Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a theme park devoted to wildlife and the wonders of the natural world. But have you ever wondered why there’s a dragon on the Animal Kingdom logo? Let’s take a trip into the park’s history to learn why.
Beastly Visions
When Imagineers first started conceptualizing Disney’s Animal Kingdom, three lands were planned: one for animals of the earth (real), one for dinosaurs from the past (extinct), and one for mythical creatures (imaginary).
Enter Beastly Kingdom. Two realms, good and evil. On one side, a majestic white unicorn welcomed all to the land, while the dark and terrifying dragon lived on the other side, within the ruins of a burning castle.
The unicorn’s kingdom would have included a Fantasia-inspired boat ride, an enchanted hedge maze, and a Loch Ness-themed restaurant.
The really exciting part? The Dragon’s realm included a charred castle, complete with a terrifying dragon, treasure troves, and what would have been Disney’s first inverted roller coaster.
What Happened to Beastly Kingdom?
Well… in short, due to financial shifts and management conflicts, the mythical land unfortunately never came to be. Animal Kingdom ended up being way over-budget in order to care for their live animals and hire the proper teams. Then-CEO Michael Eisner was left with a choice: DinoLand USA or Beastly Kingdom? Oddly enough, he chose DinoLand, thinking this would be a perfect accompaniment for Disney’s first non-Pixar computer-animated film, Dinosaur.
Beastly Kingdom was postponed for Animal Kingdom’s “Phase II” before ultimately being completely taken off the drawing table, for good… But not before select pieces had already been built!
(Legend has it, the Imagineers who headed Disney’s Beastly Kingdom project took their plans to Universal’s Islands of Adventure for their Lost Continent. What was to be Dragon’s Tower at Animal Kingdom ultimately became Dueling Dragons, before Harry Potter moved in. You can’t deny the similarities!)
Beastly Kingdom Remnants
These little bits of Beastly Kingdom can still be found at Animal Kingdom today!
The unicorn parking lot:
One of the Ticket Window buildings today still features a dragon head:
A pegasus can also be found on each Ticket Window building:
Anywhere the park’s logo can be found, you’ll find the dragon centrally located – such as park benches, lanterns, and modern-day merchandise.
Lastly, perhaps the coolest remnant of Beastly Kingdom… this dragon head rock formation:
Beastly Kingdom would have been where Pandora: the World of Avatar lives now. Banshees and dragons are similar, but they’re just not the same. Although, you can’t argue with Pandora’s beauty.
Aside from these remnants of the lost land, Beastly Kingdom will just have to live on in our theme park concept dreams… In the meantime, we can catch a glimpse of another mythical being over at Expedition Everest!
In the end, I’m glad we can step back in time and visit the dinosaurs. Besides, what would we do without Dr. Seeker?
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Let’s Hear From You
Were you ever curious about the ever-present dragon imagery in Animal Kingdom’s logo? Which land would you have picked, Dinoland or Beastly Kingdom? Do you think that a mythical-themed land would have been a success? Let us know in the comments below.
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