1
Credit: DisneyDisney has said goodbye to the final pieces of a very divisive attraction.
Related: After 36 Years, Disney World Begins Disassembly at Deluxe Resort Hotel
The Walt Disney Company has spent the last decade heavily investing in its theme parks, bringing big new rides, attractions, and immersive experiences to guests all around the world. Some of the most significant changes and upgrades can be found at Walt Disney World, which has had three major “E-ticket” attractions open in the last few years.
In 2022, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened at EPCOT, with many labeling the unique roller coaster one of Disney’s best rides to date. A year later, Magic Kingdom welcomed its version of TRON Lightcycle / Run, another innovative thrill ride that helped to flesh out the park’s offerings even further. In 2024, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened at the Magic Kingdom, transforming one of the park’s most notorious rides into a brand new adventure starring Princess Tiana herself.
However, while Disney has a pretty good batting average, not everything the company has designed and implemented in its theme parks has been a slam dunk. KiteTails is a great example, an attraction that faced criticism from guests and the internet as soon as it opened and right up until it closed.
The attraction has remained closed since 2022, with Disney now stripping the final remaining pieces of KiteTails from its Animal Kingdom theme park.
Disney Removes KiteTails Elements from Animal Kingdom
Related: Disney Adds More Alcohol to Theme Park as List of Adult Beverages Continues To Grow
As WDWNT reports, the pylons holding up the KiteTails dock have finally been removed from Discovery River at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Parts of this attraction have remained untouched since it closed, though Disney now seems keen on removing all remaining traces of KiteTails from the park. Earlier this year, the launch dock for KiteTails was removed.
KiteTails is one of the most interesting attractions to be featured at Walt Disney World, though for likely unintended reasons. Designed to fill the open amphitheater at the heart of Animal Kingdom, which had been left empty following the closure of Rivers of Light, KiteTails was, as the name suggests, Disney’s attempt to tell unique stories using kites and the wind.
The idea was creative and fun, though in practice, KiteTails proved to be an operational nightmare for Disney, with kites often flying directly into the theater’s seating area. One infamous video showed a kite based on King Louie from The Jungle Book smash into the ground, shredding to bits in the process.
KiteTails debuted on October 1, 2021, and was immediately met with mixed reactions from guests. The attraction would close on September 27, 2022, less than one year after it opened. You can’t hit a home run if you don’t swing the bat, but KiteTails might have been too big of a swing even for Disney.
KiteTails serves as a reminder of a very interesting time period for Disney, with the attraction debuting a year after the outbreak of COVID-19. This was a difficult time for Disney, with many rides, attractions, and experiences changing, closing, or being transformed because of it.
The show marks an interesting part of Walt Disney World history for sure, though it’s unclear what Disney plans on doing with the space it used to occupy going forward.
Do you miss KiteTails? What is your favorite attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?