Enchanted Tiki Room: A Tropical Getaway in the Magic Kingdom
Although Walt Disney World is best known for its elegant castle, thrilling rides, and splashy fireworks display, don’t let these magnificent things blind you to its many hidden gems!
Unsuspecting rides like the PeopleMover or certain snack shacks, like Orange Bird‘s Sunshine Tree Terrace, are packed with incredible Disney lore. Another attraction of folkloric scale is the Enchanted Tiki Room.
The origin of this tropical escape goes all the way back to the imaginative mind of Walt Disney himself. Let your own imagination take flight as you enter this enchanted place, and prepare yourself for a show like no other. . .
“Welcome to the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room!”
Walt’s Little Warbler
Walt loved taking holidays with his family, broadening his horizons, and gleaning inspiration from a wide array of new sources. Little did he suspect what inspiration would strike from stumbling upon a simple toy during his travels.
Some sources say it was in New Orleans, and another says it was in France. Regardless of the where of the matter, Walt found and bought a mechanical bird. Perched within the confines of a small, metal cage, the tiny, feathered robot would warble and move, just like a real bird.1 Meant to be an imaginary pet or fanciful trinket, Walt saw in it a world of possibilities. (Today you can see it in a museum!2)
He had his studio mechanics disassemble his souvenir to see how it worked, and the little bird became the basis for Disney’s future 3D animation, which was eventually dubbed “Audio-Animatronic.”
Audio-Animatronics would take center stage in attractions like Carousel of Progress, It’s a Small World, and the Hall of Presidents. However, the first Audio-Animatronic show was the Enchanted Tiki Room. The attraction opened at Disneyland in 1963 and was filled to the brim with singing, audio-animatronic birds.3
Hmm, I wonder where that idea came from? *winky face*
A Little Tiki Tea Room
While the connection between Walt’s vacation find and the Enchanted Tiki Room is pretty obvious now, it actually took him and his Imagineers a few tries before combining the two together.
Initially, Walt’s love for the burgeoning Audio-Animatronics and his idea for a Tiki room were completely separate. Believe it or not, the Enchanted Tiki Room was an idea without much fanfare – Walt told his Imagineers he wanted “a little tea room, a little Tiki tea room. Just a little thing for. . .sandwiches and tea and coffee.”4
Disney Legend John Hench started brainstorming and sketching plans for a tropical tea room. In his renderings, the café ceiling was dotted with hanging birdcages, complete with live feathered friends. After all, what could possibly – and probably literally – scream “tiki” more than a brightly colored parrot?
Walt liked where things were going but was concerned about the birds having “accidents.” You know, standard health code stuff. Hench thought for a moment, then said the birds could be stuffed. Oh, and maybe they could whistle!
Well, if that didn’t sound familiar!
Walt left, and when he returned to the office, he was armed with his little, mechanical bird.
As the Enchanted Tiki Room blossomed into a full show, Walt realized the dining aspect would no longer work. There wasn’t a health code problem anymore, but diners would stop eating to watch the show, then feel rushed to finish their food. So he made a bold decision: the Enchanted Tiki Room would be its own stand-alone attraction.
Walt got the Sherman Brothers to write a catchy tune (“The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room”), and it was their idea to have a parrot narrate the program. Walt loved this epiphany so much he told them to make it four parrots – with Spanish, French, German, and Irish accents.
The parrots were given their voices by a group of delightful voice actors – including Thurl Ravenscroft of Tony the Tiger fame. Now with warblings and witticisms to fill their animatronic beaks, it was finally time for Pierre, José, Fritz, and Michael to take flight.
The Enchanted Tiki Room: A Few Debuts
Crowds were enthralled by the four macaws and their flock of over 200 feathered friends – not to mention the crooning flowers and chanting tiki gods!
Part of the awe came from the sheer realism of the birds: Walt and the Imagineers were so meticulous that they added enriching details like moving chest plates so the birds would “breathe.”5 But, of course, there was also the pure whimsy of joke-telling macaws and cockatoos singing fun, little ditties. (You know, the kind that gets stuck in your head all day.)
Walt and his team had done it again – they had broken, or perhaps blended, the barrier between reality and fairy tale.
The Enchanted Tiki Room was such a success that the Polynesian-themed show was made an opening-day attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Sponsored by Dole (yay Dolewhip!), the attraction was initially known as the “Tropical Serenade” here in Orlando, but with the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room song. . .was there really any other choice but to call it the Enchanted Tiki Room?
In 1998, the Enchanted Tiki Room was placed under “New Management” and re-debuted with Aladdin’s Iago and Lion King’s Zazu leading the show. Now, as much as we love these feathered friends in their respective movies, it just wasn’t a true tiki-rific time without the original masters of ceremony. So, in 2011, Pierre, José, Fritz, and Michael took back their rightful perches.6
The Enchanted Tiki Room Today
Today the Enchanted Tiki Room is an attraction that remains beloved by die-hard Disney fans. Not only does it have direct ties to Walt himself, but it’s also just so darn fun!
If you find yourself in Adventureland, we definitely recommend you stop by this tropical extravaganza! We think it’s awesome for kiddos and kids-at-heart alike. (Though, we should note, there is a brief, simulated tropical thunderstorm that might make the kiddos jump. Even I get surprised by the thunder sometimes!) When you come to visit the Enchanted Tiki Room, you’ll be treated to some pre-show entertainment thanks to Claude and Clyde, a pair of comedic orange and green toucans.7
Once you’re inside, find a seat in the circular, air-conditioned theatre. When the Disney cast member wakes José from his siesta, it’s time for the magic to begin! Slowly but surely, each bird comes to life, and then in no time at all, everyone’s chirping along to the Sherman Brothers‘ classic tiki tune! (Feel free to sing along!)
The songs throughout the show, such as the 1930s hit “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing,” will flood every heart with a bit of wistful nostalgia for a time gone by. However, for a fantastic fifteen minutes, you are in a different time and place!
You’re in a Polynesian paradise where birds are magically sentient, flowers can sing, and tiki gods keep time. Here, in this enchanted space, it feels like maybe, just maybe, Walt could take a seat next to you, his laughter mingling with your own as Pierre, José, Fritz, and Michael banter back and forth about their bird-brained schemes. . .
Which parrot is your favorite tiki showtime host? Let us know in the comments below!
Cover Image
Photo: Danny Thompson via Flickr
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Additional Resources in Print
Watts, Steven. The Magic Kingdom : Walt Disney and the American Way of Life. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri, 2001.
