Why You NEED to Be in Disney World on April 22nd

We just finished celebrating Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, and celebrations recently kicked off for The Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary…but what about another big milestone?

Tree of Life

This year, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is turning 25 on Earth Day, and we’re excited to see what offerings are available. We already got a few details about the celebration (including learning about a new character meet and greet!), but now we’re ready to share even MORE updates.

Let’s start things out at a unique Animal Kingdom attraction — The Animation Experience at Conservation Station. Throughout the month of April, you can learn to draw a variety of Disney animals, including Dumbo, Terk from Tarzan, Crush or Bruce from Finding Nemo, Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, or Simba from The Lion King. How fun!

Animation Experience

If you or your kiddo love to check out the Wilderness Explorer offerings around Animal Kingdom, then you’ll be happy to know that a new limited-time badge will be available from April 16th-23rd. Disney hasn’t shared more details about this badge yet, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled.

Earth Day Badge from 2022

And of course, we have to mention the special character offerings coming for Earth Day and Animal Kingdom’s anniversary! We already mentioned that Moana will be appearing in the park soon, but Disney has shared that there will be “unique Character appearances on the Discovery River Character Cruise” from April 16th-23rd. Sounds mysterious!

Animal Kingdom Flotilla

And as far as entertainment goes, there will be a “very special moment” in front of the Tree of Life on April 22nd, honoring Earth Day and the 25th Anniversary of Animal Kingdom. You might want to time your visit so you can be in Animal Kingdom on that specific day to see whatever this offering will be!

Tree of Life

We’ve already shared some of the other things you can expect from Earth Day celebrations at Animal Kingdom, including a list of limited-time snacks. You can see some of our thoughts on the snacks here and here.

Elephant Cupcake

There will also be special Earth Day-themed PhotoPass opportunities throughout the month of April, so be on the lookout for that. Disney describes these as follows:

Magic Shots – Have a Disney PhotoPass photographer add a special effect to your photos, including ones created to celebrate Earth Day.
WALL-E Photo Ops – Ask a Disney PhotoPass photographer about enhancing your photo with a special effect inspired by WALL-E, in addition to a delightful, new WALL-E Disney PhotoPass Lens.
Recycled Material Photo Ops – In honor of Earth Day, strike a pose with fun props made from 100% recycled materials.
National Geographic Photo Frame – Snap a pic with a National Geographic photo frame, found outside the main entrance to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

PhotoPass Magic Shot ©Disney (2022)

And be on the lookout for some 25th Anniversary Animal Kingdom merchandise. We got a peek at some of the newer items that should be available here. But you’ll also want to watch for the Earth Day 2023 Limited Edition Trading Pin (released on April 4th), and head to Island Mercantile, Discovery Trading Company, or Mombasa Marketplace starting April 21st to find some special anniversary items.

That’s everything we know about Earth Day and Animal Kingdom’s anniversary so far, but we’ll keep you updated with more news as Disney makes more announcements! And of course, make sure to follow along with us on the big day in the park.

Click Here to Learn More About Animal Kingdom’s Anniversary!

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