The Oasis (Disney's Animal Kingdom)
| The Oasis | |
|---|---|
| Park | Disney's Animal Kingdom |
| Land / area | The Oasis |
| Type | Themed land |
| Opened | April 22, 1998 |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering
|
| Status | Operating |
The Oasis is the entrance land of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida. It performs the same job as Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom — it is the corridor every guest walks through on arrival and departure — but it does so in a completely different way. Instead of a street of shops, guests enter through dense, shaded gardens of winding paths, streams, waterfalls and animal habitats, designed to slow them down and put them in contact with living animals from the moment they pass the turnstiles.
History
The Oasis opened with the rest of Disney's Animal Kingdom on April 22, 1998, Earth Day.[1] From the start, Imagineering intended the entrance to state the park's thesis: this would be a park about real animals, encountered in naturalistic settings, rather than a conventional theme park with animal decorations. Putting habitats at the entrance, before any ride or show, was the clearest way to make that point.
The design also solved a practical problem. A single straight entrance street would have delivered thousands of arriving guests to Discovery Island (Disney's Animal Kingdom) at once. The Oasis instead splits into several branching paths that cross bridges, pass through rockwork and recombine, dispersing the morning crowd and giving guests a choice of routes. Many guests hurry through in the morning and only explore the exhibits properly later in the day, when the animals are often more active in the shade.
The land has changed little in outline since 1998. Its planting has matured considerably, which has made the intended effect — a lush, enclosed garden cut off from the parking lots and the outside world — stronger over time.
Attractions and entertainment
- The Oasis Exhibits — the land's only formal attraction: a network of walking trails past animal habitats, waterfalls, streams and exotic planting. Animals kept here have included giant anteaters, wallabies, babirusa, muntjac deer, spoonbills, ducks, swans, iguanas and colourful macaws and other exotic birds.[2][3] The selection is deliberately made up of smaller, calmer species suited to an entrance environment.
- Discovery Island trails (approach) — the paths of the Oasis lead directly onto the bridges to Discovery Island (Disney's Animal Kingdom), where the Tree of Life first comes fully into view.
There are no rides, shows or character greetings based in the Oasis. Its entertainment is the exhibits themselves, and the animal care specialists stationed along the trails to talk about the species on view.
Dining
- Rainforest Cafe — a large table-service restaurant at the park entrance, themed as a jungle interior with animatronic animals and periodic simulated rainstorms. It sits on the outside of the turnstiles: it has entrances from both inside and outside the park, guests can eat there without a park ticket, and guests who leave the park to dine there must show their admission again to re-enter.[4]
Garden Gate Gifts, near the entrance, provides rental services, supplies and souvenirs rather than meals, and small refreshment carts operate in the entrance plaza.