Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a 145-foot (44 m) artificial tree that has served as the icon of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World first opened at the park on April 22, 1998.

Inspired by the fictional tree of the same name, the Tree of Life features approximately 325 carvings of existing and extinct animal species on its trunk and surrounding roots.

Engineered from a refitted oil platform and based on the natural forms of baobob trees, the Tree of Life is located on Discovery Island, roughly in the center of the park. Its leaves are made out of kynar. At the structure's interior base is a 400-seat theater that hosts It's Tough to Be a Bug!, a 4-D film attraction based on A Bug's Life.

Backstory
When the park opened, the Imagineers wrote this fairy tale to explain the tree's origins:

''Once upon a time, no vegetation would grow on Discovery Island. There were no trees, no shrubs, no flowers, nothing. It was a barren piece of land. Then, one day, a tiny ant planted a seed and made a wish. He asked for a tree to grow -- a tree large enough to provide shelter for all the animals.''

''Magically, the ant's wish came true and a tree began to grow -- and it kept growing until there was room beneath its limbs for all the animals from A (ants) to Z (zebras). And as the tree continued to reach for the heavens, the images of all the animals that took shelter beneath its shade appeared on its trunk, roots, and branches.''

This original ant can be spotted through a knothole hidden along the paths around the tree.

Tree of Life Awakens
The Tree of Life Awakens is a series of projection mapping shows that debuted on May 27, 2016, as part of the park's new nighttime operating hours. A media preview of the show was presented on April 19, 2016. Four presentations are featured throughout the evening, which have been named on a soundtrack release: In addition to the four shows, the tree's animals will also occasionally stir from rest.
 * Journey: A playful deer and a watchful hawk.
 * Rendevous: A hummingbird and flowers.
 * Gift Giver: A red fox in a winter setting.
 * Disney Medley: Animal imagery inspired by Pocahontas, Bambi, Dinosaur, Tarzan, Finding Nemo, Avatar, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King.

Trivia

 * The Tree of Life is topped with more than 103,000 translucent, five-shades-of-green leaves that were individually placed and actually blow in the wind.
 * The carving of David Greybeard, the famous chimp studied by Jane Goodall, was added late in construction by her request, as she had asked if a Chimpanzee was featured on the Tree. Placed at the entrance to the It's Tough to Be a Bug! theater, a plaque accompanying the sculpture tells the chimp's story.
 * A baobab tree just like Rafiki's Tree in The Lion King the name was adopted for Rafiki's tree for usage on the Platinum DVD release's menus.
 * There is a Hidden Mickey on this tree.