Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Walt Disney World: Animal Kingdom an African experience

Ever wonder what a trip to the Cretaceous period would be like? What about how it would feel to finally reach the peak of Mount Everest, only to find a Yeti waiting to throw you back down? Or what about taking a safari through the open African savannah? At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, added to the theme park family in 1998, all of this is possible…sort of. There are seven themes sections of Animal Kingdom, with animal exhibits from monkeys to warthogs lining the streets. Each section is unique, representing a different part of animal conservation. Beautifully and accurately designed, Anna Shaketange from Namibia and Mayenziwe Ntando Khuluse, known around Animal Kingdom as “Prince” from South Africa, both agree that Animal Kingdom makes them feel at home. At the center of the 500-acre expanse is the Tree of Life, a massive tree, into whose trunk is carved an intricate array of wildlife, from horses to lions to gorillas to bugs. Underneath the Tree of Life is the 3D animation show based on the movie “A Bug’s Life,” called “It’s Tough to Be a Bug.” After waiting in a line that weaves around the base of the tree, which offers a fantastic up-close view of the carvings and is lined with spoof movie posters like “Beauty and the Bees,” audience members are welcomed to sit back, relax and enjoy a show all about the beneficial nature of insects. Things get out of control when Hopper, the villain from “A Bug’s Life,” gets wind that bugs and humans are consorting. It’s an entertaining sensory experience, and definitely something to Fast Pass, if you’re not squeamish about spiders, stinkbugs and other creepy crawlers. If there is one thing to do in Animal Kingdom, it’s the Kilimanjaro Safari, found in the Africa section. According to Prince, “they did the safari ride beautifully

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