A newly filed permit by Walt Disney Imagineering has caught our eye, and it pertains to the iconic Tree of Life structure at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. The permit calls for extensive work at the Tree of Life, including “facility demo” and “area development”. Let’s dive into the permit and why it’s likely not as big of a deal as it seems at first.
Imagineering Permit for Demolition at the Tree of Life
First, let’s take a look at the permit itself. The permit was filed yesterday, December 22nd, and it (mostly) reads like a large-scale construction project. The permit was filed by Walt Disney Imagineering, which is a signal that the scope of the project will be creative in nature. The contractor listed on the permit is Whiting-Turner, which is Walt Disney World’s general contractor of choice for large-scale projects.
Of note is the scope of the work, which is defined as “Facility Demo, General Construction, Electrical, and Area Development”. That description is usually reserved for large-scale work within the boundaries of a theme park area. Specifically, it is generally seen where attraction reimaginings or new lands are expected to be built.
Where the permit breaks down a bit as it relates to the expected impact of the work, is the expiration date. The permit expires in just a few days – December 30, 2025. That seemed like a typo at first, but a little bit more digging has us putting away our pitchforks in defense of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The newly filed permit is actually substantially similar to a permit filed earlier this year for a very similar scope of work. The permit filed earlier this year by Walt Disney Imagineering also listed Whiting-Turner and called for “facility demo” at the Tree of Life.
Where I’m a bit confused, and probably not as well-versed in construction requirements, is why this new permit even had to be filed at all. The old permit covered the same scope of work for the same contractor and even had an expiration date of December 31, 2025.
The only thing I can think of is that the old permit was somehow closed, and Walt Disney World needed more work from Whiting-Turner following the closure of the old permit.
In short, I expect that this permit was likely filed for a small amount of work that may even take place outside of guest view over the next few days.
That said, what if the expiration date is a typo and it was meant to read “December 30, 2026”? If that were the case, the possibilities start to expand for what this work could be.
As you may remember, we broke the news that safety nets were installed under the Tree of Life to support an upcoming refurbishment of the park icon. The safety nets will remain in place for the foreseeable future as work is expected to take place for some time while crews carefully perform maintenance work on the Tree of Life.
Either way, this permit does not signal that the Tree of Life will be demolished or anything like that. Our best guess is that this is some leftover work related to the Zootopia: Better Zoogether attraction.
For everything you need to know about Zootopia: Better Zoogether, check out our dedicated page for the new theater show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom below!
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!
