What I Wish I Knew Before Making Fun of This Disney World Attraction That Suddenly Disappeared

Disney World is changing!

With all the changes going on around all four parks, attractions and rides are starting to disappear as new projects are on the horizon. While we have been given fair warning about the closures of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America, Muppets Courtyard, and DinoLand, U.S.A., one Animal Kingdom attraction was so short-lived, and its exit from the park was so sudden. 

The Discovery River Amphitheater, located near Expedition Everest, is now pretty much just open seating for parkgoers, but it actually used to be home to two entertainment offerings. Rivers of Light debuted in 2019 and closed just about a year later in 2020. 

When the parks re-opened after closing for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney World eagerly started to prepare for its 50th anniversary celebration. The celebration officially started on October 1st, 2021, and included special merchandise, a castle makeover, new character outfits, specialty food offerings, and new entertainment.

While it was no surprise that both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom got new nighttime spectaculars, it was exciting to hear that Animal Kingdom’s Discovery River Amphitheater would soon be home to another attraction once again!

The new daytime show was called Disney KiteTails, and unfortunately, it was doomed from the start, which caused a lot of people, including us, to make fun of the show. 

For some background context, KitTails featured very elaborate kites. There were two versions of the show, including The Lion King and The Jungle Book, and the shows had character kites from the films. The kites were pulled by watercraft across Discovery River. The show also featured upbeat music and puppets near the crowd.

Sadly, KiteTails became a must-see show for people not because the show itself was good but because people wanted to see the kites crash. Yes, the elaborate character kites would get stuck in the trees and even fall onto the bleachers of the amphitheater. People went to the show in the hopes that they would get to experience a flop in person. 

When the show first debuted, it was a scheduled show that ran at six specific times during the day. But, by May of 2022, the show transitioned into a “walk by” attraction that only featured the kites, with the in-theater performers removed. With this change, Disney said that they were “shifting the focus of the show so guests will be able to experience ‘Disney KiteTails’ from anywhere around the Discovery River Lagoon, with shorter and more frequent performances throughout the day. 

The new “walk-by” version of the show lasted until September of 2022, as it officially performed one last time on September 27th, less than one year after it started. For context, Disney World’s 50th anniversary ran until March of 2023, so we expected the show to at least last until then.

Somehow, this show still has a fanbase; hey, we are even talking about it now! Now, looking back, we wish we had not been too harsh about the show’s mishaps, as Disney has yet to add a new entertainment offering to the Discovery River Amphitheater. 

Yes, the show did have its problems, but now we wish it could come back in a new way, although it seems unlikely as Disney has recently removed the docks that were used in the show. We just want a new show in this abandoned space! 

But it seems that Disney’s removal of the show was in response to criticism as fans also criticized Harmonious (which was later replaced with Luminous) and Enchantment (Happily Ever After was eventually brought back.) The moral of the story is to be careful what you wish for because now, over two years later, Animal Kingdom does not have a new show at the amphitheater!

We will keep an eye out for any news regarding new entertainment at Animal Kingdom, as well as all the latest Disney and theme park news, so make sure to keep following along with us here at AllEars!

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Did you ever get to see KiteTails? Let us know in the comments!

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