Tree of Life (Disney)

Sculpture at Disney's Animal Kingdom

The Tree of Life is a 145 feet (44 m) sculpture of a baobab tree at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort. With over 8,000 branches of very different sizes and about 102,000 artificial leaves, the sculpture debuted when the theme park opened on April 22, 1998. Inspired by the mythological concept of the same name, the Tree of Life features 337 carvings of existing and extinct animal species on its trunk and surrounding roots; after Jane Goodall's visit, her famous subject David Graybeard was carved into the tree. The sculpture took 18 months to create. Designed and fabricated at Greens Bayou Fabrication Yard in Houston and based on the natural forms of baobab trees, the Tree of Life is located on Discovery Island, roughly in the center of the park. The tree features over 100,000 thermoplastic kynar leaves. At the structure's interior base is a 428 seat theater that hosts It's Tough to Be a Bug!, a 3 D film attraction based on the 1998 Disney/Pixar film A Bug's Life. The tree also has a walking path, the Tree of Life Garden, that provides a closer look at the sculpture.

The Tree of Life was under construction from 1997 through 1998 and took a total of 18 months to make with the help of three Disney Imagineers and ten artists. While the tree is made of concrete, an oil rig is the skeleton of the tree. Soaring nearly fourteen stories tall (145 feet) and 165 feet wide, the Tree of Life is the tallest tree sculpture to exist. Early concepts for the tree began with Dave Minichiello, Dan Goozee, Ben Tripp, Gerry Dunn, and Joe Rohde, all of which were Disney Imagineers. Senior production designer Zsolt Hormay, Vinnie Byrne, Fabrice Kennel, Eric Kovach, Steve Humke, Joe Welborn, Gary Boundurant, Jacob Eaddy, Roger White, Parker Boyiddle, Craig Goseyun, and Arthur Rowlodge designed and sculpted the animals on the Tree of Life. During this process, primate researcher Jane Goodall insisted that a chimpanzee be added to the list of animals being carved into the tree specifically David Graybeard, one of the chimpanzees Goodall famously worked with. The sculptors were met with many challenges including the limited time available to carve and detail each animal due to the fast drying time of the cement. Before settling on a theatre style show inside of the tree, designers considered having a restaurant at the bottom of the tree or access to the top of the tree for park guests to climb up.

The Walt Disney theme parks have scattered "Hidden Mickeys" throughout its rides, buildings, architecture, and more. The Tree of Life is no exception: its Hidden Mickey can be found facing upside down right above the hippopotamus's eye.