AK bird show -- preachy?

[cancilla]

I'm very interested in seeing the AK bird show. Unfortunately, my son was put off of such shows after seeing the bird show at the Los Angeles Zoo which ends with a little speech about how the birds are endangered and it's humanity's fault. This didn't bother me particularly (although it did end the show on a down, vaguely guilt-inducing note), but it really ruined the experience for my son.

With this in mind, can someone tell me a little about the attitude of the AK bird show? My son (seven years old) doesn't want to go if it will be "depressing".

Thanks!

--Dominick

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Nothing preachy or depressing about it. DH and I really enjoy the show and we are not "bird" people. Check out the Cast Member and the owl while waiting outside the theater prior to the show!

 

[MouseWorshipin]

Just the tiniest bit preachy. More along the lines of our-responsibility-to-the-animals than endangered species stuff. You cannot escape preachiness at AK. It is on the Safari Ride (evil poachers are the storyline), the Kali Ride (to a lesser extent - evil loggers) and I don't know if they're still hitting everyone who shops up for $1 (for the animals) or not, but will find out today.

As bird shows go, it is pretty good. I liked it a lot, but I like bird shows. Most of the people who have seen it with me don't care for it, but that's not a preachiness issue. The crane's name is pretty funny.

 

[always quiet]

We loved that show!! In fact, my 3 kids (aged 15 to 11) wanted to see it again the second time we were in AK so we did!! For it to of made such an impression on my kids, you KNOW it's not "preachy"!!

 

[KilleriMac17]

its not really preachy, most of it is that their birds are free to do what they want, they could fly away if they chose, and all the 'tricks' they do are natural(no parrots riding bikes,ect).

 

[dsnymomof4]

We also enjoy this show. There is certainly a lot of information included in the presentation about the birds, but on a positive note.

 

[bscs]

Great show. Also a little tip: your son is the perfect age for a child they will be picking for help on stage. Go early and sit up front they pick a child before the show starts. Good Luck. And even if he's not picked it will still be fun.

 

[kelleigh1]

During my first trip to WDW, we really only stopped at the bird show to take a break from the summer heat. I LOVED the show! I don't remember it being preachy. I just thought it was a great show and I've already told my husband that we have to go see it while we're there this month.

 

[kristenhh]

It was a little preachy -- but my husband hate preachy things and he still enjoyed it -- so it will probably be okay for your.

 

[PamNC]

Remember this is Disney, and even if they are sort of "preaching" they do it in a friendly Disney fashion. It's not depressing. In fact, they highlight the progress being made with endangered species and enviornmental efforts, rather than the depressing part. The message is a very important one!! The show is fabulous and they only show the birds doing natural things, not silly parlor tricks. You'll love it and so will your son. It's one of our favorite things.at AK.

PamNC

 

[GoofyDad869]

My son is really interested in birds, so we go every time we're in Animal Kingdom. It's not as preachy as some of the shows we've seen, more preachy than others. It doesn't make me feel like a crum-bum for being human, walking out at the end of the show. Plus, if the kids go up to the stage at the end of the show there's good one-on-one with the Cast Members and some of the birds (would they be considered "Cast Members" too?).

 

[PamNC]

and I don't mean it to be preachy. As a lover of nature and environment, I feel it my duty to say this. If nobody talked about the problems with our wildlife and environment, nothing would ever get done to make it better. I don't have kids, so I'm no authority on kids' enjoyment of attractions, BUT I would want my child to hear about it so he would grow up with a respect and love for nature. I say - PREACH ON!

However, I stand by my original post that this show is presented in a very positive light and the progress we're making is highlighted which is a good thing.

PamNC

 

[perdidobay]

This show, like alot of bird shows that are in zoos and animal parks around the country, follow a script that was developed by Steve Martin
http://www.naturalencounters.com/staff.html
Yes there is a short piece about taking care of the earth for all our animal freinds, but it is not done in a mean or preachy tone at all.
My DD works at a zoo and did shows with a short appeal to recycle ( sea lion show) ,and treating animals with respect- not killing harmless snakes, etc at her animal show.
These employess are acutally not Disney hired from what I understand from my DD.

 

[kidd_freeper]

Much of the Animal Kingdom park is mildly preachy.

Its really kind of hard to find any kind of wildlife-related entertainment nowadays that isn't preachy. I am like your son - I'd like to observe and appreciate the charateristics of the unique animals without being told what a horrible bunch of creatures we humans are.

The bird show is no more preachy than chasing after poachers in Africa or floating past burning logging camps in Asia. And the show is really very entertaining. So if your son can walk into the Animal Kingdom park and accept its inherently mild environmentalism, he will be ble to acept that same level of mild environmentalism of the bird show.

 

[jenrose66]

I will say that I did miss the first 5 minutes or so; so I'm not sure what they said at the beginning...

However, I didn't think it was preachy. It seemed more kind of funny with a lot of fun flying tricks.

It was light hearted and not the least bit depressing.

 

[cancilla]

I really appreciate all the information!

My son doesn't mind messages about conservation, etc. (in fact, his grandparents are rampant environmentalists), so long as the tone is friendly. It sounds like the show will be fine for him -- as opposed to a tour we recently had at a natural history museum in which we were told that ice-age creatures (wooly mammoths, sabretooth tigers, etc.) disappeared because people hunted them to extinction.

I'm also pleased to hear that all of the bird behaviors are natural ones. That is so cool!

Thanks again!

--Dominick

 

[goofy's friends]

The parrot that sings Yankee Doodle is the best!!!

 

[disnut8]

This is a show that we have to see every time at Animal Kingdom. I could probably quote the entire script by now. That being said, we are environmentalists and nature lovers. I thought I'd hate this show. But it's so gentle and doesn't do the typical "bird riding on a bicycle" thing. It's all about the natural ways birds do things. So yes, it does get a little preachy about how things are out in the wild.

They will give you statistics - like how people are still shooting birds of prey (which is illegal in this country). But it's so underhanded you might miss it. I think that's the biggest negative of the whole thing. And that's in the middle of the show.

Personally, I'd take your son because they will bring out the biggest positive aspect of everything. The American Bald Eagle. Hope (that's his/her name). After about 20 or so performances, I still get chills. It's such a great message to everyone and it never fails to get applause.

 

[markºoº]

Most zoo bird shows, including our local Milwaukee County Zoo "Birds of Prey" show are tied into the World Bird Sanctuary near St. Louis. They all follow the same general script and routine. The birds are actually owned by the World Bird Sanctuary and not the local zoo. But the local zoo uses their own employees to perform the show and thus I'm sure each tailors the show to their own desire. Our Milwaukee Zoo is pretty preachy about what we can do to help birds but doesn't get into the blame game.

I believe Disney also uses this same program as much of the script and bird performances EXACTLY match our local zoo's. They even have the rats running around the background before the show. Disney's is more elaborate with more birds, more tricks, and a great stage design. Disney's version was not as preachy as our local zoo's. My guess is that Disney would want to tone down that part of the show since Disney is more about entertainment while zoos are more about conservation.

BTW, I learned about how most local zoos contract with the World Bird Sanctuary when we happened to be at our local zoo (and in the birds of prey area) when one of the show birds broke loose and flew away last year. One of the zoo volunteers who works in this area informed me of how the deal works. The bird was captured after a week on the lam.

 

[outtonight]

I don't see these shows as being at all preachy - I think the "depressing" parts are necessary. It's simply a fact that a countless number of the problems with our environment today are thanks to the human race (an extraordinary amount of pollution, tearing down rainforests/natural habitats, the production of non-biodegradable materials, etc etc). So really, these shows are just trying to educate and let people know that only we can help turn things around. I think that's a pretty vital message and one every child should hear.

Besides, isn't that the point of Animal Kingdom? To remind us that this is planet belongs to so many creatures (not just us) and that our environment should be cherished and protected?