Merry Menagerie at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The Merry Menagerie is a group of performers with life-size, Artisan-sculpted puppets in the form of penguins, reindeer, polar bears, foxes, and more. A few performers have instruments and play music while the animal-like puppets mingle with the crowds.
You’ll find these puppeteers in the Discovery Island area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom during the Christmas holidays. They originally debuted in 2019 and returned in 2021. They’ve been present each holiday season since and return for the 2025 holiday season.
See Discovery Island come to life with artisan-sculpted puppets of arctic animals—like penguins, reindeer, foxes and polar bears.
Overall, the Merry Menagerie is a wonderful addition to the holiday season at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you’re visiting the park over the holidays, make sure to take a few moments to interact with some of the artists. You might be surprised at how life-like you find the puppets. Children often enjoy petting them as though they were real creatures.
For other holiday attractions, you might enjoy Frozen Holiday Surprise and the Jingle Cruise at Magic Kingdom. At Epcot, Glimmering Greenhouses on Living with the Land has the perfect holiday overlay. While you’re at Hollywood Studios, make sure to take in a performance of the Frozen Sing-Along’s holiday edition with Olaf and Sunset Seasons Greetings, a nightly projection show on the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Then, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you might take a moment to meet Mickey and Minnie in their holiday outfits at Adventurer’s Outpost. And don’t miss the Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition at nightfall.
Christmas at Disney World
Each year, we cover the Christmas season across Walt Disney World from the theme parks to the resorts. See our 2025 Guide to Christmas at Disney World for an overview of everything. To learn more about what takes place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, our most recent guide is a good place to start.
A Guide to the Holiday Festivities at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2025
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In the Comments
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