Wonderful World of Weenies: Tree of Life

Today we venture into the Wonderful World of Weenies, we are featuring the Tree of Life!

Before the Tree of Life was an idea for Disney’s Animal Kingdom as the park’s weenie, Joe Rhode thought of the Carousel of Life, a multi story carousel featuring different types of animals on top of each other.

Now lets take a look at some concept art of the Tree of Life, all featuring the giant tree with various animal carvings. Many of the pieces features the Tree of Life in the various situations/area themes that it was planned to be in.

    

This is a rare piece that was shown at the park’s 10th Anniversary event, where guests could listen to Joe Rhode talk about the concept of the park.

A few Tree of Life models. 

The building of the great tree, they used Oil Rigs to help support the weight of the branches, and were able to make a building out of the tree.

    

Around the bottom of the tree is the Tree of Life Gardens, a walking trail around the tree where you can see hidden animals and the carved tree. 

Onto the pins…

    

 

Pictures and Information from Disney and More and Pinpics

Pinvestigation: It’s Tough to Be A Bug!

Today’s post was meant to be a whole series to lead up to Wednesday’s special feature post, but i had to change it up a bit, as Its Tough to be a Bug has hardly ANY information, pictures or pins. So this “pinvestigation” will be a relatively short one, that will mostly be a pictorial.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s Tough to be a Bug was a last minute addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction roster before the park opened. Michael Eisner wanted something in the tree, and some of the ideas featured were restaurants or another type of show feature Lion King characters or Mother Nature. But after thinking about it, Imagineers thought of BUGS. The live and trees and WDI thought it would be a great addition. 

  

So the attraction development was kicked into overdrive as the park opening date was drawing closer and closer. The attraction opened with the park on April 22, 1998, seven months before A Bugs Life was in theaters.

The film was created by Rhythm and Hues Studios. Using theater lighting, 3-D filming techniques, audio-animatronics and various special effects, the show gives the audience an idea of what it would be like to be an insect. Flik hosts the show and educates the viewer on why bugs shouldn't be seen as pests, but more as friends.

At Disney's Animal Kingdom, the theater is located inside The Tree of Life. As the queue winds around the tree, visitors can glimpse animal carvings on the tree that aren't visible from other vantage points. The "underground" pre-show area features posters of various bug acts from the show, as well as those for all-insect parodies of Broadway musicals, such as Beauty and the Bees, Web Side Story, Little Shop of Hoppers and My Fair Ladybug.

Disney's California Adventure’s opened also with the park on February 8, 2001, the theater is located in a bug's land. There, the queue passes through a replica of Ant Island before heading underground where it resembles the queue at Animal Kingdom.

  

The Hopper Audio-Animatronic is a very sophisticated AA, it is big, and moves its body cohesively in quick movements, it also “flips” up from behind the wall, to make it seem that it flew down, so he must be quick and quiet.

Onto the pins… First we have the few that were released in WDW for Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s attraction.     

There are only two pins from Disney’s California Adventure that are themed for Its Tough to be a Bug. 

Pictures from PinPics and Disney And More

Weekly (Pin) News

But before we start all the news this week, i would like to place a GIANT THANK YOU!!! To all of you out there who read my Fantasyland posts this week, and an even bigger thank you to those sites out there who linked it. You don’t know how good it feels to seem, even if just once, that I had SO MANY people check out my little fun hobby blog. And for those of you who haven’t checked out my Fantasyland post here it is, the GDP Special Report: New Fantasyland Update! Then the other day, i Updated the post with two more photos, in the GDP Special Report: New Fantasyland Update 2.0, be sure to check it out. And while we are on the topic of Fantasyland expansion, check out this week’s GDP Poll, let us know what YOU are most looking forward to in the Fantasyland Expansion. Thanks again—Cody

Onto the WPN!

First, Whats HapPINing previewed this new pin to be released in March, as a part of a a multi merchandise series, Oh Mickey.

Here we have some more previews of pins to be released for Dateline Disneyland: 1955, DLR’s Summer Pin Festival.       

Onto some Vinylmation news. VinylNation has some pictures from Friday night’s Disney Trading Night, and they featured some pictures of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival vinylmation tin. (below) 

Finally, here are two of the ONLY four figures in the Oh Mickey Vinylmation set.  

Finally, be sure to check out our newest discussion forum, Vinylmation Connection. All Vinylmation, All the Time!

Vinylmation Connection!

Pictures and Information from Vinylmation, VinylNation and Disney Pins