icle for an exciting expedition. African animals freely roam through acres of savanna, rivers, and rocky hills. Look out for giraffes, gazelles, elephants, and lions. But beware, you never know what could happen in the wilderness... (Tate 1). This greeting is just the beginning of the wild ride through the safari. Guests travel in a 32-person vehicle driven by cast members (Disney employees) through an African savanna featuring giraffes, gazelles, elephants and lions. The land is filled with native African plants and trees. In preparing the park, Imagineers spent weeks in Africa, taking notes and photographs of the savanna lands of Africa. The savanna where [the animals] roam was once drab [Florida] cow pasture, but every weed and rut has been meticulously contoured to resemble an African plain (Corliss 67). Walt Disney himself would be thoroughly pleased with this transformation. The TouristI briefly reproduce the setting of the Kilamanjaro Safari to place the reader inside the park. Now take a look at the tourists around you. Sometimes the tourist falls into a certain category, one particularly in the English sightseer. Youve seen them; pale skinned or sunburned from the glaring Florida sun, wearing belly packs, nylon soccer shorts, and black knee-high socks. He is carrying a seemingly expensive camera draped around his neck with a theme park map in hand. Sound familiar? How do the tourists see the Animal Kingdom, having never seen African animals up close nor met a native African? Of course this is awe-inspiring, to even the most frequent visitor. Oohs and ahhs invariably trickle out from the Safari vehicle while passing the sunning lions and the bathing elephants, and crowds gather around the friendly native African students. How is Disney fooling the tourist? The animals presumably look like they reside together in this large acreage of land, but once again the Disney illusion prevails. Moats built to antagoni...
