How Disney Did the Impossible in Creating Animal Kingdom
The 1990s didn’t turn into the Disney Decade the way that then-CEO Michael Eisner envisioned.
Circumstances beyond Disney’s control certainly played a part, particularly the tragic death of then-President Frank Wells.
However, Eisner repeatedly miscalculated theme park expansion, starting with Disneyland Paris and including the failed Virginia theme park, Disney’s America.
Still, Walt Disney World fans had reason to smile, as Eisner did accomplish something monumental. He achieved one of Walt Disney’s dreams.
Let’s talk about the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the theme park that accomplished what Jungle Cruise couldn’t.
The Ambitious Idea
The Walt Disney Company opened American theme parks in 1955, 1971, 1982, and 1989. That averages out to a new park every eight or nine years.
Eisner could calculate the math here and deduced that Walt Disney World fans would expect a new place by the end of the millennium.
To his credit, the CEO actually doubled the output by working on Disney California Adventure just as Animal Kingdom debuted.
Alas, the dual projects caused a financial crunch that eventually led to certain sacrifices at both places.
Still, Eisner committed to the project right after Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened.
Unfortunately, Disney wouldn’t confirm its Animal Kingdom plans until 1995. Those delays occurred due to the wildly ambitious nature of the project.
Don’t Try This at Home
Imagine if you built an animal habitat in your backyard. No, I don’t mean putting in a fence and a doghouse.
I’m talking about the construction of a place where you build a lion’s den. Now, please don’t do that. You’d violate any number of ordinances in your area.
The point is more that you’d need lots of new stuff like grass, water, scrubs, and rocks.
You’d also have to buy, you know, a lot of lion food. Otherwise, YOU are the lion food.
Here’s the thing, though. Even if you bought all that and ordered some lions off eBay (no, you can’t really do that), you’d still be screwed.
Several bored, untrained lions would sit in your backyard, casting a baleful eye on any and all human intruders.
Anyone who has ever visited a dense jungle knows the truth. Everything in said jungle wants to kill you…especially the lions.
The CEO of Disney decided that he didn’t care. Instead, he would build a new theme park comprised of many animals, some of whom were natural predators.
That’s the origin story of Animal Kingdom.
Why Animal Kingdom Was Impossible
Eisner formally Animal Kingdom just three years before it opened. For a place filled with untrained animals, that’s a short lead time.
Also, the CEO decided that Disney couldn’t just build a zoo. Oh, no! When Walt Disney constructed Jungle Cruise, he envisioned a theme park ride with live animals.
Even the ever-optimistic early-day Imagineers deemed this idea as a bridge too far. So they talked their boss out of the idea.
Right or wrong, Eisner perceived himself as the modern Walt Disney. He cared deeply about legacy and wanted to do what the company founder couldn’t.
So, Eisner needed a zoo that also included several theme park attractions, a better Jungle Cruise, if you will.
Walt Disney World certainly comprised enough land for the project, which proved vital to the project.
Animal Kingdom covers 580 acres, making it easily the largest of the four Walt Disney World theme parks.
All Eisner needed was…hundreds of animals, livable habitats, innovative new theme park attractions, and enough commerce to turn a profit.
Circling back to the lion den analogy, you’d also need hyenas and their habitats, a gift shop, a restaurant, and – oh yeah – a roller coaster or two.
Are you starting to understand how impossible a task Imagineers faced?
The Soul of Animal Kingdom
To their credit, these Disney employees went about their business in style. Recently retired Imagineer Joe Rohde helmed the project.
Rohde famously brought a leashed tiger to a meeting with Eisner to drive home the point that the idea was possible.
Soon afterward, Rohde committed to visiting many countries that would play a part in the park’s theming.
Meanwhile, the construction team diligently accumulated all the vegetation needed for a multitude of animals to live at the park.
Also, they built all the electrical wiring, structures, waterways, and themed touches that comprise the look and style of Animal Kingdom.
We’re talking about a checklist with millions of items on it. Yet, somehow, Imagineers did them all.
A Strange Hiring Campaign
I’m skimming over some of the most astounding architectural feats in the history of theme park design because you get the point.
A lot of effort goes into creating dozens of animal habitats across hundreds of acres. Also, little snafus come up like lions and hyenas being natural enemies.
So, Imagineers had to build structures that prevented any unfortunate crossovers between predators and prey. Otherwise, Bambi’s mom has another bad day.
Still, once the infrastructure was in place, the situation was no different than your backyard lion den.
Disney built habitats to house animals, but they still needed two essential elements for the park. Yes, I’m talking about animals and animal trainers.
In the case of lions, you really don’t want those to show up before the lion tamers.
Disney officials started one of the weirdest job headhunting searches ever. Animal Kingdom needed zoologists by the hundreds.
Folks, zoology isn’t like accounting. You won’t find hundreds of thousands of them on LinkedIn. It’s a specialized field with only a small percentage of highly skilled pros.
The Other Right Person for the Job
Disney needed the best of the best for this particular assignment. Remember how I mentioned that Eisner started planning right after Hollywood Studios opened?
Yeah, in 1990, Joe Rohde picked the brain of a zoo director. This person recommended Rick Barongi from the San Diego Zoo.
Barongi has later joked that he didn’t realize what Disney wanted from him. So for two years, he met with Rohde and bounced around ideas about animal living arrangements.
In 1993, Disney made Barongi an offer he couldn’t refuse. He became the Director of Animal Programs.
Barongi appreciated the scale of Animal Kingdom in a way that Disney didn’t. Later, he scoured the country for others.
Disney ultimately hired so many renowned zoologists that the profession experienced a scarcity crisis in the 1990s!
Disappointments and Achievements
In next month’s final article in this retrospective series, I’ll discuss the grand opening of Animal Kingdom in detail.
For now, I’d like to talk about the unexpected setbacks at the park, one of which stemmed from cost overruns.
Eisner projected that Animal Kingdom would cost $600-$800 million. That’s the equivalent of $1.1-$1.5 billion today.
The park actually ended up at $1 billion or $1.8 billion in 2021 terms. And that’s AFTER many budget cuts.
Specifically, DinoLand U.S.A. turned into a glorified carnival area. That’s in sharp contrast to the detailed themed land, the likes of which we expect from Disney.
Even worse, Eisner sacrificed some projects that would have fundamentally changed the early perception of Animal Kingdom.
Specifically, Disney pushed the previously announced Beastly Kingdom themed land to the first park expansion, which would come at a later date.
At the time, park officials were so confident about this project that mythical dragons and other creatures appeared on the logos, some of which remain today.
Obviously, that never happened, but that’s the glass-half-empty perspective.
In reality, Animal Kingdom achieved something shocking and still largely unmatched to this day. Disney successfully combined a theme park with a zoo.
Also, all signs of wildlife are universally positive. The earliest reviews of Animal Kingdom remarked on something I haven’t even mentioned.
Zoos stink! I mean, you’ve been to a county fair, right? You never forget that smell. It’s even worse at zoos.
Somehow, Disney constructed an entire theme park filled with dozens of ecosystems, yet there are no stinky scents in the park.
Final Thoughts
Eisner, Rohde, and the other Imagineers spent the body of the 1990s working on Animal Kingdom.
On Earth Day, 1998, they finally received their reward for achieving the impossible. The park opened to universally positive reviews.
Some critics harped on the lackluster quality of some attractions, a topic we’ll broach next time. Even so, people recognized the accomplishment.
Kilimanjaro Safari carried guests through the heart of the jungle, only it was really repurposed Florida swampland.
On this journey, tourists temporarily forgot that they were in Florida. Instead, they believed that they were out in the wild, experiencing undistilled nature.
Disney fans stared in wonder as lions and hyenas played in their habitats, ignoring the existence of their mortal enemies.
Even now, Animal Kingdom amazes with its continuous proof that humanity can coexist with nature.
Also, here’s the remarkable part. I’ve really only talked about half of Disney’s triumph.
Animal Kingdom also operates dozens of attractions in the same space where the animals live. We’ll talk more about that next time!