Tree of Life Closed Until Further Notice Due to Structural Problems

[Kimi313]

Well it IS infested with bugs.

Termites....

 

[EMHDad]

Anyone willing to give their expert guesstimate opinion of when it could be up and running?

 

[LuckyMouse]

Oh no, we leave tonight for our first trip and will be in the parks on Wednesday.

The other closures weren't a big deal cause my little guy is too short but he loves bugs and I was looking forward to that!

 

[chartle]

Anyone willing to give their expert guesstimate opinion of when it could be up and running?

Well it could be anything from a branch fell no big deal to we need to inspect every piece of it which would require a big crane.

I would say its going to take them a little time just to figure out what happened and how to fix it.

But as I posted as long as its just an issue of maybe falling branches, I could imagine them building a temporary cover to get you into Bug and just keep you away from the tree.

Oh and I'm not an expert nor do I play one on TV.

 

[Robo]

my little guy is too short but he loves bugs and I was looking forward to that!

It might be a mixed blessing.

ITtBaB is generally NOT appreciated by young children.

When the attraction is back up, I suggest that a parent may want to see the show first,
before taking a young child to experience it.

It is very intense (and extremely LOUD) in several places.
It can be overwhelming for many guests.

 

[mousermerf]

Linky has been updated with FAQs from Mousey.

 

[Annadesu]

^ A 5 pound branch doesn't seem TOO bad. Hopefully it was just a fluke, and there's no greater/wider damage to the tree. And again, I'm glad it landed somewhere that was person-free.

 

[Lees3rwe]

Shoot...

I really hope it is repaired soon.

 

[familyfirsttimer]

It might be a mixed blessing.

ITtBaB is generally NOT appreciated by young children.

When the attraction is back up, I suggest that a parent may want to see the show first,
before taking a young child to experience it.

It is very intense (and extremely LOUD) in several places.
It can be overwhelming for many guests.

When we were there last week, it was amazing how many crying out loud kids there were after the "attack" scene.
I agree a younger child might to be prepared for the dark and the effects.

 

[cherbear]

I would imagine that while working on the tree it would cause some reverberations inside the tree, which is where It's Tough to Be a Bug! is housed, so I doubt they will be able to be able to open ITTBAB until it is fixed. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer. I hope I am wrong!

 

[CentralFloridian99]

Thankfully nobody was hurt. OK so lets see, we have BTMR, TT, and now ITTBAB closed. We're waiting for a DHS attraction now (please be Backlot Tour!).

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The official notice:

Some experiences in the immediate vicinity of the Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park are currently closed while we inspect the tree and complete any necessary maintenance.

Reactive FAQ's:

Q. I heard one of the branches from the Tree of Life fell. Is this why the area is closed to Guests?
Yes, a small branch (weighing approximately five pounds) fell to the ground, away from Guests and Cast. In an abundance of caution, we are closing some experiences in the immediate vicinity of the Tree of Life as we further inspect it and complete any necessary maintenance.

Q. What caused the branch to fall? Was it weather related?
We are still reviewing the situation.

Q. What exactly will be closed while we inspect The Tree of Life?
The trails around the Tree of Life will be temporarily closed, as well as the "It's Tough to be a Bug" attraction and the Kid's Discovery Club location.

Q. When will the experiences around the Tree of Life reopen?
At this time we do not have a reopening date.

My thought is it was related to the heavy thunderstorms over the weekend.

 

[Mister Skellington]

What a bummer....we are taking first timers to the parks in June and its shaping up to be closed by the time we get there.
The Tree of Life made a huge impression our first trip....I sure hope they get to see it the way it is supposed to be seen.

 

[LaurenT]

My thinking is that it will be closed for awhile.
if one branch was able to come loose and fall, they may well decide that they need to reinforce every single bolt and strap on the entire structure.

 

[hollibo83]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing serious. I've been telling my Mom all about this show & she's excited to see it. Next Monday is our AK day, so hopefully they'll have it fixed by then.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It's probably too soon to go here but:

This is the second major part of the park with a structural problem (the other being the Yeti). Does this raise concerns for anyone else that Disney skimped when building this park, or there was some kind of competency problem with the Imagineers when this partk was designed?

Or, maybe it has to do specifically with settling in that part of the property. Is building on a swamp turning out not to be a good idea?

Edit: Now that I read the branch was only 5 lbs, I'm probably overreacting.

 

[mousermerf]

It's probably too soon to go here but:

This is the second major part of the park with a structural problem (the other being the Yeti). Does this raise concerns for anyone else that Disney skimped when building this park, or there was some kind of competency problem with the Imagineers when this partk was designed?

Or, maybe it has to do specifically with settling in that part of the property. Is building on a swamp turning out not to be a good idea?

Edit: Now that I read the branch was only 5 lbs, I'm probably overreacting.

Imagineering was severely scolded internally for their actions in building DAK. They made a trebuchet, for fun, and launched a company vehicle into the retention pond that's near the Nemo theater.

WDI was out of control at that point.

 

[chartle]

It's probably too soon to go here but:

This is the second major part of the park with a structural problem (the other being the Yeti). Does this raise concerns for anyone else that Disney skimped when building this park, or there was some kind of competency problem with the Imagineers when this partk was designed?

Or, maybe it has to do specifically with settling in that part of the property. Is building on a swamp turning out not to be a goo diea?

I'm thinking its more of a they the only ones to build stuff this large and this cutting edge.

No one else has ever built a sculpted 14-story (145-foot-tall [44 m]), 50-foot-wide (15 m) artificial tree or made a 20 foot tall moving Yeti.

Its kind of like the space program.

 

[mousermerf]

I'm thinking its more of a they the only ones to build stuff this large and this cutting edge.

No one else has ever built a sculpted 14-story (145-foot-tall [44 m]), 50-foot-wide (15 m) artificial tree or made a 20 foot tall moving Yeti.

Its kind of like the space program.

The Tree of Life is an oil rig. It's a pretty oil rig, but it is an oil rig.

 

[Okh]

Imagineering was severely scolded internally for their actions in building DAK. They made a trebuchet, for fun, and launched a company vehicle into the retention pond that's near the Nemo theater.

WDI was out of control at that point.

To be fair, that really does sound like a lot of fun.