. And while the park is temporarily closed, our team was able to throw her a special princess-themed birthday party!

The team created a cardboard princess carriage attached to plastic horses by paper chains for Grace and her family to play with. There was also a cardboard castle and colorful piñata. The materials we used in the decorations are enrichment items we give the gorillas as a special treat – perfect for a birthday surprise!

Grace’s birthday “cake” was made of three layers of ice treats – blocks of ice with berries and currants for the gorillas to pick out as the ice melts. We also froze pureed sweet potatoes and kiwis and cut them into shapes for another birthday surprise.

Grace was born May 1, 2019, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to mother Kashata and father Gino, who were selected to breed as part of the Species Survival Plan overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The plan ensures responsible breeding of endangered species so they will have healthy, genetically diverse populations for years to come.

Grace is named after the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE), a gorilla sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is dedicated to helping gorillas orphaned by poaching. Our animal care experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom have spent more than a decade helping the GRACE team and local community rehabilitate orphan gorillas and protect the species in the wild.

We’re thrilled to watch Grace every day as she matures and develops magnificent new skills. She likes walking upright and hanging upside down, for example. She’s also very energetic, inquisitive and social, and loves to play – especially with her three older siblings.

It was a wonderful time celebrating Grace’s big day, and we’re looking forward to the time you can come see her and her family again on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!