Discovery Island (location)

Discovery Island is the setting of the land of the same name from Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Description[]

Discovery Island is an island with a large animal population. The primary feature of the island is the Tree of Life, a giant tree with the likeness of many animals found across its wood.

Features[]

Adventurers Outpost: This location is an outpost for adventurers that travel the world, most notably Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The interior is decorated with photographs of their adventures, and documentation relating to their trips in the Oasis, Harambe, Anandapur, and DinoLand, U.S.A..^[1] The senipor safari advisor of the island is Bernard Wallaby.^[2]
Creature Comforts:
Discovery Island Trails:
Discovery Trading Company:
Dug & Russell's Wilderness Explorers Club House: A clubhouse for the Wilderness Explorers run by senior Wilderness Explorer, Russell, and his talking dog companion Dug. Russell used the club house to experiment on reverse-engineering Dug's "Bark-O-Lator".
Flame Tree Barbecue:
Island Mercantile:
Pizzafari:
The Smiling Crocodile:
Terra Treats:
The Tree of Life: The Tree of Life is a giant tree of the genus, " Disneyodendron semperflorens Gigantis" with the likeness of many animals found across its wood. Various insects and other bugs live inside and below the tree. The Tree of Life may also have some sort of mystical property within its root-system, which can shrink animals like humans to bug size.
- The Tree of Life Theater: The Tree of Life Theater also known as the Tree of Life Repertory Theater is a theater run by bugs, located within the tree's root system.
Tree of Life Garden: This is a garden trail passing along the Tree of Life, marked by some of the Tree of Life's wood.
Wilderness Explorers Headquarters:

Fauna[]

The fauna of Discovery Island appears to be composed of animals from across the world.

Invertebrates[]

Ants:
Black Widow Spiders:
Hornets:

Vertebrates[]

African Crested Porcupine:
Asian Small-Clawed Otter:
Galapagos Tortoise:
Lappet Face Vulture:
Lesser Flamingo:
Macaw:
Red Kangaroo:
Ring-Tailed Lemur:
Saddle-Billed Stork:
West African Crowned Crane:
White Stork:

History[]

Background[]

Origins[]

Once upon a time, no vegetation would grow on Discovery Island. There were no trees, no shrubs, no flowers, nothing. It was a barren piece of land. Then, one day, a tiny ant planted a seed and made a wish. He asked for a tree to grow – a tree large enough to provide shelter for all the animals. Magically, the ant’s wish came true and a tree began to grow -- and it kept growing until there was room beneath its limbs for all the animals from A (ants) to Z (zebras). And as the tree continued to reach for the heavens, the images of all the animals that took shelter beneath its shade appeared on its trunk, roots, and branches.

It's Tough to Be a Bug![]

By around the 1990s/21st century, bugs on the island had put on various performances in the Tree of Life Repertory Theater. These shows included: My Fair Ladybug, Little Shop of Hoppers, A Cockroach Line, Beauty and the Bees, The Grass Menagerie, Barefoot in the Bark, The Dung and I, A Stinkbug Named Desire, Web Side Story, and Antie. During a performance of The Dung and I, the ball of dung used almost rolled off the stage and, "brought the house down". This ball of dung was then put on display in the theater.

The theater came to be used by Flik, an inventor from Ant Island, presumably located along Route 66 in Anaheim, California.^[3] Flik arranged for a show to be held in the Tree of Life Repertory Theater called, "It's Tough to be a Bug!" which would teach miniaturized bugs about the hardships which bugs face in hopes of human/invertebrate peace. Flik had various performers lined up for this show including the tarantula Chili, Claire de Room, The Dung Brothers, Weevil Kneevil and The Termite-ator.

Some of these attractions went wrong during the show. The show was also interrupted by the villainous grasshopper, Hopper, who had his minions attack the humans in the audience. After the humans survived, Hopper was attacked by a lizard which ate him, causing Flik to regain control of the show.

Later history[]

By around the 2010s, Discovery Island had a headquarters for the Wilderness Explorers. One of the Wilderness Explorers present was Russell, accompanied by the talking dog Dug. The two started the Wilderness Explorers Club House, where Russell was assisted in Carl Fredricksen in reverse-engineering Dug's collar which allowed the dog to speak. Russell did this to earn his Wilderness Explorers advanced appliance repair badge. While they were on the island, Russell's South American tropical bird friend, Kevin, also appeared to be present.

Development history[]

The area of Discovery Island was originally called Safari Village, but was renamed when Bay Lake's Discovery Island was abandoned.

In 2023, it was announced that a Zootopia attraction would replace It's Tough to Be a Bug.

Appearances[]

Discovery Island[]

It's Tough to Be a Bug![]

This attraction takes place in the Tree of Life Repertory Theater.

Trivia[]

It is unclear where in the world Discovery Island is set. Its fauna includes animals from Africa, Australia, Asia and South America.
- It is also unclear if Discovery Island is canonically in the vicinity of the entrance land, "The Oasis" which has a view of the Tree of Life, and similar anachronistic animal-life.
It is unclear how Hopper is alive during the events of It's Tough to Be a Bug! after being eaten alive during the events of A Bug's Life.
In addition to living animals, there are various dinosaurs whose likeness appear on the Tree of Life.
A chimpanzee represented in the Tree of Life depicts David Greybeard, a chimpanzee studied by Jane Goodall.
Along the river connecting Discovery Island to Pandora - The World of Avatar is a rock formation resembling a dragon's head. This was an installation used for the dragon scene of the Discovery River Boats used to promote Beastly Kingdom, a scrapped land which Pandora- The World of Avatar took up the space of.
The name of the Smiling Crocodile references an unused song from Peter Pan.
There is a portrait of the Tree of Life framed within the Discovery Trading Company. This portrait shows the animals on the tree, coming to life. It also depicts the tree between Asia and Africa. Mickey Mouse's face appears hidden in the cavern with the water-fall.^[4]
Characters who have live appeared in the Discovery Island area include: Tarzan, Jane Porter, Terk, Pocahontas, Meeko, John Smith, Moana, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Lilo, Stitch, Jiminy Cricket, Koda, Timon, Rafiki, Baloo, King Louis, Panchito Pistoles, José Carioca, Flik, Princess Atta, Gypsy, Slim, Tinker Bell, Fawn and various characters from Up.
The backstory of Zootopia: Better Zoogether! also shows an alternative history for the Tree of Life in-which it is a Zootopia location which was carved into by ancient animals.