The Walt Disney World Resort has been around for over 45 years and there are many current favorite attractions that have been here since the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971.  For this installment of Disney World Top 6 we look at the best attractions that have stood the test of time.




6.  Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
With the recent refurbishment to make this attraction closer to the original story line Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room makes our Top 6.  The Disneyland version was one of the earliest uses of audio-animatronic figures in a show.  This fun musical show featuring a variety of birds, flowers, and tiki gods puts everyone in a good mood and has them singing the Tiki Bird song as they exit.



5. Peter Pan's Flight
The story of Peter Pan is told through the use of ingenious sailing ship ride vehicles that give the rider the sense that they are flying over London and through the attraction.  To this day it continues to be extremely popular and attracts long lines.




4. it's a small world
From its initial debut at the 1964 World's Fair, this fanciful attraction filled with colorful costumes and movement representing children from around the world, has been a favorite.  What Disney World fan doesn't know the it's a small world song by heart?




3. The Jungle Cruise
Long before there was Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney World brought guest to the jungles of the world and their assorted wild animals through the Jungle Cruise adventure.  Here the animals are of the audio-animatronic variety, but the corny jokes of the boat skippers make this a fun attraction to ride again and again.  Besides, where else do you get to see the back side of water?



2. Hall Of Presidents
The show that brings life to all of the Presidents of the United States has been amazing guests with the lifelike appearance and actions of the audio-animatronic Presidents.  What was astounding in 1971 is still amazing 45 years later.  It shows that the innovation of the Disney Imagineers never goes out of style.

1. The Haunted Mansion
At the top of our list of Disney World attractions that have stood the test of time for over 45 years is the Haunted Mansion.  Disney has created a "haunted house" that is creepy, but not gory or too scary. Again the Disney Imagineers have succeeded in creating masterful special effects that allow the guests to become engrossed in the story telling behind their tour of the home of 999 Happy Haunts. Amazingly it has stood the test of time very well with only minor upgrades and refurbishments.

This article originally appeared in the Only WDWorld Blog!

The iconic symbol of Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort is called the Tree of Life.  This mammoth man-made tree not only makes a great photo backdrop for those that enter the park, but it is worthwhile to study the incredible detail that went into all of the animals that are hidden within it's trunk and branches.


Disney World fans can appreciate the level of detail that went into transforming this former oil rig into an animal adorned tree that serves as the centerpiece of Disney World's best themed Theme Park.

If you have the time time to look closely you can discover the over 300 animal carvings that exist within the trunk, roots, and branches of the massive 145 foot tall structure.

Today, as we pay homage to this incredible structure we show many of the animal carvings that you may not have seen in such detail previously.


The owl, the whale, and the iguana are highlighted here in this view.  The material that the Disney Imagineers used was concrete to create these incredible animal images.

The bear and the wildebeest stampede are the visuals that you can notice from this view.  This enlarged close-up is rarely noticed by the casual Disney's Animal Kingdom Guest.


The meercat and the beetle are prominently shown here amongst the others.


Can you make out the rabbit, moose, and praying mantis carved into the Tree Of Life in this picture?


The stately peacock is shown in this image. It is cleverly carved into the trunk of the tree.


This stunning picture shows the carving of the owl, monkey, scorpion, and hippo all intertwined in this carving image.  Few Disney World guests ever notice this level of detail that exists in the Tree Of Life.



A Lion makes his way into this carving peering along the edge of the tree.




Can you believe that an octopus is actually included among the Tree Of Life Carvings?  This menacing form makes its appearance felt.

Summary

The Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom presents an amazing array of over 300 different carving included within its boundaries.  By looking closely you can see the wide variety of mammals, birds, sea creatures, crustaceans, and even insects that are represented. The next time that you visit the Walt Disney World Resort make a point of taking some extra time to see how many of the 300 carvings you can identify. 

The Disney World Imagineers do some of their best storytelling at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.  Some of the best details that they have created are ones that you never really notice, but add so much to the fullness of the story that they are telling.  Without these added touches the stories are not as believable and complete.


Details At Your Feet
One such example of this amazing detailing can be found in Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama.  This area pays homage to classic roadside attractions that could be found along Route 66.

Disney Imagineers paid special attention to the details of the surfaces that you walk on and see in this area.  To start with they have created part of the walkway to look like a two-lane highway, complete with blacktop and road striping.




The Dino-Rama area is filled with carnival games.  To further the illusion and story the area has been made to look like a re-purposed parking lot.  The surface was aged with cracks and the striping of a parking lot is evident throughout.

The level of detail is taken way beyond the ordinary.  In order to "sell" the story that they were creating, the Imagineers went to the next level to create the details that you see in these pictures.  It is truly amazing that they went to these lengths to tell their story.





Odds are you may have walked through this part of Disney's Animal Kingdom dozens of times and never noticed the parking lot striping or realized why it was there.  It was put there not to be noticed, but to help make all of the other elements of the area come together for the story.

Take the time to look around during your next Disney World Vacation and notice some of the wonderful details that exist in the Disney theme Parks.  You may be surprised at what you find when you start really looking.

Disney's Hollywood Studios has some special treats especially designed for observant and curious Disney World guests.  One of the best Disney World Hidden Secrets can be found next to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular main entrance.



To the left of the entrance you will find a lashed together tripod over top of a construction scene with a rope that descends into a hole out of view.


To the left is a sign with the words "Warning! Do Not Pull Rope."  Clever Disney World Guests will take this sign as a key that they are actually supposed to "Pull The Rope!"  Those that do are rewarded with a treat by triggering a voice from within the well asking for help.  The dialogue actually goes on for quite a while and it is quite entertaining.

This fits totally within the theme of Indiana Jones and its archaeological digging roots.  The Disney Imagineers have designed this totally unadvertised mini-attraction and placed it here for guests to find.

This is just one of many Disney World Hidden Secrets that the majority of Disney World Vacationers never notice or even realize they exist.  Often people are in such a hurry to get to the next ride or show that they totally miss these special touches.

Don't miss out on this Hidden Secret during your next Disney World Vacation.  Make sure you slow down enough to notice some of the amazing details and enjoy the benefits of "Pulling The Rope!"

The Disney World Imagineers have been working hard designing and overseeing the construction of the new attractions in Fantasyland of the Magic Kingdom.  One of the most anticipated additions is the Be Our Guest Restaurant which will be situated within Beast's Castle.

The Disney Imagineers have shared a video that gives us a peak inside this new restaurant and let's us know about the creative process that they go through to determine some of the details that we will see.



Even this small glimpse of the restaurant looks amazing!  Can't wait until Holiday Season later in 2012 when it is supposed to finally open.

Who else is looking forward to the opportunity to dine here?

The Serka Zong Bazaar is not just your average Walt Disney World Resort Gift Shop.  It is a highly themed experience that is part of the story of the town of Anandapur.  The Serka Zong Bazaar also has close ties to the legend of the Yeti and its relationship in the lives of the local citizens.


Serka Zong Bazaar
Almost every visitor to Disney's Animal Kingdom has been to the Serka Zong Bazaar whether they realized it or not.  This is due to the fact that the park's premier attraction: Expedition Everest exits into this shop.  For those of you that rushed your way through, we wanted to share some of the details that you may have missed and want to take notice of during your next visit.