Merry Menagerie: The Hidden Holiday Gem At Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

If you're a Disney fan, then odds are all you've been hearing from the parks lately is about the new Rise of the Resistance ride - which, believe me, is understandable. That thing looks AMAZEBALLS. Still, there's a new experience over at Animal Kingdom that's been flying under the radar, and it's pure Disney magic. I really think more folks should be talking about this, so here I am to fill the gap!

Hang on, first a quick shout-out to all the new holiday decorations at DAK, because I'm loving these owls!

 

The rooftops are lined with gorgeous animal cut-outs  - but again, I'm picking favorites:

OK, now on to the most magical part.

It's called The Merry Menagerie, and if all you've seen are a few photos, then I can understand why you'd be underwhelmed. Photos do NOT do this cast justice... so here come nearly five minutes of video that I guarantee will have you smiling and laughing right along with me:

I posted these to my Story on Friday, and I've been buried in sweet messages ever since. I love that these puppets and performers are making you all so happy! And to answer a FAQ: no, it's NOT weird to cry. Quite a few people who see them in person do, and honestly the only thing better than watching the puppets is watching people respond to them.

I know I said photos don't do them justice, but now that you've seen the Menagerie in action, here come a bunch anyway. :D

Surprisingly soft, since it looks like straw! And the head bobbles.

We were mostly there to see our friend Christie and her arctic fox, so I have the most photos and video of them. Here's the fox with his head on my leg:

The back story for the Menagerie is that the puppeteers are local artisans from Discovery Island, and they've made their own puppets to celebrate the season. I don't know if you can tell, but the fox is REALLY Christie's favorite:

Each puppeteer names their own puppets, btw, so be sure to ask! Christie's fox is Silver.

Christie tells us she comes home every day with new mystery bruises, but you'd never know it to watch her perform. I can't tell you how much I love seeing my friends do things they're passionate about. Gah. Does my heart so much good.

(I think the fox is distracted by the bird, lol.)

The big mama polar bear wasn't out this afternoon, but we got the two babies!

There are two sets of animals that alternate, and each set has different live musicians that come out to play with them. You might hear steel drums, guitar, or even the violin - and the animals will often interact or sway to the music.

The mama reindeer was an expert at gentle nose boops:

Fun Fact: did you know reindeer are the only deer that have females with antlers?

And her baby:

This kid is all of us:

MUST PET BOTH SIMULTANEOUSLY

One last look at everyone's favorite bobble-headed penguin:

The Merry Menagerie is only here for the holidays and will end January first, so go soon if you can!   I don't know if Disney will bring them back next year, so here's hoping we fans can show the puppets enough love that the execs will make them a yearly tradition.

And finally, for all of you plotting to make your own replica Menagerie puppets (it can't be just me, right?), check this out: Disney released a quick 2 minute video showing some of the puppets' construction!

I love seeing behind-the-scenes stuff like this.

And finally finally, if you're looking for a new phone background, here's that pretty Menagerie mural in two parts:

Disney is selling this art on souvenir popcorn buckets and travel mugs at DAK, though personally I don't think they do the art justice. I wish they sold it as prints, postcards, or even t-shirts.

Hope these made you smile right when you needed it most, my friends. How are you holding up this December? Are you taking time to breathe? If not, this is a perfect time to sit back, stretch, play your favorite song... and remember, somewhere out there is a bobble-headed penguin, making a grown woman cry. 

I find that helps.  

:D

 

***** 

My mom pointed out that some of the Menagerie animals reminded her of the work of Jim Shore, who does a lot of Disney resin figurines. She's totally right! I looked it up, and he has so many sweet little animal figures:

 Jim Shore Woodland Fox

 Jim Shore Polar Bear

 Jim Shore Reindeer

 I better stop there, but you get the idea - and there are lots more!