The Animation Experience at Conservation Station presenting Disney Park Pals

Located in Conversation Station at Rafiki's Planet Watch is the Animation Experience where guests are able to learn how to draw a variety of classic Disney animal characters. Along with drawing a Disney furry friend guests watch a short nature video, ranging from 2 to 3 minutes, on their real life animal counterpart and how their behavior in the wild or how Disney and zoos around the world are helping with their conservation! For the 50th Anniversary guests are invited to draw one of five Disney park pals, one for each theme park!

- Big Al: Big Al is from The Magic Kingdom opening day attraction, The Country Bear Jamboree. His educational video will be about the Florida Black Bear, and how Disney has helped conservation throughout the state of Florida.

- Figment: Figment originated in the classic Journey into Imagination. His educational video will be about the real life dragon, the Komodo dragon, and how this ordinary lizard has many cool traits such as ability to run at 12 MPH, near fatal saliva, and of course the concept of island gigantism.

- Gertie the Dinosaur: Gertie the Dinosaur calls Echo Lake her home and miraculously provides sweet frozen treats! Her educational video will be on the modern day dinosaurs, birds. The specific bird in question is the critically endangered California Condor. The video will focus on conservation efforts that Disney has partook in along with guests can do their part in saving the California Condor!

- The Yeti: The Yeti is from Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. Their educational video is on the Orangutan, which is one of the many animals that inspired the design of the Yeti. The video includes the threats to the Orangutan's natural environment and the steps guests can take to do their part in saving the Orangutan.

- Apep: Apep is from Indiana Jones and the Cursed Tomb at Disney's Inventus. This educational video is tied to the various constrictors that have invaded the Everglades, and how guests can do their part in fighting off this invasive species while preserving the beauty of the glades.

Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

We all know what's coming, and why this is here. The current Yeti is being taken out of the attraction and replaced with a new one. This new Yeti is made from lighter materials, and isn't your traditional animatronic. Instead the Yeti's arm is controlled via a series of overhead pulley systems that are able to mimic their arm swinging down at guests below, effectively making the Yeti a marionette. In addition to the arm movement this new figure will allow for the Yeti to open and close its mouth to roar at guests zooming by. Wind machines and strobe lights are still in use to add to the drama of the scene, and just in case. These changes with a new lightweight material and the overhead marionette system will help to avoid the issues that plagued the first instalment of the Yeti by spreading the areas that the Yeti needs to move around the mountain instead of just the base of the mountain.