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Swiss Family Treehouse
Adventureland Magic Kingdom |
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Swiss Family Treehouse -- Disney's 1960 live-action film "Swiss Family Robinson" may not be so popular today, but it's really worth a look -- especially before you bring your kids to this walk-through attraction. The make-believe tree beautifully recreates the home the shipwrecked family in the movie builds for themselves, right down to the organ in the "living room" and the skylight in the parents' bedroom. The story of the movie goes like this: A shipwrecked family of five salvages material from their downed ship, the Swallow, to create a home among the leaves of a huge old tree on a South Seas island. There are bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a library, all set up just like other 19th-century homes. Eventually, the family has to battle a band of pirates, and then they are rescued -- well, sort of. You have to see the movie!
At the top of the tree, you look out on to Adventureland below -- there's a view of the winding river and Jungle Cruise, giving the feeling of being in the middle of a tropical island.
You must be ambulatory to experience this attraction. It involves a lot of walking and climbing stairs -- 116 steps, to be exact! If you walk through without pausing too much, the entire walk-through should take about 15 minutes.
Your kids will enjoy this attraction much more if they've seen the movie upon which it is based: Swiss Family Robinson, which starred John Mills, Dorothy Maguire and James MacArthur, as well as some villainous pirates! There are no Disney Characters associated with the Swiss Family Treehouse. There are other "meet and greet" areas in Adventureland, however. Check your daily Times Guide for exact times and locations. Magic
Kingdom Characters At A Glance Aloha Isle, which features the popular pineapple refreshment Dole Whips, is located directly across from the Swiss Family Treehouse. There other dining spots in Adventureland if you're looking for more than a snack. Consult the Guide Map for locations and opening times. Magic
Kingdom Restaurants At A Glance Agrabah Bazaar is located diagonally from the Swiss Family Treehouse, with a variety of themed merchandise. Consult your Times Guide for the exact location. INTERESTING
FACTS The 60-foot-tall treehouse has been a favorite Adventureland attraction since the Magic Kingdom opening in October 1971. The tree's structural root system goes four stories into the ground (42 feet) below the tree. The moss
is real, but the more than 330,000 polyethylene leaves are not!
The tree itself is made from cement and steel. While the tree is meant to be a banyan tree, Disney has named it "Disneyodendron Eximus," which means approximately "an out of the ordinary Disney tree." If you have comments or tips to share with others about touring the Magic Kingdom, please email me. Thank you.
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As
you climb the steps of the Swiss Family Treehouse, you pass through the
various rooms, with explanatory placards that tell the story of the Robinsons.
You get close-up views of each of the rooms, which feature furnishings
from items salvaged from the wrecked vessel. There's a lantern, a log
book, ornate railings, and, standing prominently in the living room, the
ship's wheel from the Swallow. Ropes from the ship drive a water-wheel
system that dips buckets of water from the stream, carrying it to the
top of the tree. Books are open, the dinner table is set and the family
pipe organ plays happily -- in fact, there's a feeling that the Robinsons
could walk in at any moment.
