The Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Florida has limited opportunities to meet characters compared to other Disney parks in Orlando. But Animal Kingdom offers some unique opportunities to meet animal-themed characters that you can’t find anywhere else. Today, we’re answering the question – what characters can you meet at Animal Kingdom?
From the Lion King’s whacky baboon Rafiki and lovable Baloo to the Fab 5, Animal Kingdom gives you the chance to meet some exclusive and fun characters. Look out for your favorites at the entrance of the park where many of the characters tend to hang. And if your family wants to capture the memorable encounters on camera, don’t forget to sign up for Disney’s PhotoPass service so everyone can get in the photo.
This is our guide on Animal Kingdom characters. We’ve got a comprehensive list of locations and timings, FastPass+ eligibility, and other places you can find these characters. We’ll do our best to keep this guide updated, but remember that times and locations change with the season. Grab a Times Guide or check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit for exact times and locations so you don’t miss the chance to meet and greet characters that you can only find at Animal Kingdom.
Disney photographers are happy to click pictures of your family with your phone or camera. But don’t get too hung up on posing with the characters. Sometimes, informal interactions can end up being the most memorable ones. Animal Kingdom characters are happy to interact with your family when they’re out and about in the park, so keep your eyes peeled.
Characters you can only meet at Animal Kingdom for free
Some characters are exclusive to Animal Kingdom, meaning you can meet them here for free and nowhere else. They may be present at some paid events like character meals, but they don’t interact with guests in the other Disney parks for no additional cost. If one of these Animal Kingdom characters is your kids’ favorite, don’t miss the chance to find them at this park.
- Kevin, the giant bird from the Disney movie Up – Kevin is hard to miss – she is 12 feet tall and bright blue, and yes, she’s a girl! Although not a formal meet-and-greet, she loves to pose for photos with guests.
- Pocahontas, the only Disney princess based on a real person.
- Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck’s rich and miserly uncle.
- Launchpad McQuack, chauffeur and pilot to Scrooge McDuck from DuckTales.
- Russell, the high-strung but curious junior wilderness explorer from Up.
- Dug, the fun-loving golden retriever from Up.
- Rafiki, the wise and whacky baboon from The Lion King.
- Timon, the wisecracking meerkat from The Lion King.
Don’t forget to check the Times Guide to confirm the locations and times you can meet these exclusive characters at Animal Kingdom. You can also check out the My Disney Experience app for this information. And if the characters are on a break, please be patient – the Florida heat is not kind to people in costumes.
Animal Kingdom characters by location
If you’re in a specific part of the Animal Kingdom park and want to quickly check what characters you can meet there, here’s a quick overview of characters by location.
Oasis
Besides all-time favorites like Chip and Dale, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald Duck, the park entrance for Animal Kingdom also features a talking palm tree called Wes Palm who loves to strike up a conversation with guests entering the park.
Camp Minnie-Mickie
This Animal Kingdom land that is themed to the beautiful woodlands of North America offers meet-and-greet opportunities with Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit.
Discovery Island
You might run into Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore near the entrance of Dinoland USA. Atta and Flik sometimes hang around the entrance of It’s Tough to Be a Bug or Creature Comforts store. Across Pizzafari, look out for Lilo and Stitch.
Dinoland USA
Beloved dinosaurs, Carnie and Connie, can sometimes be found roaming around Dino-Rama. Also keep your eyes peeled for Chester and Hester, the elderly couple who owned a gas station where dinosaur bones were found in the 1940s.
Africa
Tamu Tamu Refreshments is where The Lion King characters like Baloo and King Louie often hang out.
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Stanley, the imaginative young boy from Playhouse Disney, and Rafiki, the eccentric shaman from The Lion King can be found here.
Character Landing
When you’re near the bridge between Dinoland USA and Discovery Island, look to the right and you’ll see a small sign and pathway that leads to Character Landing. Here, you can meet random and unusual Animal Kingdom characters, Terk, Miss Bunny, Thumper, and Jimmy Cricket are all known to make appearances. There’s usually a cast member standing at the entrance who can tell you which character is meeting with guests on any given day.
Alphabetical list of characters at Animal Kingdom
Baloo
Where: Discovery Island
When: 10 am to 4 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None
Chip and Dale
Where: Dinoland USA
When: 10 am to 3:30 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: Character meal at Garden Grill in Epcot, Campfire Sing-Along at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, Grand Avenue in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
DiVine
Where: Oasis
When: 10 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None. DiVine walks on stilts and is covered in foliage. This exclusive Animal Kingdom character greets guests on the pathway between Asia and Africa. She’s designed to blend with the park’s flora so you can miss her completely if she’s not moving!
Donald Duck
Where: Dinoland USA
When: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: All the Disney parks. Donald is also present at the character meals at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom.
Daisy Duck
Where: Dinoland USA
When: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: All the Disney parks. Daisy is also present at the character meals at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom.
Dug
Where: Wilderness Explorers Clubhouse on Discovery Island
When: 9 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Russell
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None.
Eeyore
Where: Discovery Island
When: 10 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: Camp Minnie-Mickie in Animal Kingdom and other Disney parks.
Goofy
Where: Dinoland USA
When: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Pluto
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: All the Disney parks. Goofy and Pluto are also present at Tusker House character meals in Animal Kingdom.
Kevin
Where: Discovery Island
When: 10 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None.
Koda
Where: Discovery Island
When: 10 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None. Koda, the young and playful bear cub from the animated Disney film Brother Bear, makes occasional appearances at Animal Kingdom
Meeko
Where: Discovery Island
When: 10 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None. Meeko is the sly and greedy pet raccoon and one of Pocahontas’ animal friends. He makes occasional appearances at Discovery Island in Animal Kingdom.
Launchpad McQuack
Where: Dinoland USA
When: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None
Mickey Mouse
Where: Discovery Island (Adventures Outpost)
When: All day
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: Yes
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: All the Disney parks. You can also meet Mickey at the Tusker House character meals in Animal Kingdom.
Minnie Mouse
Where: Discovery Island (Adventures Outpost)
When: All day
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: Yes
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: All the Disney parks. You can also meet Minnie Mouse at character meals in Tusker House at Animal Kingdom.
Piglet
Where: Discovery Island
When: 10 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: Camp Minnie-Mickie in Animal Kingdom and other Disney parks.
Pluto
Where: Dinoland USA
When: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Goofy
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: All the Disney parks, including character meals at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom.
Pocahontas
Where: Discovery Island (behind Tree of Life)
When: 9 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None – Pocahontas is exclusive to Animal Kingdom.
Rafiki
Where: Discovery Island (Character Landing)
When: 9 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Timon
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None
Russell
Where: Wilderness Explorers Clubhouse on Discovery Island
When: 9 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Dug
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None.
Scrooge McDuck
Where: Dinoland USA
When: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: None
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None.
Timon
Where: Discovery Island (Character Landing)
When: 9 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Rafiki
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: None.
Winnie the Pooh
Where: Discovery Island
When: 10 am to 5 pm
Other Accompanying Characters: Piglet, Eeyore
FastPass+: No
Other Opportunities to Meet This Character: Camp Minnie-Mickie in Animal Kingdom and other Disney parks.
Character dining at Animal Kingdom
One of the ways to make your visit to Animal Kingdom fun and memorable is to sign up for a character dining experience. It’s so much more than just a meal! Tusker House, located in the Harambe Village in Africa features the Fab 5 – Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Daisy Duck, and Donald Duck – in safari gear. They are present throughout the day and will greet you at your table and pose for photos. And if you’re feeling wiped out after being on your feet for hours, they’ll get your energy right back up with a joyful dance around the dining room. In terms of food, Tusker House is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers delicious American favorites. The best thing is that it is a buffet so there’s something for everyone. If you’ve got fussy eaters in your family, you know that is godsent. And the opportunity to dance and sing with all-time favorite Disney characters is, of course, unparalleled. We think Tusker House at Animal Kingdom is one of the best character dining experiences in all the Disney parks in Orlando.
Other opportunities to see amazing Disney characters at Animal Kingdom
Located in Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Festival of the Lion King is a Broadway-style show bursting with puppetry, pageantry, and songs that celebrate the classic Disney movie The Lion King. The show lasts 30 minutes and features favorite characters like Simba, Rafiki, Timon, Baloo, and King Louie.
Finding Nemo – The Musical is a live puppet stage show based on the beloved movie of the same name. You can catch all your favorite undersea characters at the Theater in the Wild in Dinoland USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Dino Sue is one of the world’s largest and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex specimens that was discovered by explorer Sue Hendrickson in 1990 in South Dakota and named after her. The original is 65 million years old. But you can see an awe-inspiring reproduction in Dinoland USA at Animal Kingdom. The attraction is usually open from 7 am to 7 pm.
Characters at Animal Kingdom – the bottom line
Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is a unique park – one where your family can enjoy animal encounters that are unmatched anywhere in Central Florida. So, while the animals should certainly be the highlight of your visit to Animal Kingdom, character encounters can help to break the monotony and keep the fun happening. Animal Kingdom offers the opportunity to meet with some unique Disney characters that you can’t find in the other Disney parks. We hope our guide has helped you plan your day better so your family doesn’t miss the chance to meet a favorite character at Animal Kingdom.
Again, a caveat that character locations and timings vary seasonally, so be sure to check the official Times Guide or My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit. And keep that camera or phone handy to capture all the fun moments and big smiles on your family’s faces.