JOURNAL OF MY LITTLE ANGELS: Disney's Animal Kingdom...

Disney's Animal Kingdom is a place where storytelling comes to life in a kingdom brimming with fun, wonder and adventure! It is the fourth theme park built at the Walt Disney Resort and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than 500 acres (2 km²). It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely around animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself.

Here we are...at the entrance...yet another HOT day!

There were so many people in the Park!

The Park is made up of seven themed areas - Discovery Island, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Asia, Africa, Rafiki's Planet Watch, DinoLand U.S.A. and Beastly Kingdom. The buildings and stores were cleverly designed to look like each of the different themes.

We are going to board the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Accessible by train only, this area contains small animals, a petting zoo and exhibits teaching about conservation efforts. The veterinary hospital's viewing window allows guests to watch medical procedures conducted by the veterinary staff.

We have arrived at Rafiki's Planet Watch!

Ahhhh...the snake is going to eat us!! Scary...aye...is that Ah Meng hiding behind us??

Errr...who is that under the straw hat?

Lil' Angel wants to pet the goat!

Ooooh...they are cute!

Time for some ice-cream on this hot Hot HOT day!

Lil' Angel wanted to have some too!

Behind me is the Tree of Life! It is a massive fourteen-storey tall artificial tree that has been the icon of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Engineered from a refitted Oil platform, it is located in the center of the park. On the exterior of it are carved images of three hundred twenty-five animals. Inside the Tree of Life is It's Tough to be a Bug!, a 3-D film hosted by Flik, from A Bug's Life. There is a hidden Mickey on this tree too!

Cute roof and cuter street lights!

Nice balls!

Another interesting store design using giraffes as the beams!

We are now in Africa boarding the Kilimanjaro Safari. It is an open-sided safari vehicle for an expedition seeing many African animals. Animals from Africa freely roam through acres of savanna, rivers and rocky hills. Some of the animals that we saw were giraffes, hippos, elephants, rhinos, lions, etc.

The Kilimanjaro Safari.

Out in the savanna!

We spotted an Antelope!

Crocs!

Lil' Angel enjoying the bumpy and thrilling ride!

Look at their horns!

Look..a deer!

Up close with the rhinos. They look OLD...

I think I want to be a Ranger when I grow up!

Do you think I look like one??

Next...we are going to watch It's Tough to be a Bug! It is a 9-minute 3-D movie based on the Pixar movie, A Bug's Life. Using lighting, 3-D filming techniques, audio-animatronics and various special effects, the show gives the audience an idea of what it would be like to be an insect. Flik, from A Bug's Life, hosts the show and educates the viewer on why bugs shouldn't be seen as pests, but more as friends. It was a coool show! Very funny too!

In the background is Mount Everest...

It is a scarrrry....really scarrry roller coaster ride! Look at the riders going from one mountain to the next...

And here they come...screaming their lungs out!!

We are now off to DinoLand!

Dinos, dinos everywhere...

Lil' Angel on her first flying ride...and she enjoyed it!

She was very busy controlling the Triceratops to go Up and Down...

Bird's eye view of DinoLand...

Cute Dino!

Funny looking Dino...

Mommy and Baby Dino...

Skeletal Dino!

We went to watch Nemo The Musical. This show is first rate and is not to be missed. The stage is flanked on both sides by a facade with plastic bubbles. Before the show began, kids were shouting "NEMO!!" Sure enough, every so often you get a glimpse of Nemo swimming in one of the bubbles.

The characters are in puppet form, and the actors who handle them supply the voice. The fish are brightly colored while the "people" costumes are somewhat camouflaged in comparison. Still, you find yourself looking at both, especially when there's singing and dancing.

It's amazing how they cover the whole movie in about 30 minutes. Its all there: Mr. Ray, the boat, the sharks, the fish tank, the jellyfish, sea turtles! More importantly, the heart and humor of this wonderful movie remain intact. Dory is just as absent minded and funny as she is in the film while the love that Marlin and Nemo have for one another tugs at your heart.

The songs are a real delight and an integral part in telling the story, which is how it should be. Thumbs up for the show! Oh...and did I mention that we got the front row seats??