The Typography of Disney's Animal Kingdom Part 2: Asia
Asia at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on the eastern edge of the park was not ready by April 1998. This was all part of the plan. Creative lead Joe Rohde reminded us that the project budget was fleshed out as a series of successive capital allocations. “In order to get the money to build the park at all,” his team had to focus on the entry, center, Africa, and DinoLand, U.S.A., Rohde explains. “Everything else was added in fragments,” and the Asia expansion was finally authorized “out of the recognition that we were just going to need more ride capacity.”
Crossing the entry bridge from Discovery Island made of red brick and white stone pedestals, inspired by Nepalese temples, there is a large marquee above that spells ASIA in an Indian-like script typeface that can be read as English.
It was decided to push out most of Asia into 1999, but on opening day there were visual hints of what was to come, including a 1,250-seat outdoor theater called the Caravan Stage. The design of the ancient-walled space is a caravansary, where travellers gather there wagons to rest as a kind of ac hoc hostel. Here the entrance story graphic is elaborately embroidered in a Middle Eastern tapestry.
The Caravan Stage originally housed Flights of Wonder, an exotic trained bird performance common at many zoos. This story graphic banner is presented in-world as if this is an actual traveling show put on by locals.
I think Joe Rohde’s Imagineering team outdid themselves with Asia. The graphic design is even more elaborate than what’s found in Africa. Here ghost graphics, story graphics, and operational wayfinding are seamlessly blended together in a single environmental gestalt.
Anandapur
The Asia equivalent of Harambe in Africa is the fictional town of Anandapur, which means Place of All Delight in Sanskrit. Anandapur the town sits within the Kingdom of Anandapur, a fictional nation state “somewhat like India, somewhat like Nepal,” Joe Rohde says, yet “somewhat like Indonesia [and] Bhutan.”
In many places, Indian English is accompanied by Sanskrit script, which Joe Rohde says was a conscious choice. Though the designers “didn't continue with this because it was very, very difficult,” he told us the Imagineers “made almost all the original signage in old Sanskrit, which isn’t Hindi,” he reminds. “So that even a person from India reading a sign would have that sense of, ‘oh, that’s not where I’m from.’”
Snacks and beverages are available at Drinkwallah as sponsored by Coca-Cola. Note the fictional proprietor—Rohana Burhan. This is a common Imagineering backstory technique. The hand lettering is charming and the sign is realistically distressed and faded.
The Coca-Cola FROZEN DRINKS lettering is typical of the company’s branding, a concession that must often be made for Disney park sponsors. Yet the aging of the metal sign as well as the fitted pipe supports fit with the setting.
India’s version of the company’s classic red and white script logo is also hand-painted on one of the stone brick walls of Drinkwallah.
Inside Drinkwallah there is more signage based on those found in India as well as authentic glass Coke bottle props.
Regrettably, in one of Animal Kingdom’s few design snafus, the sign here for Mandala Gifts has been rendered in Ondine, an Arabesque calligraphy script designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1954 that would never have been used in India. Ondine is an exotic-looking font to Western eyes and is common at lesser zoos and amusement parks (along with any kind of ethnic restaurant you can think of, from Chinese and Middle Eastern to Thai and even Greek).
Again at the bottom is an authentic-looking Indian Coca-Cola sign.
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company is a real Tampa-based chain. Though its name and logo are reproduced inside this beverage stand, the company has also undergone a rebranding.
This rusted and weathered metal sign for the fictional Royal Anandapur Tea Company sits atop the roof. Produced and Distributed by Royal License connects the company with the backstory of the Kingdom of Anandapur.
Similar script treatments are used for other imaginary local firms. Anandapur Sheet Metal Company is embossed on the hood of this prop kitchen stove inside Drinkwallah.
There are countless fictional businesses and brands in this part of Animal Kingdom, perhaps even more so than in Harambe. Unless they advertise an actual eatery or shop, all would be considered ghost graphics meant to blend into the background.
Here the Disney Vacation Club, which sells timeshares, is branded as the Kshana Travel Company. Because this is a real venue, the sign is a story graphic and not a ghost one.
Similarly, at this spot there are animal keeper demonstrations. The real programming is given the backstory of being presented under the auspices of the Anandapur Travel and Tourism Bureau. The talks are done for the day, so the chalkboard is blank.
The first major attraction to open in Asia in March 1999 was the Maharajah Jungle Trek, a self-guided walking tour for the viewing of tigers and other animals. Guests are beckoned by a hand-painted story graphic in the shape of a wide arrow directing them to SEE Tigers Bats & Dragons with playful illustrations of each.
The attraction’s name is rendered in a script similar to the faux-Indian lettering at the entrance to Asia. The irregularity of the hand printing adds much verisimilitude to the sign.
The setting for this jungle trek is the Royal Forest of Anandapur, supposedly dating from the 16th century. The sanctuary is run by the fictional Royal Anandapur Wildlife and Forestry Authority. This narrative is spelled out explicitly in somewhat clumsily punctuated hand lettering on a story graphic near the entrance.
Gorgeously hand-painted signs and notices are scattered throughout this attraction. This is an embedded didactic, a story graphic conveying interpretative information about bats.
I would call this a ghost graphic. It doesn’t provide any actual information, so it’s not operational. The sign also does not identify the actual name of the attraction—Kali River Rapids—so it cannot be read at the story level either. The obsessive detailing of the Imagineers is evident in the locally accurate telephone number. The rust and sun fading is completely credible, making it look like this has been posted for decades.
Here, however, is an operational graphic at the rapids ride. Completely themed and in-story, it nevertheless points to the exit, and also notes you can Meet Your Party Here if not everyone disembarked at the same time or from the same raft.
Serka Zong
In 1999, Asia simply terminated near the exit to Kali River Rapids. Seven years later, the themed land was expanded and the Kingdom of Anandapur was extended into the Himalayas with the addition of the small fictional mountain hamlet of Serka Zong, which means Fortress of the Chasm.
This ghost graphic advertises a hotel coming soon, suggesting tourism is new to the area.
Another nearby sign reminds that Serka Zong has no accommodations (yet).
The Yak & Yeti was added to Anandapur with this expansion, hinting at what’s to come in Serka Zong. In addition to the restaurant’s signage, many story graphic faux wheatpaste posters advertise the establishment in both Anandapur and Serka Zong.
The Imagineering love of puns and wordplay is legendary, as in this ad for the Ye-Tea brand.
There is a tall massing of six snow-covered peaks in the distance behind Serka Zong representing the Himalayas. This sign describes all actual peaks except for the Forbidden Mountain, so it’s a mixture of story graphic and embedded didactic.
I would classify these two signs as ghost graphics. Neither business actually exists. This is just more of John Hench’s eyewash to add environmental detail.
Here are more examples of the bad graphic design on purpose found in Harambe. This is different than using the Ondine script for Mandala Gifts, which is obviously an amateur move. Here the exaggerated warping, type on a path, and and dimensional lettering directly implies that the locals who rendered the graphics are probably self-taught.
Gupta’s Gear is a climbing outfitter with countless backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, mats, rope, kerosine lanterns, and miscellaneous camping gear hanging from the rafters below a corrugated metal roofline. The store serves no actual retail purpose. According to the Imagineers’ backstory, the shop is closed while Gupta is up on the Forbidden Mountain.
The Shangri-La Trekkers Inn and Internet Cafe sits within the brick walls of the upper level. Another ghost graphic sign for a business which does not exist.
Next door is a lovely operational graphic that is bold and legible yet stays completely in-story. This could be a painted notice from a part of India where English is widely spoken.
Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain opened in the spring of 2006 as Animal Kingdom’s only roller coaster attraction. Its queue is filled with all kinds of graphics and ephemera which establish a sense of place and also provide backstory clues for the adventure which lies ahead.
The entrance sign is painted on part of a canvas tarp in English lettering with some Hindi flourishes.
Within this cluster of several buildings guests will learn everything they need to know about the Yeti and the Forbidden Mountain. The irregular lettering on the banner here is a nice touch. It really appears to have been rendered by some person off the street.
Here is perhaps the single best operational graphic I have ever seen at a Disney park. All of the lawyer-approved safety language is present. For consistency, the Imagineers used (or created) a digital font which appears handwritten. This is important—each individual character is identical, providing for maximum legibility. The human figure icons used are internationally recognized. Yet the sign is completely in-story and in-world. The rust patina alone is enough to place this graphic in the Disney parks hall of fame. Subtle perfection.
Lower on the same post the height graphic is repeated. But because it’s far larger, and also redundant, more distressing is permissible. This is almost a ghost graphic; easily ignored.
Inside, there is branding for the imaginary Himalayan Escapes–Tours and Expeditions, owned by Norbu and Bob, throughout. Notices are roughly hand-painted, addressing guests as if they are about to embark on a backpacking climb into the mountains.
Many signs indicate the reverence the locals have for the mysterious Yeti. The combination of typeface and hand lettering here, as well as Hindi and English, contributes to the verisimilitude of the space.
All are rendered by hand, or by custom typefaces which appear to be handwriting. One of the Imagineering details on display here is that the styles from one sign to another are mostly unique. This appears to be the same typeface used on the exterior operational graphic listing the safety guidelines for the roller coaster.
Though the Yeti is revered, it is also feared. The irregular letter spacing and kerning pairs, as well as the stroke widths, make this serif face a real treat.
One major section of the queue is Tashi’s Trek and Tongba Shop, a general store offering provisions for Norbu and Bob’s expedition tours. The sans serif appears to be based on Futura Display (1933) which was revived by letraset in 1976. As on many of these other story and ghost graphics, the Sanskrit calligraphy is luscious and entirely credible.
This menu is a story graphic rather than operational, because the refreshment stand is not real. This lettering was probably traced from a typeface by hand, because if you look carefully each individual character has subtle distinctions, but are consistent enough to have come from the same digital font. Menu and Thanks are set in a different script face.
The final interior space of the queue is a museum dedicated to the Yeti as an elusive, dangerous Himalayan species. The serif lettering here dates from the early 1900s.
The Imagineers often use what I call prop cages in their attraction queues. Cabinets are stuffed with objects. Flat frames like this one are filled with print ephemera. The only typeface that takes me out of the story is the use of Adobe’s Birch (1990) for Yeti Is Real!
This particular broadside, warning that the Yeti is real, can be found all over Serka Zong.
Norbu and Bob, however, warn guests that the content of the “Yeti Museum” (notice the scare quotes) is suspect. I like this notice because the handwriting appears to be authentic. When I’ve done this sort of graphic work before, I would write out all the text multiple times with a Sharpie marker, scan it all in, and then assemble the final block digitally, picking the best word or character(s) for each sentence. This might be the case here.
This operational graphic (GO THIS WAY arrow) is rendered on a souvenir postcard from Himalayan Escapes–Tours and Expeditions. This also appears to be traced over a typeface.
Many theme park attractions feature a digital photo taken on the ride which guests can purchase prints of after they disembark. Here an operational sign is dressed in-story. The top hand-lettered sans serif is combined with the same typeface found on other operational graphics for Expedition Everest and another bit of hand lettering for FOLLOW ME.
As always, guests exit through a gift shop. The lettering for Serka Zong here is a bit too cheeky, too Six Flags. But the dimensional slab serif is nice, and includes shading lines.
Walking back to Anandapur, there are metal wayfinding fins for other attractions. I particularly like the Kilimanjaro Safaris sign—despite the Copperplate Gothic—with the separate rusted arrow affixed with rusted bailing wire.
And of course, if guests wish to return to Africa, it’s fairly easy to find Harambe again.
Overall, the graphic design in Anandapur and Serka Zong in the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is some of the most successful and credible found in any theme park.
Continued in Part 3.