Adventureland

Adventureland at Disneyland in 2010
Theme	Remote jungles of Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, the Caribbean Islands and the Middle East
Disneyland
Status	Operating
Opened	July 17, 1955 (Sunday)
Magic Kingdom
Status	Operating
Opened	October 1, 1971 (Friday)
Tokyo Disneyland
Status	Operating
Opened	April 15, 1983 (Friday)
Disneyland Paris
Status	Operating
Opened	April 12, 1992 (Sunday)
Hong Kong Disneyland
Status	Operating
Opened	September 12, 2005 (Monday)
Shanghai Disneyland Park
Status	Operating
Opened	June 16, 2016 (Thursday)

Adventureland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style theme parks run by the Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed to resemble the remote jungles in Africa, Asia, South America, Oceania and the Caribbean. "To create a land that would make this dream reality", said Walt Disney, "We pictured ourselves far from civilization, in the remote jungles of Asia and Africa."

Adventureland provides a 1950s view of exotic adventure, capitalizing on the post-war Tiki craze. Lush vegetation resembles jungles while elements of the "other" surround the visitor. Tribal performance masks, conga drums, non-American totem poles, exotic animal statues, and architecture of Pacific influence make for a confined area wherein industry and technology take a back seat to uncharted nature.^[1] Noted art historian David T. Doris explains Adventureland as, "a pastiche of imaginary colonial spaces, conflated within the green and foliate milieu of "the Jungle."^[2]

Disneyland

Disneyland's Adventureland was originally envisioned as True-Life Adventureland, and was to be based on Walt's famous award-winning nature documentaries on Africa and Asia. The land was originally supposed to have real animals from Africa to inhabit a jungle river, but after zoologists told Walt Disney the real animals would lie around or hide, the Imagineers built mechanical animals instead. Adventureland opened with the Jungle Cruise as its sole attraction, until the Swiss Family Treehouse was added in 1962. With the technology of audio animatronics Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room was added in 1963 nearby the land's entry bridge. Oceanic Arts also created the series of tribal masks that now line the entry bridge.^[3]

Jungle Cruise at Disneyland Kodak Tri-X 400 film

Indiana Jones Adventure opened in 1995 and gave the entire land a 1930s theme, which concurs with the setting created by the rustic boats of the Jungle Cruise and the voice character Albert Awol who plays big band music from the 1930s. In 1999, the Swiss Family Treehouse was transformed into Tarzan's Treehouse, when then became Adventureland Treehouse in 2023. In 2008, Adventureland presented the Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries event.

Restaurants and refreshments

Tropical Hideaway in Disneyland

• Bengal Barbecue
• Tiki Juice Bar
• Tropical Imports
• Captain Hook's Galley
• The Tropical Hideaway

Magic Kingdom

Adventureland at Magic Kingdom

The Adventureland at Walt Disney World is divided into two main sub-areas, one being the Arabian Village and the other one being Caribbean Plaza, which is home to Pirates of the Caribbean. The original Polynesian motif is still visible with the prominence of jungle surrounding the Swiss Family Treehouse and Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. The 1930s adventurer/explorer ambiance is noted with the background music heard over loud projecting speakers recently installed throughout Adventureland with a different vibe than that of Disneyland's, but with similar Big Band music and witty announcements. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin attraction was unique to this version of Adventureland before the opening of Tokyo DisneySea and Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris.

Tokyo Disneyland

Adventureland at Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland's Adventureland is a mish-mash of the various Adventureland interpretations. It features a unique ride - the Western River Railroad - and a Lilo & Stitch-themed version of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. It features a pair of sub-lands: The Typhoon Lagoon inspired Coral Landing near the Swiss Family Treehouse and another one based on New Orleans Square at Disneyland, which features Pirates of the Caribbean. World Bazaar's buildings fade into New Orleans.

Disneyland Park (Paris)

The European Adventureland is geographically switched with Frontierland, compared to the American parks. It contains more heavy Indian and Moroccan influences. It features four themed areas:

• The first, known as Adventureland Bazar, is a recreation of an oriental city from the 1001 Arabian Nights. While most people believe this reflects Agrabah from the movie Aladdin, this is a common mistake. The movie Aladdin was still in production when Euro Disney was designed. And the Imagineers working on Adventureland, did not work together with the people creating the movie. In 1993, the attraction Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin opened in this area and is the only feature of the land actually based on the movie. The concept of this city eventually reached overseas resorts.
• The second part of Adventureland has a more African appearance, and is mainly composed of shops and restaurants (like the Hakuna Matata Restaurant).
• A third themed area represents Asian mysterious jungles, themed to explorers and featuring the Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril roller coaster.
• The last part, and the biggest, is a Caribbean area, covering most of the surface of Adventureland. It features the ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Adventure Isle, a Tom Sawyer Island-like walkthrough spot, with some attractions like Swiss Family Treehouse or Captain Hook's Pirate Ship.

This Adventureland presented some construction problems, mainly due to the unsuitable local climate. Growing exotic jungles in a place where winters could be harsh was a tough task. This is also the reason why there is no Jungle Cruise ride, since most animatronics animals would have been exposed to this weather. However, abandoned ideas intended to build an adequate ride under a glass roof, but that never came true.

There is no Tiki Room attraction either, although the Explorers Club Restaurant (now Colonel Hathi's Outpost) features animatronics birds that used to sing.

Hong Kong Disneyland

Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland's Adventureland is the biggest among all Disney parks and features a large island area home to Tarzan's Treehouse, which is circled by the Jungle Cruise, not much like the Rivers of America in most Magic Kingdom–style parks' Adventureland area. It is also home to the "Festival of the Lion King" show.

In early May to August 2007, the land was converted into Pirateland, in conjunction with the release of the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

The outer edge of the land was under construction from early May to September 2008, adjacent to Festival of The Lion King. A temporary structure was built for Demon Jungle, an exclusive attraction for the 2008–2010 Halloween seasons, and transformed to The Revenge of the Headless Horseman for the 2011–2014 Halloween seasons; it is now home to introduced its all-new “Black Box” space" known as "The Pavilion", a flexible event venue. Unlike the other parks, there is still no Pirates of the Caribbean at this location yet.

On September 1, 2017, the area around the bridge that near the entrance of the theme land and in front of Tahitian Terence has surround by fences hiding the works starting recently for "Moana: A Homecoming Celebration" opening on 2018, as part of its multiyear expansion plan for the Park since November 22, 2016.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

Shanghai Disneyland Park

Shanghai Disneyland Park features an area similar to the "Adventurelands" found at other Disney parks, named Adventure Isle. Just like "Adventureland" at Disneyland Paris, "Adventure Isle" does not include a Jungle Cruise attraction, and instead features a ropes course called "Camp Discovery", a dinosaur-themed rapids attraction named "Roaring Rapids and Soaring Over the Horizon. This version is also different in the fact that it is on the right side of the main hub instead of being on the left.

The land's story focuses around a group called the League of Adventurers, who came upon the island after their airship was driven off course in the 1930s. Befriending the native Arbori tribe, they have been engaged in studying their culture and the island ever since.^[11] Each attraction is tied to a Guardian Animal in the Arbori mythology: Roaring Rapids is the realm of Q'aráq; a giant crocodilian Guardian of Water, Soaring Over the Horizon is located in a celestial temple to Q'otar; a condor spirit of the air, and Camp Discovery lies in the realm of Q'ai; the fanged cat guardian of the earth.

In popular culture

In the Epic Mickey series, Wasteland's version of Adventureland is Ventureland. Its main elements is the movie Peter Pan and the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

References