While the story of Discovery Island and the Tree of Life may be that the Tree naturally grew in this place, the animal forms emerging organically from its bark, the reality is even more spectacular. The 14-story park icon is an engineering marvel and one of the largest works of sculpture ever created.
Imagineering Senior Show Production Designer and Chief Sculptor Zsolt Hormay assembled a team of artists who worked for nearly a year to create the hundreds of animals seen on and around the Tree. Views of the Tree and their work can be had from locations all around Discovery Island and neighboring bridges and paths, but some of the best sights are in one of the least visited spots: The Tree of Life Garden.
The Garden is actually a pair of paths. One leads from near the entrance to the queue for "It's Tough to be a Bug" and snakes back toward the temporary tattoo stand near Pizzafari. The other runs along the back side of the Tree, from Creature Comforts to Beastly Bazaar. These paths provide dramatic views of the Tree of Life, surprising encounters with unique animals, and a chance to really appreciate some of the spectacular animal sculptures created by the Imagineering artists:
Take your time and look closely. In some views, one animal clearly stands out, but deeper inspection reveals other creatures subtly woven into the folds of the Tree.
Nearly every variety of animal life is represented here: mammals, birds, insects, sea creatures:
The queue area for "It's Tough to be a Bug" takes Guests down into the root system of the Tree, giving the impression of shrinking to the size of an ant. Along the way, we discover bugs depicted in the bark. At one point, the path of the queue even takes us under the Tree. Here we find one of the coolest discoveries of all... extinct animals. Dinosaurs...
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