Earth Day is this weekend, and that means things are about to get exciting at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It also just so happens to be Animal Kingdom’s 25th Anniversary as a theme park, so it’s an extra celebratory occasion.

All month long, Animal Kingdom has been celebrating Earth Month, which has brought visitors new experiences and new snacks to grub on throughout the park. With Earth Day so close, it got us thinking… Who else could be in the parks to help celebrate?
In the past, rare character experiences have been offered in celebration of Earth Day. We already know of some all-new meet and greet experiences that will be available, but we’re curious to see if some old friends of ours will show up as well.

Disney announced that we can expect to spot some unique characters aboard the flotillas for the Discovery River Character Cruise. Usually, we can spot Mickey, Minnie, and Scrooge McDuck aboard these flotillas, but take a scroll through this post to get an idea of some of the characters that COULD show up to celebrate the planet this weekend, whether on the Character Cruise or elsewhere!

Moana
Okay, so we already know for a fact that Moana will be in Animal Kingdom this weekend, but we’re just so excited about it that we had to include her in the list.

You can meet Moana starting April 22nd, which is Earth Day! While we’ve seen Moana before at Magic Kingdom, this will be her FIRST time visiting Animal Kingdom, so it’s kind of a big deal.
Gypsy
In the past, we’ve spotted Gypsy from A Bug’s Life by the Tree of Life in Discovery Island.

We don’t know whether we’ll see Gypsy here, on the cruise, or at all this year, but you can always ask a Cast Member if they know if she’ll be around!
Koda and Kenai
Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear could also make an appearance.

In the past, we’ve spotted them by the Tree of Life and on the Character Cruise!
Hyenas from The Lion King
Just in case you’ve been dreaming of meeting a pack of hyenas, we’ve spotted the ones from The Lion King on the Character Cruise in the past. Below, you can see where we saw them in Magic Kingdom for the Boo to You parade.

Who knows, maybe this year you’ll get to hug a hyena in Animal Kingdom.

If you’re on the hunt for a specific character, just ask a Cast Member to point you in the right direction of where you can find them. If you’re looking for all the latest Disney news and updates, you’re in the right place. Here at AE, we post Disney news every single day so that our readers are never out of the loop. Oh, and click the link below for more ways you can celebrate Earth Month at Animal Kingdom.
Click here for more ways to celebrate Earth Month!
Have you ever met any of these characters in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
Trending Now
We keep running into this problem in EPCOT's France Pavilion!
This once classic attraction has sat abandoned for 25 years.
We're rounding up the best Stitch souvenirs you can snag on Amazon!
Heading to Disney World in August? Here's why you need to watch out and prepare...
Whatever you do, don't do THIS on the Disney World bus!
Grab some of our favorite water bottles ONLINE!
You need this Stanley collection from Amazon before your next Disney World trip!
Price increases are coming for Disney World in 2026.
We're about to spoil an effect on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!
New Loungefly bags just dropped online -- let's take a peek!
These are the new Disney Loungeflys that Disney Adults just can't stop buying!
Here are the 5 essentials you need to bring with you to The Wizarding World...
Six Flags has just announced that they're CLOSING on of their theme parks entirely this...
We have the official dates for Halloween Horror Nights!
Don't be caught by surprise -- here is everything that is closed in Disney World...
Let's talk about a couple of reasons why you should fly out of Disney World's...
There are some FUN new additions coming to Disney World, so let's talk about all...
Good news. There's a NEW Britney Spears X Loungefly collection online, and fans are gonna...
We got 6 Disney experts to agree that this was their favorite restaurant at Disney...
When you're deciding where to eat in Disney World, PLEASE avoid these tourist traps!