Joe Rohde on the end of "Beastly Kingdom": why Pandora was the better idea

Few unbuilt Disney projects are mourned by fans quite like "Beastly Kingdom" – the land at Disney's Animal Kingdom that would have been devoted to mythical creatures in the spirit of "Fantasia." Now Imagineering legend Joe Rohde has explained in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly" (published August 20, 2026) why things turned out differently.

Animal Kingdom was originally built on three pillars: animals of the present (Africa and Asia), animals of the past (dinosaurs), and animals of the imagination. That third category was exactly what "Beastly Kingdom" was meant to deliver. According to Rohde, four separate design versions of the land were developed.

The project was shelved right around the moment the park concept was being pitched to then-CEO Michael Eisner. The scope was simply deemed too ambitious – there was no way to build everything at once. Camp Minnie-Mickey went into the park's southwest corner instead as a placeholder.

Looking back, Rohde considers the eventual arrival of Pandora in that spot (2017) the more fitting outcome. The Na'vi are imaginary creatures too, he points out – but they also carry an "eco-myth" with them. That engagement with environmental themes aligned far better with his team's vision than classic fantasy tropes like unicorns and dragons. For Pandora, Rohde worked closely with the late producer Jon Landau and director James Cameron.