Disney Animal Kingdom: Illinois

This is a new Disney Animal Kingdom located outside Chicago, Illinois. It contains the existing lands with new lands (not Disney Animal Kingdom: Canada).

Full Moon Moutain Nature Trail
Cross the bridge over Discovery River as the lamps turn into wooden posts, and a turn around a babbling brook. The fiberglass statues of Disney Characters would be replaced by wood carvings. One a vignette featuring characters from Brother Bear, the other a vignette with Goofy and Max Goof fishing. Smaller Barriers would replace the fences in this area to get close to the scenes made entirely from natural materials. They would be works of art similar the fairy garden at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. And they would be easily accessible for photographs.

As you move past the brook, a mountain peak in the distance beckons you further. But closer to home, you notice that a new walking trail is open. Here, a hiking trail for the campers of Camp Minnie Mickey. The Full Moon Mountain Nature Trail. Trees tower above you as you begin your trek down a path made not of concrete but of Rubber Bond styled to look like Mulch.

You make your way down a twisting turning path before it opens up to reveal, not a clearing, but a full prairie, teaming with American Bison. Prairies are one of the most endangered eco-systems on earth and so it is important to recognize that and teach that to our children, and spread the word here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Around the corner, rounding a Prairie homestead is a “Raptor Rescue Center” home to some of America’s flying predators. Most notably a Pair of Bald Eagles.

Further down the trail, we find ourselves moving a bit further north, as the trees turn to pine we find ourselves in a forest occupied by Caribou. One of the things about Caribou is that they are also known as Reindeer! So part of this area is that because it takes place in America, we are able to celebrate American Holidays. So Camp Minnie-Mickey would also become a hub for Holiday Celebrations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Here guests would able to view real live reindeer, and also meet with Santa Goofy during the Holiday season, and perhaps also some other characters in their Holiday best.

Past the Caribou Plaza, guests would enter a cave where they will begin to investigate the Mystery of Full Moon Mountain. Which, according to our story, is home to one of the Largest Grey Wolf packs left in the United States. The Cave would be home to a small short film separating the fact and the fiction from the persona of wolves.

Other exhibits would include habitat destruction, relations with humans, and the dynamics and Social Structure of the Wolf Packs. The Cave would also be home to video monitors of the Wolf Exhibit, billed of course as being tracking mechinisms for the pack as part of our story. During The Halloween Season, a fall harvest festival would take place in Camp Minnie Mickey, and as part of the event, guests would also be able to meet the Big Bad Wolf here in the cave. From the Cave, guests would exit into the middle of a very large habitat for the pack of grey wolves: spectacular and show stopping animals.

Big Grizzly Mountain WOULD NOT be an exact clone of the Hong Kong Disneyland ride, but would obviously be inspired by it. First of all, it’s not a mine here. The Campers of Camp Minnie Mickey have come to the hills to try to spot the elusive Grizzly Bear. And so our story begins there.

Big Grizlly Mountain
Big Grizzly Mountain WOULD NOT be an exact clone of the Hong Kong Disneyland ride, but would obviously be inspired by it. First of all, it’s not a mine here. The Campers of Camp Minnie Mickey have come to the hills to try to spot the elusive Grizzly Bear. And so our story begins there. In the area directly behind the FOTLK theater would be a new small town Square inspired by the buildings at the new Hong Kong Disneyland land. But still incorporating the Camp Minnie-Mickey Adirondack style. This definitely takes place in the Eastern half of the United States, in what was once the frontier when we first arrived to this country from the East Coast. So why have we come to this small outpost? Because this the headquarters of an organization that is trying to protect and the Grizzly Bear, and also educate the public. And that's where we come in. We enter the queue through this organizations main office, located inside a re-purposed barn. This Barn is now home to an animal rescue center, and a chance to see some small American Animals in the queue while they wait. They might see Hawks, Armadillos, Racoons, and other small animals as well.

But now it's time for our exploration. We meet our guide in a pre-show video, (not a designated room, merely a video that plays in the queue) and it is his voice that guides as as we enter our train, or in this our exploration vehicle. The ride starts with a coasting motion through a forest before turning a corner and encountering REAL Grizzlies! A Breeding female on one side, and a lone Adult Male on the other so as to maximize the possibility of a sighting. Obviously this wouldn't ALWAYS happen, so there will be audio-animatronic bears in later parts of the ride, and there will also be an off-ride viewing area for the breeding female side ONLY. There would of course also be barns and off-show yards for the bears to inhabit if they got stressed for some reason. But enough of the slow part. We have a Roller Coaster to get to. As we exit the Bear Country, we find ourselves now searching for bears in a dark cave. Where we encounter the first major drop, the Guide loses track of the exploration vehicle, as you veer off course and find yourself in the den of a Grizzly. In a similar move to Everest, the Momma bear roars at the train when she sees it, and the train slides backward, around a turn in complete darkness before making it's way up a lift hill. Yes...Backward! Eventually you are released from the hill make a curve around the exterior of Grizzly Peak, a few more roller coaster moves before swopping back toward the station. As your guide finally regains radio communication, you are guided back toward headquarters and made honorary protectors of wildlife!

Between Big Grizzly Mountain and the Festival of the Lion King theater would be a series of large Treehouses, Similar in style to those at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. The Lowest Level of the treehouses would be used for quick service dining, Unfortunately I’m not sure about a name or identity for this yet, so please give me some feedback on that. The Next Level up would be used for Character Greets, at least three different rooms. I don’t have this 100% Down yet because I also intend to do a big Character reorganization for the entire resort, But I'm pretty sure it will include Mickey and Minnie in one room, Pocahontas and Meeko in another room, and Not sure about the third room Yet. I'd like to include Koda and Kenai in this as they are bears, but I think they may be in the town Square rather than in the designated greet. The tallest treehouse would be home to a wine tasting experience during the day, and a signature dining experience during dinner. At the top of the treehouse is the “High Peak Vineyard” A new signature dining restaurant with an identity all it’s own.

Amazon
A land Between CMM and Africa. Themed around both the fictional Jaburu Nation: a land dedicated to the world's largest rain forest and the animals that call her home. We find ourselves in the fictional tribal nation of Jaburu where the tribespeople have learned to perch their homes high atop the forest canopy keeping a watchful eye over the great many creatures that dwell amongst the jungle's shade. -almost the entire land is elevated atop tall trees overlooking various exhibits of Amazonian wildlife

The Aviatory
The Jaburu tribespeople worship and admire birds, which is why they have a special tribal center where they feed all the hundreds of species of birds that are in the rainforest, here in the Aviatory, they let us share their time honored tradition.

basically a giant aviary where guests can feed, watch and play with birds... and doo doo wipes are given away for free.