March of the ARTimals — Former Parade · History & Timeline

Former Parade · the memorial record

⚰ Permanently closed · Jun 1999operated 1 year · 1998–1999

Also known as March of the Animals.

This parade is gone, but its history stays documented — the full lifetime log is below.

Parade history

the lifetime record

✎ Add to the record

2001

Update2001#

Disney's Animal Kingdom went without any parade for two years after the closure, until Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade premiered in 2001.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1999

◆ Latest milestone

RefurbishmentJun 1999#

March of the ARTimals gave its final performance in June 1999, permanently ending Disney's Animal Kingdom's first parade.

Walt Dated World says the parade 'had its last performance in June of 1999', AllEars' Animal Kingdom archive lists it as 'Closed 6/99', and Attractions Magazine says it 'closed in June 1999'. No source we could open gives a specific day, so the date is held at month precision. A June 5, 1999 date is reportedly on wdwmagic.com, but that page returned HTTP 403 on repeated attempts and remains unverified.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
Update1999#

After the parade ended, some of its handmade ARTimal costume characters were used occasionally as walk-around entertainment in the Safari Village and Discovery Island area.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1998

NewApr 22, 1998#

March of the Animals debuted as Disney's Animal Kingdom's first parade, an intimate artist-themed procession along the streets of Safari Village, now Discovery Island.

Walt Dated World states the parade premiered when the park opened in 1998 and that Senior Show Producer Douglas May wanted it to feel 'very intimate'; AllEars' Animal Kingdom archive fixes Opening Day at April 22, 1998. The day-level date is a composite of those two sources rather than a directly stated premiere date.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
Changed1998#

Within months of its debut, the parade was renamed from March of the Animals to March of the ARTimals to emphasize that it was a fanciful procession.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
Update1998#

Swiss artist Rolf Knie designed the parade, which featured no Disney characters and no Disney music, using instead instrumentals of songs with animals in their titles.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
Update1998#

The costumes deliberately left the performers' faces visible, so that guests would read the characters as Safari Village residents dressed as animals rather than as animals themselves.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes

Questions & answers

When did March of the ARTimals open?

Per the documented record, March of the ARTimals at Animal Kingdom opened on Apr 22, 1998.

When did March of the ARTimals last close for refurbishment?

The most recent closure/refurbishment documented for March of the ARTimals is dated Jun 1999: March of the ARTimals gave its final performance in June 1999, permanently ending Disney's Animal Kingdom's first parade.

What changed recently on March of the ARTimals?

The latest documented change (documented 2001): Disney's Animal Kingdom went without any parade for two years after the closure, until Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade premiered in 2001.

How many changes are on record for March of the ARTimals?

7 documented changes, dating back to 1998 — the fan-kept parade changelog nobody else keeps.

Cite this page

Citing the record on a wiki or forum? Copy the reference below.