Disney just released the trailer for its upcoming "Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom" show, which debuts September 25 on the Disney+ streaming service.
The eight-episode series from National Geographic, narrated by Frozen's Josh Gad, offers backstage looks at animal care at the Walt Disney World theme park as well as at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and The Seas with Nemo & Friends aquarium in Epcot.
Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, who was the creative director for the park, and several other Imagineers also appear during the series, talking about the design of the park and its role in the care and presentation of the animals who live there. So if you were a fan of Disney+'s "The Imagineering Story," this could be the follow-up series you've been waiting for.
If you want to learn more about "Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom," I will have a review of the full series — as well as some images from the eight episodes — on Monday, September 21 at noon Eastern.
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@MikeW I actually thought that they were pretty honest, when it came to talking about things which didn’t necessarily work and had to be scrapped or changed. They spent a fair bit of time, addressing DCA.
MikeW:
I second you on pretty much all of these, with the minor exception being that they did build an African exhibit, they just put it in Animal Kingdom, fleshed it out with a more specific theme and unique history, and named it Harambe Village :)
@80sMan: Oh, that was a highlight, them discussing the "dark ages" of early 2000s and warts and all stuff. Liked how they addressed controversies (Disney characters in It's a Small World) and yes, them being very frank on DCA was good.
I just think so many subjects deserved a deeper dive like those "Yesterworld" videos but with the official talk from folks there sharing insight.
@MikeW Agreed. There’s definitely a LOT more ground that they can cover. More than enough for a second season. I thought the whole thing was fascinating. I was expecting something much more sugar coated, but I t was refreshing to see how candid it was. Oh, and good call on the Yesterworld videos.
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I really did love Imagineering Story and want more follow-ups. I'd love ones focusing on various rides:
* How Western River Expedition created Big Thunder Mountain.
* A timely one on the challenges of Splash Mountain.
* The turns and changes of Pirates over the decades.
* Classic ones of Horizons, World of Motion, Imagination and others.
* Be frank on failures (Rocket Rods, '99 Imagination redo, early California Adventure).
* Talking on differences of rides in the various cultures (Tower of Terror is different in Tokyo because "Twilight Zone" was never popular in Japan).
* The "never built" ones (Epcot Africa pavilion, various World Showcase places, Westcot) and more.
Just so much more potential for a series there and love if they got into it more.