8. Dragons in the Kingdom
In the early days of it’s existence, Disney’s Animal Kingdom was originally supposed to feature three main areas. These locations would pay homage to the existing animals of today, prehistoric animals of yesterday, and animals of the imagination. This third area would have been known as Beastly Kingdom, and it would have been home to attractions featuring creatures such as unicorns, sea monsters, and characters from fairytales and mythology. Beastly Kingdom’s attractions would have been a fairytale boat ride, a hedge maze to a unicorn’s dwelling, and a garden tribute to Fantasia. The biggest character of the Beastly Kingdom, as well as the mascot of the area, was to be a greedy dragon who lived in a fast-paced dark ride called Dragon’s Tower. The Dragon was meant to be an antagonist to the beautiful Unicorn, and his presence would have been noticed in other areas of the park. Unfortunately, the Beastly Kingdom would never come to be, but traces of it still linger today. A dragon’s head can be found on the Animal Kingdom entrance, and both the dragon and unicorn’s image can be found in the parking lot sections outside the theme park. The artwork and concept drawings for Beastly Kingdom can still be seen floating around the net, and they are definitely worth a view. Too bad this dragon had to be slain too soon.
