Recently, the HUGE Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary celebration concluded its 18-month run in Disney World, but now it’s another park’s turn to enjoy a BIG milestone! April 22nd, also known as Earth Day, marks the 25th Anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s grand opening. And no, the Tree of Life is not going to be decorated like a birthday cake. Sorry.
Happy Earth Day from Animal Kingdom!
Around the parks and resorts, Earth Day is a pretty big deal — but Disney’s Animal Kingdom goes ALL OUT with rare characters, special treats, and more. Come with us to check out the Earth Day festivities and celebrate Animal Kingdom’s birthday!
We arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom bright and early.
Happy Saturday from Disney’s Animal Kingdom where we’re celebrating 25 years since the park opened! Drop your favorite Animal Kingdom memory in the comments below to show it some birthday love! 🎂🌳 pic.twitter.com/Wu00ThzI5W
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 22, 2023
Of course, we had to grab a commemorative map to celebrate the special occasion.
We got a cute little commemorative map!
The map contains a look at all the exclusive merchandise and character appearances around the park.
Click here to read more about the special map!
Even the president of Walt Disney World, Jeff Vahle, came to Animal Kingdom this morning to celebrate!
It’s the president of Walt Disney World!
To kick off the festivities, the VP of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Sarah Riles, made a small speech.
We got to hear from the VP of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Sarah Riles! Take a listen 🔊 pic.twitter.com/ytYGYsUYDB
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 22, 2023
After that, LOTS of adventurous friends came to the stage! Can we take a moment to appreciate how truly EPIC this photo turned out?! We couldn’t have planned this shot better if we tried.
Quick!! Someone put this on the cover of a magazine!
After that, we visited the new Moana meet and greet location on Discovery Island.
We got to hear a little backstory on the Moana meet and greet location coming to Discovery Island! Stay tuned to the end for a very special guest 😉 pic.twitter.com/6sOCNIGrAR
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 22, 2023
We had a lovely time chatting with Moana; we talked about our journeys beyond the reef and more!
We got to meet Moana! 🌺☀️🌊 pic.twitter.com/d5lxUQlRsF
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 22, 2023
It was so nice to see Moana in Animal Kingdom!
We’re having so much fun!
If you’re interested in meeting Moana, check the My Disney Experience app; you can see all the times she plans to visit right on the app!
Click here to read more about the new Moana meet and greet coming to Discovery Island
After meeting Moana, it was time for a popcorn break! What better way to enjoy a salty little snack than to eat it out of a Lion King-inspired Pumbaa popcorn bucket?!
ADORABLE!
This popcorn bucket has been SUPER popular so far; it was selling out all over the place!
Click here to read more about the NEW Pumbaa popcorn bucket!
Next stop: Conservation Station! Our delightful day at Animal Kingdom continued with a visit to The Animation Experience.
We stopped by The Animation Experience at Conservation Station! Have you ever visited this spot in Disney’s Animal Kingdom? pic.twitter.com/lNL6Vb9DMH
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 22, 2023
Snack time! We can’t properly celebrate a birthday without a sweet treat, so we had to try the Colossal Elephant Roll. It’s a jumbo cinnamon bun with banana caramel, milk chocolate crispy pearls, and a 25th Anniversary logo available for $5.99!
We got the Colossal Elephant Roll for Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s 25th Anniversary! It’s a jumbo cinnamon bun with banana caramel, milk chocolate crispy pearls, and a 25th Anniversary logo for $5.99! pic.twitter.com/wt12Seshid
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 22, 2023
After a little snack break, it was time for some shopping! The stores were SUPER crowded thanks to all the limited-release merch available for the 25th Anniversary. In fact, some items were even selling out in select sizes!
25th Anniversary Shirt
We spotted everything from new tops to a decorative light; who wants a haul?!
Click here to see a FULL LIST of the merchandise available for the 25th Anniversary
We will continue to update this post as our day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom continues, so stay tuned for more Earth Day fun! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stick around for more!
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Disclosure: We were invited by Disney World to attend a media event for the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.
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I was at the Animal KIngdom Park in the opening year. It has always been our favorite park. Always spent at least 2 days there out of a week stay.