Discovery Island
Discovery Island, surrounded by the Discovery River and reached by bridges, connects all the lands of Disney's Animal Kingdom together. Being in the centre of the kingdom, Discovery Island is the home of the park's centrepiece, the majestically gigantic Tree of Life. Housed inside the tree, is an exciting 3-D film about insects called "It's Tough to Be a Bug". Guests will notice that all the buildings on Discovery Island are covered with beautiful carvings and painted with images representing various members of the animal kingdom. Housed inside these colouful buildings are the shops and restaurants of Discovery Island. The shops include Island Mercantile, Beastly Bazaar, Creature Comforts, and Disney Outfitters; they sell clothing, character merchandise, jewelry, hats, toys etc. The restaurants include Flame Tree Barbecue, and Pizzafari; they serve chicken pizza salads, etc.
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The Tree of Life
Towering 14 storys over Discovery Island, The Tree of Life's gnarled trunk and beautiful leaves can be seen from almost anywhere in the park. As the park's centrepiece, the majestic tree stands as a symbol of the connected nature of life on earth. This becomes obvious as guests get closer to the tree and see that it's trunk, roots, and branches are covered in over 325 beautifully-detailed animal carvings. Every animal you can think of is represented from the 20-foot blue whale to the smallest insect. These amazing carvings seem to blend into one another - an elephant becomes a porcupine, a porcupine becomes a tiger, a tiger becomes a woodpecker, and so on. As you look at the tree from different angles, more animals seem to magically appear out of the bark. Snaking and spiralling around the base of the tree and through it's roots are several walkways. These beautiful and extremely lush pathways offer excellent views of the tree but also a fascinating look at a handful of real animals that include playful otters, capybaras, ring-tailed lemurs, and more.
It's Tough to be a Bug
It's Tough to be a Bug is a spectacular 3-D extravaganza housed inside the giant Tree of Life. As guests sit inside the large theatre among the roots of the giant tree, they feel dwarfed like insects themselves. Mixing Audio-Animatronics, computer animation, and some amazing special effects, the show starts off with Flik, star of the Disney/Pixar hit "A Bug's Life", who appears from the ceiling. He gives the title, "Honourary Bugs", to all guests, instructs them to put on their bug eyes (3-D glasses), and then starts the show. As the 3-D film begins, guests are introduced to many interesting bug acts starring such notable insects as the black widow spider, dung beetles, and the stink bug. After a few acts, an Audio-Animatronic Hopper (also from A Bug's Life) bursts into the theatre. He is angry that Flik has made the guests "honourary bugs" because of the way humans have tortured his kind. To pay us back, he decides to use some of our own tactics, including a giant fly swatter, insect spray, and a few other surprises that are truly buggy. In the end, Flik finally straightens everything out, just in time for one more startling special effect that will leave you on the edge of your seat, literally!
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