It's Fun to be a Bug

Ever since Walt's day, Disney Parks leaders and Imagineers have been listening to their guests to help determine what should be added to or changed in the theme parks. One of the early comments from guests at Disney California Adventure was they felt there wasn't as much for young children. The answer came in fall 2002 with the addition of a bug's land.

Inspired by the Pixar film a bug's life, a bug's land grew upon the foundation of original park attractions Bountiful Valley Farm (now gone, although you can revisit it at this link) and "It's Tough to be a Bug," a 3-D spectacular originally created for Disney's Animal Kingdom. In that park, the film is presented in the Tree of Life Theater, under the roots of the massive park icon. Here, guests enter the "back 40," a plot of farmland that hasn't been developed or plowed due to a dry wash that cuts through the property. As we continue along the dry wash, it becomes a canyon, and we find ourselves shrunk to bug-size proportions before entering an underground theater at the base of Ant Island.

The third and newest part of a bug's land is Flik's Fun Fair, a sort of bug carnival. An overturned box of Cowboy Crunchies cereal (a nod to Toy Story; notice Woody's hand holding the cereal spoon) serves as the entrance portal to the fair. This particular package of Cowboy Crunchies apparently came with an "instant win" opportunity to earn a trip to the fair. Not only are we winners, but we also get some fun cut-out-and-color stand up figures of favorite characters from a bug's life!

In Flik's Fun Fair, everything is oversize. Towering above us are 75 giant clovers (one of them even has four leaves). Along with natural landscaping of enormous proportions, they create a sense that we are truly seeing the world from a bug's perspective.

Throughout a bug's land, the Imagineers have cleverly designed even the most mundane of theme park staples in a way that makes them blend seamlessly into the story of Flik's Fun Fair. Here, restrooms are built into an overturned box of tissues (a new "sneezy-to-open" box no less!). The Kodak-sponsored Picture Spot (for Shutterbugs, of course) is identified by a sign that looks like a corner of envelope held up by a paperclip. See the postmark? The letter was sent from Anaheim.

In a bug's land, benches are made of used Popsicle sticks, area lighting is provided by fireflies and No. 2 pencils provide fence posts and ground lighting. A juice box turned on its side becomes a stand for selling drinks, and a giant box of churros is peeled open, so we can get to the yummy cinnamon treats inside.

Even The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, added nearby in 2004, works from this angle, as if we bugs were gazing up from the grounds of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

There's so much to see and appreciate in the design of a bug's land, you could easily spend an hour exploring here... and that doesn't include enjoying the rides. Shrink back with us tomorrow for a look at the attractions the bugs have set up for Flik's Fun Fair.

Sounds & Sights Along the Way

In the early years of Walt Disney World, that trip up World Drive to the Magic Kingdom offered little to see but trees and the occasional sign. Even the Auto Plaza was fairly nondescript. The fancy pink and purple Welcome statement that's there today only dates back to the 20th anniversary in 1991 (Interesting side fact: the arch across the top that holds the words "Magic Kingdom" was once part of the marquee for the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot).

Keeping Guests entertained and informed during the drive was a limited-range radio station (broadcast from a space inside Cinderella Castle that's now part of the Castle Suite). One of the first signs encountered on Disney property invited you to tune your AM dial to the station, where you could hear information on park hours, show times and special events, along with a selection of popular Disney tunes. Until it was discontinued in the mid-90s, the Walt Disney World radio station was a key element in creating that sense of "arrival."

While the '90s silenced the radio station, other forms of Disney promotion found their voice. With rare exception, Walt Disney World never used to directly advertise itself, opting instead to rely on word of mouth and the "free advertising" that resulted from regular press events. Today, those are still key to Disney's marketing strategy, but the company has also entered into television and outdoor advertising in a big way.

Billboards touting Disney Parks and attractions have become part of the landscape along Interstate 4, International Drive and other Central Florida roadways, but the most special examples are found within the borders of the actual resort. The entire entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios is a giant Streamline Moderne and film strip statement, promoting some of the newest and most popular elements of the park.

Nearby, a billboard for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror looms over World Drive, bringing the excitement of the attraction to life with animation and lighting effects. This particular billboard, one of the first to land on Disney property, has been in place for nearly fifteen years. It debuted shortly after the Tower of Terror's 1994 opening and has even been altered slightly over the years with the introduction of each variation to the attraction.

Elsewhere, dimensional billboards promote Disney Vacation Club, Mission: Space at Epcot (with glowing rocket flare) and "It's Tough to be a Bug" at Disney's Animal Kingdom (complete with a smoke effect emanating from the rear of stinkbug Claire de Room).

On-property advertising has certainly come a long way from that quaint little AM station, and it just goes to show that even when it comes to something as everyday as highway billboards, nobody does it quite like Disney.

Where in Disney's World - Friday's Answer

This was probably the trickiest challenge yet this week. For those who guessed the little farmhouse was from The Land at Epcot, it was a nice try. In actuality, it's part of this mural on the back of the theater for "It's Tough to be a Bug" at the Disney California Adventure park. The mural provides a nice backdrop for the Bountiful Valley Farm section of the park. In 2002, Dim and his banner were added with the opening of A Bug's Land nearby.

Check back next week for a closer look at this corner of California.

On to the Theater!

Hi-diddle-dee-dee, a bug's life for me!

During the conceptual phase for Disney's Animal Kingdom, several ideas were pitched for the space within the Tree of Life, including a restaurant and a show based on The Lion King. Once it was brought to the attention of the team that a film about bugs was in production at Pixar Animation Studios, everything suddenly came together. "It's Tough to be a Bug" became one of the few Disney Parks attractions to open ahead of the film from which it drew its inspiration (the first such attraction was actually Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, which opened a full four years before Sleeping Beauty appeared in theaters).

Guests find themselves "shrunk" as they proceed along the path and down into the roots of the Tree, on their way to becoming "honorary bugs." Outside the Tree of Life Repertory Theater, posters help promote some of the stars featured in the current production:

Just above the entrance, the termites have carved a marquee to advertise the show:

As the audience gathers in the lobby, steer clear of the occasional prop, such as this giant dung ball:

Each Guest is presented a pair of bug eyes, custom-made 3-D glasses designed just for this attraction (of course, one should not put on the glasses until safely seated in the theater, so please don't follow the lead of my wife and kids)...

The walls of the lobby are lined with tracks left by ants, termites and other previous visitors. Here too, while waiting for the voice of the "Theater Lady" to prep everyone for the show, the audience can also take time to enjoy posters promoting other past and future productions... each one a clever, insect-inspired twist on an actual Broadway show:

Sculpture Garden

While the story of Discovery Island and the Tree of Life may be that the Tree naturally grew in this place, the animal forms emerging organically from its bark, the reality is even more spectacular. The 14-story park icon is an engineering marvel and one of the largest works of sculpture ever created.

Imagineering Senior Show Production Designer and Chief Sculptor Zsolt Hormay assembled a team of artists who worked for nearly a year to create the hundreds of animals seen on and around the Tree. Views of the Tree and their work can be had from locations all around Discovery Island and neighboring bridges and paths, but some of the best sights are in one of the least visited spots: The Tree of Life Garden.

The Garden is actually a pair of paths. One leads from near the entrance to the queue for "It's Tough to be a Bug" and snakes back toward the temporary tattoo stand near Pizzafari. The other runs along the back side of the Tree, from Creature Comforts to Beastly Bazaar. These paths provide dramatic views of the Tree of Life, surprising encounters with unique animals, and a chance to really appreciate some of the spectacular animal sculptures created by the Imagineering artists:

Take your time and look closely. In some views, one animal clearly stands out, but deeper inspection reveals other creatures subtly woven into the folds of the Tree.

Nearly every variety of animal life is represented here: mammals, birds, insects, sea creatures:

The queue area for "It's Tough to be a Bug" takes Guests down into the root system of the Tree, giving the impression of shrinking to the size of an ant. Along the way, we discover bugs depicted in the bark. At one point, the path of the queue even takes us under the Tree. Here we find one of the coolest discoveries of all... extinct animals. Dinosaurs...

So the next time you visit Disney's Animal Kingdom, spend some time exploring the Tree of Life. The Tree and its Gardens may not be listed as attractions on the Guide Map, but they can be every bit as fascinating and enjoyable as a trip on Kilimanjaro Safaris or a jaunt down the Kali River.