8 Facts & Secrets About The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is the impressive icon for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.  It is probably the least talked about of the park icons, but that doesn’t mean that it is any less impressive, as it is also the most unique of all four Disney World theme parks.  Here are eight facts and secrets that you may not know about the Tree of Life:

8 – It’s not as tall as you might think.

When we think about the park icons, we would expect heights to be around 180-199 feet tall based on height restriction guidelines.  The tree of life actually comes in at 145 feet tall.  It is 50 feet wide at the base of the tree, too.  It may not be as tall as the other park icons, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t impressive.  It is still a beautiful icon for the park and has tons of impressive features.  This icon took about eighteen months to build when it was originally conceived, so a lot of care when into its creation.

7 – “It’s Tough to Be a Bug”

There is a show inside of the trunk of the Tree of Life.  It is based on the Pixar movie, “A Bug’s Life” and has remained pretty constant since the attraction opened.  The show is a 3D show where you put on your bug eyes so you can become honorary bugs.  The show is actually a little scary and intense at times, but still a lot of fun.  It lasts about 8 minutes, and the walk to get to the show is a great way to get an up-close view of the impressive details of the Tree of Life.

6 – Don’t miss the walking path.

There is a path close to the Tree of Life where you can get an up close view of the tree without having to get in line for “It’s Tough to Be a Bug”.  It is a great way to stroll around and enjoy the beauty of the tree away from many of the crowds.  Most guests walk right past the path and don’t even notice it as they head right along to many other attractions the park offers.

5 – There are over 8,000 branches with over 102,000 leaves.

I dare you to try to count them all… just kidding!  There really are over 8,000 branches that hold the thousands and thousands of leaves!  Even cooler, the leaves are all man-made.  The leaves are each over a foot long and designed exclusively for the Tree of Life to make the tree look perfect each and every time that guests come to visit.

4 – Like a real tree, the Tree of Life sheds its leaves (sort of).

Well, maybe not exactly like a real tree, but the leaves on the Tree of Life were removed and upgraded to leaves that had LED lighting effects to prepare for the park to have more of a nighttime presence.  With 102,000 leaves to remove and get perfectly in place, this was definitely no small feat for the Imagineering team. However, the nighttime effects, including the Tree of Life Awakenings, are so amazing they have proven the work well worth it.

3 – Can you spot all 300 animals?

You will notice that animals are carved into the base of the tree.  What you may not realize is that there are around 300 animals carved into the tree! It is extremely impressive, and the level of detail is amazing.  You will definitely want to get an up-close view of the amazing detail and look for many of your favorite animals.

2 – If there is a hurricane, the Tree of Life will still be standing.

When the tree of life was built, it was built to withstand strong winds like would be encountered in a hurricane.  With the strong base and the extra care put into the construction, we feel confident that the tree will still stand if a hurricane comes through the area.  A few leaves may be lost, but the tree, in general would remain intact. The base of the tree and the branches have steel in the skeleton to help ensure that the beloved tree doesn’t budge.

1 – Touch the tree!

The impressive painting and work to create the Tree of Life make it look like tree bark.  If you touch the tree, you will get to feel a little different feel and know that it isn’t really bark.  The imagineers used the perfect blending of browns and greens to make the tree look like perfectly aged tree bark.  Everything about the details is spot on and is what makes the tree absolutely perfect.