The Tree of Life, a sculpted 14-story (145-foot tall), 50-foot wide tree, is the centerpiece and icon in Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. Paths known as Discovery Island Trails weave around and through this homage to nature. Stroll the trails to see a swirling tapestry of 325 animals carved into the bark of this massive attraction. Look for creatures like Galapagos tortoises, lemurs and cotton-top tarmarins.
The Tree of Life, the park's visual icon, is located here surrounded by animal enclosures of Discovery Island's trails showcasing Abdim's Storks, Black Crowned Cranes, Black-necked Swans, Blue-and-yellow Macaws, Cape Teals, Chitals, Collared Brown Lemurs, Easter Grey Kangaroos, Galapagos Tortoises, Greater Flamingos, Knob-billed Ducks, Oriental Small-Clawed Otters, Plumed Whistling Ducks, Red Kangaroos, Red-and-green Macaws, Ring-Tailed Lemurs, Roseate Spoonbills, Saddle-billed Storks, Salmon-crested Cockatoos, Silver Teal, White Storks, White-faced Whistling Ducks, and Woolly-necked Storks.
The Tree of Life roots find their way into the paths surrounding this magnificent Animal Kingdom icon. Surrounding the Tree of Life are the Discovery Island Trails - a quiet area of pools, meadows and trees that are home to flamingoes, otters, lemurs, axis deer, cranes, storks, tortoises and red kangaroos.
From a distance, this imposing structure appears to be the real thing. As you draw closer, the amazing details come to life. An international team of artisans were brought together to design and implement the carving of nearly 400 animals in it's intricate framework.
The first challenge was designing a 145 foot tall "tree" that could stand up to hurricane force winds, but still look realistic. A unique system of fabricating and assembling the branches was designed that brought the flexibility that was needed to bring this idea to life. There are 45 secondary branches that lead to 756 tertiary branches. With 7891 end branches, the entire structure is covered with 102,583 man made leaves, each of which is more than a foot long. While this would be an amazing accomplishment on it's own, it takes second stage to the carvings. Working within the delicate balance between sound structure and artistry, images began to emerge. A branch becomes an elephant's trunk, a root a snake, each figure seamlessly flowing into another. Style took precedence over accuracy. The goal was not to depict the animals true to size, but to have one form lead to another, all the while appearing to have naturally developed during the growth of this amazing "tree." A major part of the illusion is the painting. With varying shades of browns and green used, you'll be tempted to reach out and touch it to make certain that it's not actually tree bark. Even when you're viewing it close up, the realism is striking.
Touring Tips
- Kids absolutely love the Tree of Life. Have fun with your young ones and see how many animals you can find in the Tree of Life.
- A theater is housed in the Tree of Life root system where the It's Tough to be a Bug! show is performed. This 8-minute, 3D movie and multimedia show features Flik, everybody's favorite ant, and his grasshopper friend, Hopper, from the Disney-Pixar film A Bug's Life-along with a supporting cast of insects and arachnids who provide a surprising look into the animal kingdom.
- View the Tree of Life at different times during the day. As the sun and the shadows move you will see different animals appear.
- Don't rush through the tree roots on your way to It's Tough to Be a Bug... this journey provides an excellent up-close view of many of the animal sculptures.
Facts
- The "Tree of Life" is one of the most photographed structures in Disney World.
- This tree is one of the few artificial trees among over 4 million living plants at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
- The Tree of Life is made up of 45 secondary branches leading to 756 tertiary branches leading to 7,891 end branches with 102,583 green leaves (each more than one foot long).
- The tree is made of concrete, over a modified oil rig. Ten artists and three Imagineers worked full-time for 18 months to create the 325 animal carvings on The Tree of Life. Sculptors had between six and 10 hours to create the finished image before the plaster hardened.
- The story goes that Jane Goodall visited Animal Kingdom during the construction and wondered if there was a chimp on the Tree of Life. In short order, one of her most famous subjects, David Graybeard was carved and now resides in the roots near the Tough to Be a Bug entrance.
Hidden Mickey
- This Hidden Mickey is actually rather remarkably difficult to find. If you walk the parks long enough, you'll likely see it - outstretched index fingers pointing at silhouettes and abstract images of Mickey Mouse.