All visits to Disney’s Animal Kingdom are not created equal this fall. With the return of the Tree of Life Awakenings and Beacon of Magic projection shows, inconsistent park hours for Animal Kingdom means that guests might not have an ounce of nighttime entertainment on select nights.
Of course, Disney’s Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a proper nighttime show anymore with the end of Rivers of Light, but guests are treated to the Tree of Life projection shows when the park is open past 8pm. The problem is that Disney World does not keep Animal Kingdom open past 8pm every night of the week. In fact, the park hours aren’t even predictable by the day of the week. Sometimes the park is open until 8pm on a Monday, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes the park is open until 8pm on a Friday, sometimes it’s not.
Taking Magic Kingdom out of the mix because of the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Animal Kingdom is the only Disney World theme park with inconsistent theme park hours through the end of the month.
In short, make sure that you check the Tree of Life Awakenings schedule if catching the projection shows is a priority for you. We certainly suggest carving out some time at the end of your night if you’re in Animal Kingdom on a day when they’re playing. You can check the Tree of Life Awakenings showtimes on the Disney World website here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/animal-kingdom/tree-of-life-nighttime-awakenings/
If you happen to visit on a day when Animal Kingdom closes early, you can check out our videos of the various projection shows below!
Tree of Life Awakenings – Journey
Follow a doe on a magical, sometimes treacherous journey through various landscapes as two creatures from the Tree of Life come alive in a whole new way
Tree of Life Awakening – Disney Medley
Enjoy scenes and music from various Disney stories that you might have encountered throughout your day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. From Pocahontas to Pandora, Tarzan to Finding Nemo, the Tree of Life connects your favorite stories to creatures sculpted into the iconic tree.
Tree of Life Awakenings – Lion King
The newest full awakening is themed to The Lion King, and debuted back in 2019 after an Annual Passholder preview of the Rivers of Light: We Are One nighttime show.
Beacon of Magic
While not a full Tree of Life “awakening”, the Beacon of Magic is a shorter show that plays throughout the night to celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!