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Like Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom Park,
The Tree of Life is the icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
It is a tree like none other, rising 14 graceful stories
into the sky, its leafy canopy spreading 160 feet across the landscape.
Its upraised branches beckon: Come take a closer look.
It is impossible to resist a closer look at The Tree
of Life, which stands 145 feet tall at the heart of Discovery Island
in Disney's Animal Kingdom, the newest theme park at Walt Disney
World Resort. True, the lofty icon is made by humans. But its story
is the awe-inspiring tale of all the Earth's animals and the interconnected
nature of every living thing.
Carved into the tree's gnarled roots, mighty trunk
and sturdy branches is a rich tapestry of more than 300 animals
-- from the mighty lion to the playful dolphin. Its leaves -- of
many colors and four shapes and sizes, all attached by hand to more
than 8,000 of the tree's end branches -- number more than 103,000.
Its trunk is 50 feet wide and spreads to 170 feet in diameter at
its sprawling root base. Building the tree's support structure required
an engineering plan similar to those used in building offshore oil
rigs.
And because it wouldn't be a tree without being able
to sway in the wind, a giant expansion joint encircles the tree
at each branch unit.
Disney's Animal Kingdom guests first encounter The
Tree of Life after they stroll through The Oasis, a lush garden
setting alive with streams, flowering glades, waterfalls and animals
that include iguanas, sloths, macaws and other fascinating creatures.
As they continue past the animals and walk through a series of grottoes,
guests are treated to their first incredible view of The Tree of
Life.
Where The Tree of Life's giant roots twist over and
into the earth, they meld with a quiet landscape of pools, meadows
and trees that becomes the natural habitat for flamingoes, otters,
lemurs, axis deer, cranes, storks, tortoises and even red kangaroo.
Guests can watch from several viewing locations without disturbing
the animals as they go about their lives. Invisible barriers exist
between animals and guests which appear to be part of the natural
terrain.
After guests meander along a pathway through the extensive
maze of roots, they discover entry inside the massive trunk to a
430-seat theater. A humorous special effects experience introduces
them to the world of some of our planet's lesser-known wild creatures
-- insects -- from the bug's point of view. "It's
Tough to be a Bug!" spins an amusing yarn using 3-D film, Audio-Animatronics
figures and other in-theater special effects.
While following the pathway that leads to the show,
guests can view The Tree of Life from every angle. They see a waterfall
rushing from the tree into one of the feeding pools. They spot a
dinosaur sculpting formed by the "dead" wood around the tree's base.
They continue to discover sculptings that include an armadillo,
an elephant, a camel, a baboon and hundreds of others.
The artistry of the tree, from the carvings to every
detail of its composition, required 20 artists led by Zsolt Hormay,
all faced with the challenge of creating a work of art that was
at once both natural and fantastic.
In all, it took more than 18 months and a crew of
thousands to complete exterior construction of The Tree of Life.
To maintain fluidity of the tree's carvings, the trunk
portion was assembled outside the park with 52 rockwork cages from
which the animal sculptures were carved. The trunk then was cut
into a dozen giant segments and flown to a construction site near
the park. There, the segments were joined in pairs. Finally, the
completed six trunk segments were transported by crane to the tree's
location, where the final pieces of the trunk puzzle were reunited.
Every Guest is invited to stroll Discovery Island
Trails through the root system of The Tree of Life. This soft landscape
is filled with otters, flamingos, tamarins, lemurs, tortoises, and
colorful ducks, storks, cranes, and cockatoos.
Type - icon
When to go - go anytime
Facts/History
Over 320 animals are carved into the tree. There are approx. 8,000
'branches' and over 103,000 'leaves'
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