Holiday decor and entertainment to expand to all lands at Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2019

May 21, 2019 in "Holidays at Disney's Animal Kingdom"

New Holiday Season entertainment for 2019
Posted: Tuesday May 21, 2019 1:43pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The holiday season at Disney's Animal Kingdom looks set to be a whole lot bigger this year as holiday decor and entertainment expands to every land in the park.

Here is the full news release from Disney about what you can expect to see.

It all begins when you cross the bridge to Discovery Island, finding yourself in the midst of a celebration of winter, hand-crafted by the eclectic community of artists who make the island their home. The village is filled with sparkling white holiday decorations. Colorful, animal-inspired luminaries line the rooftops, and wireframe lanterns in the shape of beautiful birds can be found perched throughout the area. And during the day, Discovery Island springs to life with a holiday gathering of winter animals, realized in the form of life-size, artisan-sculpted puppets. Reindeer, foxes, polar bears, penguins and more interact with guests, accompanied by serenading musicians as they create a playful atmosphere of festive fun.

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.

Over in Dinoland, U.S.A., all the Disney character friends gathered for Donald’s Dino-Bash! get into the spirit with colorful holiday decorations in the style of Donald Duck and each of his pals, and at night, you’re invited to gather ‘round Truck-O-Saurus for the Holiday Hoopla Dance Party with Chip ‘n Dale and plenty of interactive fun and games.

In Asia, the residents of Anandapur have decorated the theatre district in celebration of Diwali, the holiday festival of lights in India. Glowing flowers, lanterns and more illuminate the square between Anandapur Theater and the waterfront stage, home to authentic cultural performances.

The village of Harambe in Africa welcomes visitors with a unique holiday presentation, blending the inspiration and style of western traditions with the colors and textiles of authentic African celebrations. The various groups appearing throughout Harambe introduce holiday-inspired enhancements, including costume additions and new music, to their performances. The holiday fun continues inside Tusker House for dining with Disney friends, where Mickey and his pals spread holiday cheer throughout the meal.

The holiday spirit even reaches Pandora – The World of Avatar, where the ex-pats living and working on the moon of Pandora bring a little Christmastime fun to their alien home, with a display at Pongu Pongu of kitschy holiday décor, combining vintage pieces from Earth with items handcrafted from materials indigenous to Pandora.

It’s going to be an extra magical holiday season at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and across Walt Disney World Resort, filled with wonder and delight in all four parks! Make plans to join us, starting November 8, 2019.

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Sir_CliffNov 11, 2019

Hmm, maybe they should enclose Dinoland and make it always nighttime at Christmas.

Hula BalooNov 11, 2019

I'm loving all the Holiday Decor this year. The more the better in my opinion.

Kman101Nov 11, 2019

I'm sure they'll expand. They've done a LOT this year. I think they did an amazing job and everything fits and suits the park, IMHO. Even the Amp suit Santa. People elsewhere are acting like Pandora has been overrun with Christmas decor.

MisterPenguinNov 11, 2019

And more...

MisterPenguinNov 10, 2019

Andrew CNov 10, 2019

One of tim trackers recent vlogs has some day and nighttime shots.

NunuNov 10, 2019

These are the only 2 pictures I've found. *From disneytouristblog.com

MisterPenguinNov 10, 2019

Still waiting for nighttime pics of Dinorama.

cjkeatingNov 10, 2019

Have you seen the decorations in Dinoland USA? They are totally over the top and I love them.

ThatMouseNov 10, 2019

Seems like missed opportunities all around. I would have created a more emotional musical theme and a story. The scenes are kinda random and not very imaginative. You have a giant projector on a tree in Disney World and this is what they came up with. Meh.

KikoKeaNov 09, 2019

I'm just glad "Let it Go" wasn't included. I like the instrumentals, and the projections are lovely. It's a must see for us in December.🎄

aladdin2007Nov 09, 2019

I agree about the music, really seems out of place for the area and tree.

MisterPenguinNov 09, 2019

Random thoughts: I like the slightly overexposed video, most others are too dark. I like to be able to catch glimpses of the underlying structures the mapped projections are trying to hide. I like to peek behind the curtain. I'm kinda surprised at the blatant Christmasy songs. Would have thought they would have kept it more Winter Solstice-y than Weinachtenlich. I like the part where the virgin lioness gave birth to the Cub Aslan and were visited by the three Wise Owls. Missed another chance to just show a scene from Fantasia (Waltz of the Flowers) where Fall turns into Winter. I like that the animations are new and not the horribly slowed down frame-by-frame mess when they try to take a piece of animation from a movie and use it in another context (like what sometimes happens in the Castle projections). I like the the animations contain representative artistry and not just straight animation, like they did with the Lion King vignette. I like the idiot that tried to take a flash picture of a projection. Just kidding, they're on my hate list forever. I hope they keep the regular vignette of The Radical Snow Fox That Just Wants to Help and Have Fun and Stuff. I like how they 'painted' the animals with the same 'tattoos' that the "Christmas animals' in the main entranceway (Merry Menagerie). It ties it all together. Nice to see representation in Animal Kingdom of North American animals!! Oh, so that's where reindeer come from!

wdwmagicNov 09, 2019

Here is the new Tree of Life Awakenings for 2019