Photo courtesy and © 1998 Jacquie Kubin.

"This whole park is about the real animals found in Africa, Asia and even the extinct dinosaurs," said Tom Sze, a Walt Disney World (WDW) architect. "It teaches and celebrates all these marvelous creatures from the biggest wild African elephant to the smallest stink bug."

Walt Disney's desire to learn and teach is legendary at Walt Disney World, particularly in the Imagineering Department -- the place where Disney magic is created. "Arnie Stuvard, our senior executive in Imagineering, worked with Walt around the time he created Disneyland in Anaheim, California," said Rick Rothschild, executive producer at Imagineering. "He talks about a time where Walt was walking through the hallways of the studio, and nobody came up and asked him any questions, and it seemed like everything was working fine and that was the moment that worried him the most."

A Zoo, Disney Style
The newest park addition in Florida's Walt Disney World Resort is the spectacular Animal Kingdom, a 500 acre environment that comes from a collaboration between experts in different aspects of animal behavior and the creative minds of the Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) team. A celebration of all animals, Animal Kingdom presents visitors with an environment that allows them to interact intimately with its inhabitants. Imagineers and caretakers have created a world that presents them in all their furred, feathered and colorful glory.

The awe-inspiring Tree of Life stands 145 feet tall and begs to be inspected more closely with hundreds of bas relief etched into the body of the tree. © 1998 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

The park's centerpiece is the incredible Tree of Life, which Sze likens to being the eighth wonder of the world. "The Tree of Life is amazing. The body of the tree has 325 bas-relief that are viewable from every angle," said Sze. "As you walk around the park, it is often within your vision and you will always be finding a new crustacean, wild horse or butterfly amongst its branches and bark."

Surrounded by the park's Oasis, a collection of rocky grottos teaming with brightly plumed birds and anteaters, the architectured Tree of Life hides one of Animal Kingdom's most interesting and educational features, the 3D animated story, "It's Tough to be a Bug."