(Note for this and future reviews of television specials, the copies I watch and screen-cap are from YouTube; a link to the original video is provided in the special’s title, above)
Originally airing on April 26th, 1998, as part of ABC’s The Wonderful World Of Disney, this special highlights the newly-opened theme park, which debuted to the public on Earth Day of that year. It’s hosted by a pre-Price Is Right Drew Carey (frantically reading those cue-cards like a pro,) and features appearances by Jane Seymour, Paul Rodriguez, Sister-Sister’s Tia and Tamara Mowry, Smart Guy’s Tahj Mowry, Boy Meets World’s Will Friedle and Danielle Fishel, and famed primate expert Jane Goodall. The odd mixture of talent on display here personifies the confusing message that Disney continues to send about Animal Kingdom – is it a theme park, a wild animal park, or both? Disney seems forever hesitant to push too far in either direction when it comes to their fourth Florida-based park.
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| The tree is alive ... with the sound of music... |
This dichotomy can be witnessed in the opening of this special, as the cast of the Broadway adaptation of The Lion King gathers around the park’s icon, the massive Tree of Life, to sing a stirring rendition of “The Circle of Life.” During the song’s brief bridge, an insert of Drew Carey, saying how excited he is to be there, is shoved in - complete with a frantic whip-pan past the park’s entrance which doesn’t mesh with the more sedate camera-work in the surrounding musical number. The longer I watched The First Adventure, the more convinced I became that Drew Carey was simply the wrong choice to host. His style of nervous-energy stand-up comedy seemed to clash with the serene image that Disney was pushing for Animal Kingdom. I think James Earl Jones would’ve been the perfect host, but there’s no ABC synergy to be had with that option.
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| Hey! What do Indians fans use for birth control? Their personalities! |
In the following segment, we join Jane Seymour and her family as they ride the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction. I began to wonder if Seymour would’ve been a better choice to host - or at least narrate. Her primary role in this special, though, was playing the mother to her young sons, as they pointed out the various animals on view within the attraction. No doubt this was to show that small children could enjoy the park. Maybe she wouldn’t have been the best choice to host - perhaps I’m just fond of her voiceover work for Kay Jewelers?
A brief note about Kilimanjaro Safari: the attraction originally had a storyline attached to it during early previews, which involved catching elephant-killing poachers. Boy, Disney sure was fond of using poachers as go-to villains in the ‘90s; from A Far Off Place and Mighty Joe Young to this, where a portion of the ride would’ve passed by the (simulated) slaughtered remains of a poor mother elephant. Thankfully, someone came to their senses and ditched this idea prior to the attraction’s public debut.
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| The man of my dreams has almost faded now ... the one I have created in my mind... |
After some more God-awful jokes from Carey, we are then treated to the Mowry siblings having a radical time in Dinoland, USA. Prior to the addition of the garish Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama, there was little to see in Dinoland besides The Boneyard (a children’s play-area) and Countdown to Extinction (a time-traveling Indiana Jones Adventure clone that was later renamed Dinosaur – I guess "Countdown to Extinction" doesn’t make it clear enough that there are DINOSAURS on the ride.) Therefore little Tahj Mowry spouts off some dinosaur trivia, then runs around with a few kids, pretending to run away from a Tyrannosaurus in fast-motion. Now my ears may be deceiving me, but while Tia and Tamara are passing through the queue for Countdown To Extinction, I swear I heard one of the fake scientists refer to another as “Dr. Mantle.” Wow, a Dead Ringers shout-out in a theme park special!
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| Which twin wants to try the Mantle Retractor first? |
Next is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it preview of It’s Tough To Be A Bug with Paul Rodriguez - and why not? The strange thing about this segment is that the film on which the show is based, Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, is never once mentioned, nor are any characters from the film shown. According to Wikipedia, the attraction debuted a full seven months ahead of the film, but it’s still odd that Disney didn’t take the opportunity for additional pre-release cross-promotion.
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| Don't stare at me, you got them bug-eyes... |
This is followed by a clear bit of ad-libbing by Drew Carey, where he comments to a Cast Member (or “employee” in non-Disney talk) that one of their massive turkey leg snacks looks like dinosaur meat. The cast member could care less, and repeats to him that it’s a turkey leg. This awkwardness resurfaces later as Carey is shown riding the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction with a Ghanaian tour guide, who obligingly smiles and nods during his barrage of dumb jokes. The fact that they show the Safari attraction twice in 43 minutes should give you an idea of how few attractions the park opened with.
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| Grin and bear it... |
Following a short performance by a troupe of African dancers (in what may be the most entertaining portion of the show,) the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is previewed. It’s also given a glowing recommendation as a suitable primate sanctuary by Jane Goodall. Moments like this, wherein Goodall points out the importance of conservation, are the ones that work best in this special, highlighting what makes Animal Kingdom unique from its Orlando-area brethren. The approval of such an important and respected voice as Goodall really goes a long way to help sell the concept and validity of the park.
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| Gorilla my dreams... |
After this, with time running out, they cram in a segment with Will Friedle and Danielle Fishel on a whirlwind tour of Gorilla Falls, the child-friendly Conservation Station, and long-running bird show Flights of Wonder. That they bothered to preview Flights of Wonder is interesting, as it was the sole attraction representing the Asia section of the park. The deforestation-themed Kali River Rapids and tiger-occupied Maharajah Jungle Trek were still a year away, and E-ticket attraction Expedition Everest wouldn’t bow until 2006. The segment is memorable, however, as we get to see Friedle interact with some beautiful toucans, parrots and cranes.
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| No condors, unfortunately. Back in the car, Crawford... |
The show closes with a performance by Kimberly Scott, singing the song “We Are One” from the yet-to-be-released Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (so Disney is OK cross-promoting here – then why no Bug’s Life?), bookending the special with a pair of Lion King songs. Just as it does to this day, Animal Kingdom relied heavily on the popularity of The Lion King, with its Simba-centric shows, merchandise and music. After this, the special concludes on a solemn and powerful note, as Jane Goodall speaks to viewers about the wonders and importance of all creatures, great and small – and of humanity’s symbiotic relationship with nature. A perfect, respectful moment to end with.
And then Carey comes back with a half-assed sign off: “Well, I hope y’had as much fun in the Animal Kingdom as I did – g’night.” For fuck's sake...
Oh well. Happy Earth Day, everyone!
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