Merry Menagerie to Return to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the 2024 Holiday Season

Merry Menagerie returns to Disney's Animal Kingdom for the 2024 holiday season

The Merry Menagerie will return to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the 2024 holiday season. This was a highlight in a string of announcements for the upcoming season. Other announcements for the holidays at Disney’s Animal Kingdom include a new Santa meet-and-greet on the patio of Restaurantosaurus and the return of Mickey and Minnie Mouse’s seasonal look at their Adventurer’s Outpost meet-and-greet.

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.

a puppeteer in the Merry Menagerie at Disney's Animal Kingdom

The Merry Menagerie is available intermittently throughout the day during the holiday season, which begins this year on November 12th. They roam Discovery Island and can be found anywhere between the entrance to the Oasis and the front of the Tree of Life. They are typically easy to see. Guests can walk right up and interact with them. Many guests (including ourselves) extend a hand to interact with them. You might be surprised at the lifelike effect they have on you if you’ve never had the opportunity to see them before. Here are a few photos.

We love the Merry Menagerie so much that we included it on our list of the Top 9 Things to do during Christmas at Walt Disney World in 2024. For more holiday news, you might enjoy the following:

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