Any Disney historian worth their salt knows about the fabled Beastly Kingdom, Animal Kingdom’s unbuilt park area inspired by animals of the imagination, and how it sorrowfully never came to be. Yesterworld Entertainment goes into much further detail on the subject in the footage below, but Disney is far from finished with this original idea.
If you were one of the thousands who tuned in to the many Disney park updates shared at this year’s D23 expo, you already know about the many different projects coming to the Walt Disney World resort. What you might not know is that while Disney repairs some newer features, the company is also revitalizing an old and nearly forgotten concept.
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While most are concerned with the new developments set to hit the Magic Kingdom, including the potential shutdown of Tom Sawyer Island, they’ve not been paying enough attention to the goings on at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Although Indiana Jones and the family Madrigal are well on their way, a story detail for one of the newer attractions shares a similar theme with one of the park’s unmade lands.
Forming the Beastly Kingdom
As described in the footage above, Disney’s Beastly Kingdom was initially designed to follow the original layout of Walt Disney World’s zoological park. Although guests can still find remnants of its existence, such as the stone dragons scattered throughout the property, the concept has ultimately been abandoned – until now.
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Many might speculate that the Animal Kingdom has forgotten its original inspiration. As former Disney CEO Michael Eisner so eloquently stated, the park was meant to be “a kingdom of animals… real, ancient, and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs, and dragons; a kingdom of balance, harmony, and survival; a kingdom we enter to share in the wonder, gaze at the beauty, thrill at the drama, and learn.”
Nowadays, with dinosaurs on their way out and barely any draconic presence in the park, it seems that Disney’s Animal Kingdom has transformed into quite a different creature. However, steps are currently being taken to revitalize that concept.
Here There Be Monsters
With the inclusion of The World of Avatar and the yeti at Expedition Everest, parts of this former idea still exist in theory, but it might be up to Dr. Jones to welcome another piece of the puzzle. As Indy prepares to take guests on an expedition through a Mayan temple, he won’t be traveling alone.
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The official statement on the project from the Disney Parks Blog reads as follows,
“A new Indy experience is set to arrive in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and will be different from any other Indiana Jones experience around the world. In this new venture, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.”
With the banshees and the yeti in consideration, this new and mysterious cryptid found in the recently announced attraction, Disney, is slowly trickling in a steady stream of monsters. In a way, the company is making up for the sins of the past by bringing new creatures into the future.
Additionally, this might not be the only place on Disney park property where fans can interact and encounter famous and fearsome beasts. The introduction of the long-awaited villain land could reinstate the former idea for a dragon tower roller coaster. This time, Maleficent in her iconic dragon form could be the centerpiece of a thrilling roller coaster.
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At the time of writing, this is all pure speculation, and much has yet to be done. Even so, there’s no denying the similarities between what is happening at the Disney parks now and what was promised back in 1998.
Do you think fans are finally getting a Beastly Kingdom? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!