For those of us who cannot visit Disney parks due to the ongoing pandemic, National Geographic has the perfect cure in Magic Of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The documentary, which premieres on September 25 through Disney+, the 8-part documentary gives audiences an in-depth look at the lives of the various animals living in the parks.
Narrated by Josh Gad, MODAK moves through the main Theme Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and The Seas with Nemo & Friends at EPCOT. At each location, viewers are given the chance to spend time with several of the species inhabiting it and learn about the day-to-day activities and care provided by Disney's staff.
Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering's Portfolio Creative Executive, chatted with Screen Rant about why the design of the park is such a crucial element of the story. He was ed by one of the park's esteemed veterinarians, Dr. Dan Fredholm, who shared his insights on communing with his favorite creatures.
How did the documentary first come about? What choices had to be made and what discussions were had with National Geographic?
Joe Rohde: We've thought for a long time about trying to find a way to talk about what happens behind the scenes at Animal Kingdom - and we've never really quite been able to get something off the ground that said what we wanted to say until we had this opportunity to work with Nat Geo.
Part of it had to do with the level of access, the level of intimacy, the level with which we could get into the system to be able to [show] it isn't just a story about activity. It really is an emotional story about caring, not just care, and it just took a while to get to the point where we make it clear. This isn't just about actions; there's an emotional core to what happens behind the scenes that is just as potent as the emotional core to the stories that we're telling in front.
Speaking of behind the scenes, what is daily life with the animals of the Kingdom like for you, Dr. Dan?
Dan Fredholm: That's a great question. Honestly, the day-to-day is very different in a lot of ways. Obviously, the consistent thing is that we're providing animal health care every single day. But beyond that, I always say we plan, plan, plan and then be flexible. Because the animals always have a different idea of what's going to happen.
Some days, I can be doing a C-section on a naked mole rat, which fits right in the palm of my hand. And then either the very next day or even in the next hour, I might be going out to the barn to visit Mac, one of our African elephants. So, it's actually the variability and the unpredictability in some ways that attracts me to doing what I do.
How much freedom would you say you were given in front of the camera for the documentary, and how much of that access you mentioned was Nat Geo given?
Dan Fredholm: I can speak for in front of the camera, and it's a very short answer in that we did everything we normally do. Obviously, there was a difference in that now there were cameras around, but beyond that, everything that we did on the day-to-day basis was exactly what we would have been doing had those cameras not been there. So, maybe that's a little bit of a boring answer, but it really didn't change that much in of what we were doing.
Joe Rohde: I will say that when you start a project like this, there are things that filmmakers want to do and you have to say, "No, you can't do that, because the animals won't like that. Nope, you can't do that, because that will disturb the animals. Nope, you can't do that, because we told everybody else in the world that you can't do that."
So, you have to work around it. Just as we as designers have to work around these animals and their will and their desire and their nature, the filmmakers had to do the same thing. That is far more challenging than you might think, at first.
Speaking of you as a designer, you've been with Animal Kingdom since its conception. How would you say that you've evolved with it, or that you have helped shape what it's become today?
Joe Rohde: Well, everything at Animal Kingdom derives from a set of values that are themselves derived from the animals. You start with this idea that there's going to be live animals. So, what kind of world can they even be in? And that led us to a set of values, and those values are the intrinsic, unchangeable, untradable value of nature itself. You cannot violate this value, because the animals are only going to behave naturally.
The second is this idea of adventure as a psychological process of discovery, because things are going to happen every day that had never happened before. So, rather than physical adventure, it's psychological adventure. It's surprise; it's the unknown, because we are living the unknown every single day.
And the third thing is this personal call to action, because you cannot deal with, talk about or have these animals be present without engaging yourself in advocacy and action on their behalf. And that's not just here, that's all over the world. And it's not just us, it's the guests who we constantly en to be involved. That became the fundamental design parameter for everything in the park, regardless of what it is. And it sort of infuses the show as well.
The documentary is very much focused on the heartwarming and happy moments, the moments of success and joy, which I think is very important to show the audience. But how do you deal with the pressure of having to help these animals survive? And, as Joe said, not just on the day-to-day basis but on the larger scale?
Dan Fredholm: Sure, yeah. It's a great question, and we we obviously do a lot on a daily or minute-by-minute basis. And you do feel a profound sense of responsibility to make sure that every single animal is living their best life, and that they're the healthiest possible, and that their care and welfare is the epitome.
But the big thing that helps me is that I have a huge team of people who are there to all come together every single day, each other, and make sure that that happens. That's actually really the key to success, in my opinion.
If you guys had to spend a day with just one animal or one set of animals, who would it be? And what would you do?
Dan Fredholm: I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Willy, who is sitting next to me here. Willy is one of our aardvarks that lives over in Conservation Station, just next door to where our hospital is located. And, as you can see, he's an extremely handsome individual - I can't help but smile when I look at him. There are plenty of animals I could say this about, but I could just watch them all day. It's so interesting to watch what they do as they interact with each other and with the people that are taking care of them.
Joe Rohde: And I love rhinos. I just love them. But I think if I had to spend all day, I would probably spend all day with the gorillas, because more things would happen. Rhinos kind of graze, sit down, get up, graze over there. Gorillas have a super, super, super dynamic, really, really active social life. And they are one of my favorite animals. So, I think I'd have to pick the gorillas.
Watch Dr. Dan and animal keeper Nicole share their discoveries about Kenya the giraffe's hoof care below:
Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom will begin streaming through Disney+ on September 25.