Walt Disney Co (DIS)

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Disney creators break down Animal Kingdom's new holiday nighttime show

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https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2019/10/12/disney-creators-break-down-animal-kingdoms-new.html?ana=yahoo&yptr=yahoo

JIM CARCHIDI

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The Walt Disney Co.

Burbank, CA

By Richard Bilbao – Senior staff writer, Orlando Business Journal
12 hours ago
The Walt Disney Co. was built on bringing characters to life, and its theme parks continue to keep that legacy alive with its projection shows.

One of those shows will premiere on Nov. 8 at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park in Orlando as part of its holiday decorations and festivities. The theme park's centerpiece, the Tree of Life, will feature a new projection show that will share tales inspired by winter and the holidays.

"Every night here at Disney's Animal Kingdom we have our own pixie dust — it's the fireflies," said Mark Renfrow, show director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment, via a video on the Disney Parks Blog. "Fireflies actually live in the tree and they come out at night and with their magic they create stories. This holiday season we get to see holiday stories that have never been told on this tree featuring all kinds of animals and we get to see their stories come to life like never before."


Here how Disney previously described the new nighttime show:

As day becomes night, the rooftop luminaries and bird lanterns all around Discovery Island bring a warm and festive glow to the entire village. At the center of everything, the Tree of Life awakens with a series of wintry tales, complemented by a familiar and heartwarming holiday-inspired musical score. Between awakening moments, the Tree of Life continues to shimmer and sparkle throughout the night, alive with the magic of nature and the spirit of the holidays.

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The iconic 14-story Tree of Life — a 145-foot sculpture of a baobab tree with a 50-foot base that houses the "It's Tough To Be A Bug" theatre — is in the middle of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, which first opened on April 22, 1998. There are nearly 400 animals carved into the artificial tree.

The new holiday show show joins other festivities planned including:

Donald's Dino-Bash! in Dinoland U.S.A. and the Holiday Hoopla Dance Party with Chip ‘n Dale get holiday spins.
The residents of Anandapur in Animal Kingdom's Asia area celebrate Diwali, the holiday festival of lights in India, with glowing flowers, lanterns and more, as well as authentic cultural performances.
The village of Harambe in Africa also has its own holiday presentation inspired by authentic African celebrations including new music and performances and character meet-n-greets.
Even Pandora— The World of Avatar will include holiday activities including inhabitants of the planet celebrate Christmas with holiday decor made from materials and the natural resources found on Pandora.
Holiday events at theme parks play a major role for the local $70 billion tourism industry each year, which last year welcomed a record 75 million people. The holiday activities and offerings are typically unique for those times, which helps convince visitors to stay for longer periods of time.

Disney’s four Orlando theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios — welcomed nearly 56 million guests through their turnstiles in 2017, which accounts for more than 60% of the region’s tourism market share.

Disney also owns two area water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, as well as several themed hotels, golf courses, a camping resort, timeshare properties, a residential community called Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort, ESPN Wide World of Sports and the Disney Springs retail, dining and entertainment complex.