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Credit: DisneyDisney has promised many changes coming to the parks, but the Animal Kingdom expansion and retheme have guests divided. As exciting as it is to enter a world of adventure, Josh D’Amaro’s plans might be doing more harm than good.
From the day it was founded, Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort has been described as “the magic of Disney gone wild,” both the studio and the Imagineers have kept that sentiment alive for decades. However, the Walt Disney Company has plans for the Park that trample the values on which it was built.
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It was recently announced that Disney Park would receive a massive retheme focusing on more adventurous IPs like Indiana Jones, Encanto, and Zootopia. While it is undoubtedly exciting that guests will be exposed to the terrain, cultures, and creatures of Central America, some fans fear that Disney is stepping too far away from the ecological and conservational efforts that make Animal Kingdom great.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Losing Its Identity
Disney’s Animal Kingdom was built on the foundation of Disney’s love for animals and the biomes they call home, and the Disney World park has extensively represented the company’s conservation efforts for years. However, fans are increasingly concerned that the line between Disney and Animal Kingdom is becoming increasingly blurred.
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A recent post on r/WaltDisneyWorld sparked an ocean of dread for the park’s future. As much as fans enjoy trekking through Asia, Africa, Discovery Island, and the World of Pandora, not all are so keen on doing it with Dr. Jones, the Family Madrigal, or the cast of Zootopia.
u/bornstupid9 begins the discussion with a massive post, but one takeaway point about the change particularly stands out.
“This is extremely disheartening to me. As I’ve grown, Animal Kingdom has become my favorite park. It truly feels like you’ve left the country and can stroll around and relax with some of the best park music playing in the background. I am not opposed to the idea of Tropical Americas being integrated where Dinoland is as long as it is not purely an Encanto land. I think Indiana Jones doesn’t fit at all.”
The user also adds,
“But most importantly, it’s 2023, and animal populations have dropped 69% since 1970. The theme is still relevant and important. But regardless of what you believe of choose to care about, the theme of Animal Kingdom leaves guests feeling good and serves as a moral underpinning for the company’s park division. I think it’s unwise to steer away from. All the parks are losing their uniqueness and it can be felt.”
In short, the primary concern here is that Disney might be leaning too much into its IP rather than the animals it has helped protect through Animal Kingdom’s efforts. Of course, this is only one fan’s perspective on the matter.
Further down in the comments, u/FortySixand2ool writes,
“Optimistically speaking, IPs that are popular and have a relevance to a park’s “mission” could actually expand upon the goal of educating visitors about a certain issue. I’d argue that Moana’s involvement in teaching kids about water drastically increases the chances of getting that message across…”
And u/like_shae_buttah cuts to the quick on the situation when they add,
“Things change and sometimes that’s good, sometimes bad. I always liked AK because of the animals, conservation and our relationships to the animals. That’s the connection I miss and we’re losing. Hope it’s still the fundamental part of the park.”
One thing that needs to be made perfectly clear is that just because Disney is adding more IP and familiar characters to the new additions and expansions doesn’t mean that it has forgotten all that Animal Kingdom stands for. What this thread is showing is that, per the norm, fans are often apprehensive when something they love has to change.
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It’s not as if Disney is shutting down the animal exhibits or stealing back the billions of dollars they’ve amassed for wildlife conservation. If anything, the expansion will expose guests to new environments, new adventures, and maybe even some new animal friends too. All we can do now is wait and see.
Are you a fan of Animal Kingdom’s new direction? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!