We want you to get the most out of your ‘luxury villa’ stay in Solterra, Davenport (near Championsgate and just south of the Disney World Resort area). To help out, we have sourced the following blog post to keep you up to date with news from Walt Disney World Resort. Thanks to the guys over at Disney Parks for the original post...
Today’s anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom has me thinking back to the beginning of this park that has played such a big role in my Disney journey.
I had been
with the company less than seven
years when I was invited to join the park’s opening leadership team in
1997 as the Engineering Services general manager. I jumped at the chance! The
opportunity to open a park doesn’t come along every day, and I felt lucky to
get that chance so early in my career.
Before we
could open, we spent long days preparing for a vision that was completely new
to the world of Disney parks. The idea behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom was to
have a place where we could celebrate the magic of nature, invigorate
conservation efforts by caring for animals that were endangered in the wild,
and educate guests on ways they could help support that mission. All of that,
in the setting of the fourth theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort, with world-class
attractions, entertainment, and more.
This being
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we took on more than your typical engineering tasks
when you factored in the animals and their habitats. The opening team banded
together to tackle a whole new batch of challenges, such as building perimeter
fences, designing animal enclosures, and working with elephants who loved to eat
the plants as fast as we could put them in the ground!
As we
approached opening day, Bob Lamb (the park’s vice president) and the rest of
the leadership team wanted to honor the moment with a time capsule. Items were
carefully selected by each area. Into the ground it went, with a plan to open
it together on the 25th anniversary.
Fast forward to today, when I had the opportunity to spend time with some of the opening day leaders and cast members as we welcomed guests, yet again, to discover the wonder of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
After a special moment onstage with our guests, members of the opening leadership team joined me backstage to finally unearth and open the time capsule. We had a great time looking through the items, which included a piece of engineering hardware – an actuator, to be exact – from a particularly memorable pre-opening project.
This trip
down memory lane was a reminder that none of it would have been made possible
without the many people who dedicated their time and efforts to bringing
Disney’s Animal Kingdom to fruition.
Today, Disney’s Animal Kingdom welcomes millions of guests each year to discover the magic of nature. I am incredibly proud of our cast members for embracing the park’s mission and sharing it, not only with our guests but also with our community. Over the last 50 years, we have been discovering new ways to give back to our local and global community. Earlier this year, we granted half a million dollars to five conservation organizations in Florida to help them with the amazing work they do right in our backyard.
It doesn’t stop there. Just yesterday, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Disney Conservation Fund announced grants to 25 global organizations that have dedicated themselves to inspiring change and protecting our world. These collective efforts are just one example of many that demonstrate how Disney is dedicated to protecting the magic of nature by giving back.
On behalf of
everyone at Walt Disney World, I want to thank you for joining in the
celebration of the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Whether
you were at the park today or are following along from elsewhere around the
world, thank you for being part of our story and sharing in our fascination with
animals, authentic adventures, and awe-inspiring discovery. We’ve had a wild
ride together and I look forward to celebrating the magic of nature at Disney’s
Animal Kingdom for many more years to come!
That's all folks!
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