From June 3rd through to June 30th 2012, Disney's Animal Kingdom will be offering an enhanced line-up of entertainment and food. 'Sundowner Celebration' provides guests in Africa, Asia and Discovery Island additional entertainment along with a range of new unique foods and beverages. The park has done this several times before, with the largest and most elaborate being 'The Taste of Africa Street Party' held in 2010.
There is no news yet on what the items on offer will include, but based on the previous similar events, specialized food kiosks and DJ dance parties are possibilities.
The entire Tree of Life area including 'Tough to be a Bug' and Tree of Life trails are currently closed. Overnight a branch fell from the tree's structure. The reason for the branch falling is being investigated by Disney officials and the attraction looks set to remain closed until they find out the cause.
We've had reports that it was a relatively small branch, however the cause of it falling off will need to be determined. It's likely that strong winds over the weekend were the cause of the incident. Park officials will want to ensure that it's parent branch is safe.
Animal Kingdom's chief Imagineer Joe Rohde gave a brief interview with the official Disney Parks blog where he details a few thoughts on the upcoming AVATAR land. It was thought that the project may have stalled as nobody from Disney had commented on it for some time, however this recent post shows that they are still planning on going ahead with the new land.
From the Disney Parks Blog:
When I think about the AVATAR story and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I see the value systems that underlie both. We have the opportunity to tell that story in a way that will make the AVATAR experience feel like a natural part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.All of us who are designers have an opportunity to take the work we are given and make it something unexpected. That’s how we help the company to grow and expand into new areas.
