For a lot of readers, this is probably going to end up as the most surprising spot on the list, not only for how high it sits, but perhaps for even being included at all. I would suggest that most who sit in that category have never taken in all that Maharajah Jungle Trek is offering in visual beauty, if they have ever gone out of their way to do it at all.
Disney parks have a rich history of walk-through attractions, many of which nearly made the list. They give guests a dose of scenery, theming, and sometimes even kinetics, building a fun environment to journey through without need for a ride vehicle. The original, Swiss Family Treehouse, is still a great attraction taking visitors today. Tom Sawyer Island did make the list, though it sort of does have a ride vehicle. Disney-MGM Studios had a walk-through effects show. Disneyland had a hall of chemistry and still has a walk through of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion were nearly walk-throughs, and we just talked about how the Millennium Falcon would have been just fine as a walk-through.
These are a part of the tapestry of Disney attractions, often easy to miss, but nonetheless important. Animal Kingdom opened with a walk-through, Pangani Forest, which nearly made this list, and honestly was mostly left off because of the clear superiority of its Asian cousin. This ranking, though, means I'm calling Maharajah Jungle Trek the best walk-through in Walt Disney World's history*, and that's an argument I'm going to stand firmly stand behind.
The two features that make a walk-through enjoyable are great three-dimensional place-making, and sights or kinetics around it to flesh the space out and give it some vibrancy; stuff to look at through the theming. In the Treehouse, you walk through what genuinely feels like the tropical home of a shipwrecked family -- that's the place-making -- and through it all you see a spinning water wheel, a giant pulley system, running water, and even some good views of the goings on in the park -- those are the sights.
For that first element, the theming, Jungle Trek just absolute launches the ball completely out of the park. You enter through a worn-down guard post in the village of Anandapur, every indicator reinforcing the idea that you're traveling into the actual jungle, directed by signs that fit the aesthetic perfectly.
You walk through the trees, and come along a cliff face with a babbling brook and detailed rockwork. You pass an old school house, and can go inside if you like, that looks far more weathered than something built in 1999.
(Editor's Note: A previous version of this post referred to the school house as a rangers station, but I've since been corrected by an expert.)
Past that station, the place-making of the Jungle Trek makes an astronomical leap, as you spend the rest of the journey traveling through the ruins of an ancient imperial palace. The detail in the design here is off the chart, doing as good a job of selling the location you're wandering through as any queue or any environment anywhere in the parks. You see all the signs of what once was a place of man-made beauty, worn by time as the jungle has begun to take back over. Vines crawl across collapsed columns. Trees punch through crumbling brick walls. Intricate, hand-pained murals all over are beginning to fade. A sign warns you that there are tigers in the area, but staying on the trail will keep you safe, as you look out on a courtyard with a giant, ornate falcon still running. A suspension bridge -- always a great part of a walk-through -- takes you to the tomb of an ancient ruler, and into the collapsed and now-lush ancient ballroom of the palace.
Every step of the way seems to caution a respect for nature, and its ability to conquer what man creates. It evokes feelings adventure and danger, balancing beauty of both civilization and nature at once. It is amazing, and it's all happening in a theme park in Central Florida. It's all just done with so much heart, to boot.
For our sights, then, we need something amazing to match, and that, of course, is living, breathing animals. The cliff face is where you can find a monitor lizard, so often happily sunning itself on the rocks. The school house gives you an opportunity to see bats in the open air. The jungle-conquered ballroom is now hope to dozens of birds, the decorations becoming homes for them, and the central fountain -- still running -- a bird bath. The palace grounds are covered in tigers and water buffalo. Look at that photo at the top of the tigers wandering that huge fountain; that is so cool. There are so many amazing things to see in Disney walk-throughs, but it's hard to top seeing animals.
While this is the walk-through at its best, it's also Animal Kingdom at its best. While the park's famous advertising campaign was "nahtazu," (say it out loud if you're too young to remember), Animal Kingdom is, in fact, a zoo; it just happens to be more than a zoo. It's a zoo with world class rides, good food, and unmatched themed environments, but the presentation of animals is important to its identity. That can be easy to miss if you're rushing from ride to ride and skipping everything in between, but there are some great enclosures.
Further, Jungle Trek is also zoos at their best. The animals are in lush, full, large environments that feel like their homes, not cages. The tigers have a massive area, with room to hide and plenty of water and elements to play on. The water buffalo practically have a whole range. The bats have only the most minimal barrier between you and them, allowing for you to feel like you're almost among them. The station serves as literally a class room, with smaller exhibits, and a Cast Member serving as a modern connection to Disney's edutainment roots.
The aforementioned theming makes you feel like you have traveled to their homes, rather than the other way around, giving you the chance to feel like you're experiencing the wild jungles of southeast Asia in perfect safety, without having to travel. The park both actively and passively uses this to educate and reinforce the importance of conservation efforts, and instills a love of the beauty of the creatures and their environment in visitors young and old.
With all the great theming, and all the great animal sets, Jungle Trek also places so highly on how it well it hits a few other metrics that are easy to overlook, but also matter, namely capacity, accessibility, and broad appeal. Without a ride vehicle, and with stairs being entirely optional, practically anyone can enter. The theming and the animals hit on the original intention of Disneyland, being a place that both children and adults are able to enjoy. The bats and birds can even be skipped if they're something that frightens you. Then, without a load or a ride vehicle, it is practically impossible for the attraction to hit capacity, meaning you get to experience it -- at your own pace -- without even standing in a line. All of that adds up to being capable of entertaining an absolute massive number of guests in the park, enriching their day in so many ways without being even much of a time sink.
It may be easy to miss, but it shouldn't be skipped. It's too well designed, too exciting, and too important to not be a part of everyone's Animal Kingdom day. It was what makes Animal Kingdom Animal Kingdom, and that's a good thing. The resorts used to have a channel telling you all the "must dos" of the parks, and Maharajah Jungle Trek absolutely should be considered a must do. And must dos are going to rank highly.
Also, tigers are just really neat.
*There's one more coming, arguably, but, like Tom Sawyer Island, it takes a ride vehicle to get there first.
Commentaires