Disney’s
Animal Kingdom costume designers have created a colorful new line
of animal-inspired fashions for its 2,500 cast members to help
create an atmosphere of fun and high adventure in everything from
safari wear to color-bright native dress.
Each of 62
different designs for cast member costumes is all about animals
but in totally different ways. Some, such as caregiver attire,
are designed to be worn around animals. For others, the animals
are all around the wearer in the form of colorful printed images
-- pink elephants, yellow alligators, vermilion beetles or bright
red geese.
They vary
from the tailored, hunter’s green denim worn by animal caregivers
and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail guides to authentic African
tribal costumes worn in Harambe, to a wild collection of bright-colored
caftans, tunics and blousing trousers in fashionable prints covered
with animal images. Those are worn in unique and colorful Discovery
Island.
According
to Patty Dunne, coordinator of costume design for Disney’s Animal
Kingdom, they could easily create a whole new trend in fashions
which celebrate the world of animals -- well past recent popular
trends such as "safari" clothing and leopard-spot fabric.
All are loose-fitting
and made from fabrics that absorb and evaporate moisture quickly.
All are custom-designed by Disney costumers and custom-made by
leading suppliers to meet exacting needs for theming, comfort
and the special requirements of each cast member role. Costumes
are worn by merchandise and operations hosts, restaurant cast,
guides and animal caregivers. In addition are scores of designs
worn by performers on stage and in street performances.
Each area
of the park is distinguished by a completely different set of
costumes. In all there are more than 61,000 items of apparel required.
The collection includes:
Discovery Island
-- The most "artistic" area of the park, centered around The Tree
of Life, has animal images everywhere -- on the tree and all over
the inside and outside of buildings -- and colorfully repeated
in the fabrics of all the costumes. There’s an "engineered-print"
tunic (printed after the garment is cut out) with ombre effect,
colors changing gradually from a deep coral to pink, orange, yellow,
green, blue and purple. Each band of color contains animal figures
-- turtles, flamingos and fish on one blouse, crabs, frogs and
alligators on another, beetles and lady bugs on a third. There’s
a pleated skirt that looks like silk, with elephants and hippos
parading around. A "reticulated giraffe blouse" has a network
of irregular rectangles, each containing images of African aquatic
animals.
The Tree of
Life -- Costumes for The Tree of Life theater attendants are all
alike, made of sheer blouse material almost like a pale green
camouflage jumpsuit printed with the images of spiders, dragonflies,
beetles and other insects, celebrating the 3-D special effects
experience -- "It’s Tough to be a Bug"-- within the theater.
The Oasis and
Main Entrance -- Greeters’ costumes here are more tailored, but
equally colorful. Maroon trousers or shorts with rose and gold
blouses printed with images of giraffes, rhinos, lions, ostriches,
warthogs, zebras, tigers, antelope and many other animals.
Kilimanjaro
Safaris -- Sharp-looking safari and game warden attire in bronze/khaki
with patch pockets and national-park style emblems sewn on sleeves.
They are made of environmentally-friendly lyocell fabric.
Harambe --
Inspired by native tribal costumes from all across central Africa
from the Ivory Coast to Nigeria to Kenya, the apparel worn here
has bright colors, beaded trim and a hint of Arabic influence
in geometric designs. Both men and women may wear tunic tops with
drape-effects sewn into knee-length trousers. Tunics bear greetings
in the Swahili language across the front. Most spectacular is
a free-flowing bright-pink caftan silky fabric printed in a deeper
shade of pink with the images of bumblebees. When arms are raised,
the ultra-wide pleated sleeves look almost like butterfly wings.
Matching head-scarves and turbans, beaded belts and leather panels
add interesting touches to the costumes.
DinoLand U.S.A.
-- "Student paleontologists" roam the area in typical dinosaur
dig jeans in green, rust and blue, Henley T-shirts in lime green
and yellow and caps with The Dino Institute logo. Some wear tool
belts and bandannas. In DINOSAUR, "hi-tech research scientists"
wear white duck pants and asymetrical shirts trimmed with black
and yellow diagonal stripes indicating "danger ahead." Cast members
at Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures funky curio shop wear
appropriate kitschy "dig" sayings on the back of their shirts.
Red dinosaur prints climb the chartreuse and yellow pant legs
of the costume.
Camp Minnie-Mickey
-- Adirondack summer camp attire with dark green trousers or shorts,
light, striped tops with square panels picturing Mickey, Goofy
and Pluto.
"Festival of
the Lion King" -- This Camp Minnie-Mickey stage show includes
an aerial performer whose costume looks like a giant chartreuse
and yellow bird; colorful monkey costumes which allow for a high-jumping
trampoline performance; and an amber headdress, lion-mane cape
and leather tunic for the tribal chief who directs the story-telling.
Fellow members of the tribe are dressed to portray a gazelle,
a snake, a crocodile, a sandy-colored leopard and other animals.
All the costumes are inspired by authentic tribal attire with
carved wooden heads used for typical ceremonies in Africa. That
show alone requires 136 costumes.
"Tarzan Rocks!"
-- The "Tarzan Rocks!" live stage performance features dancers
costumed in fashions that step right out of the Disney film "Tarzan."
Athletes on rollerblades dressed in designs that resemble the
ape family move around the stage and seemingly fly through the
audience. All the costumes have been created out of painted spandex,
a highly stretchable and flexible fabric which helps the athletes
and artists perform with more ease. The show takes place as a
rock concert. The musicians add their own fashionable flair donning
contemporary clothing in a natural and jungle-like palate of colors.
Nine more
costumes have been designed for operational cast members in Asia.
Inspired by native fashions of Bhutan, Nepal and India, they feature
authentic Batik print patterns in subdued earth tones with typical
Nepalese-style tunics and tight-leg, draped pants familiar to
"The King and I" fans.
Turbans and
puffy Nepalese ceremonial caps complete the Asian attire which
is the same for men and women.
Twenty percent
of the cast costumes are made of a natural, environmentally-favorable
fiber called lyocell, designed to look right and provide comfort
and durability in a hot climate. This is the first time the new
fabric has been used for this kind of costume or uniform. It is
made from wood pulp harvested from trees grown specifically for
fabrics and has the natural absorbency of cotton with the strength
and versatility of a synthetic fiber.
