Guide to Disney Animal Kingdom Characters to Meet and See

A visit to a Disney theme park should always include your favorite Disney characters. This list of Disney Animal Kingdom characters include meet and greets, unique and rare characters, as well as shows and performances that include your favorite characters at the Disney parks.

Meeting characters at Animal Kingdom is a great way to add Disney magic to your park day. We like to start our day with rides and then in the afternoon stop to see the characters.

Some of our favorite character meet and greets at Animal Kingdom are Scrooge, Moana, and Pocahontas. Guests can also do a traditional character meet and greet to see Mickey and Minnie in their Safari Gear or those wanting a character dining experience should consider making reservations at Tusker House Restaurant.

When planning a Disney World vacation most guests want to add character meet and greets to their itinerary. Walt Disney World resort has four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, they all have different characters to meet during your visit.

Read on for our complete guide with details on the characters at Animal Kingdom and how to meet them.

Disney Animal Kingdom Character Meet and Greets

Meet and Greets are when guests will wait in a line to meet their favorite characters. Guests can take pictures and have autographs signed. A Cast Member will usually take pictures if you ask.

The characters at Animal Kingdom are located throughout the park with the majority in DinoLand U.S.A. or the Discovery Island area of the park. Be sure to check the Walt Disney World app for the most up-to-date character times and meetings.

Typically each park has Mickey and Minnie to meet, but there are some characters you can only find at certain parks. There are characters at Animal Kingdom that are unique to the park and you will not see at other theme parks. One example is Kevin from UP!.

List of Characters to Meet at Disney Animal Kingdom

Not all of these characters are always available and this can change at any time. Always check the app for the days of your visit before you arrive at the park.

These are the list of characters currently on the Disney World list:

Chip
Daisy Duck
Dale
Donald Duck
Kevin
Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Moana

The list below is characters that may have previously had meet and greets at Animal Kingdom. They may be available during your visit but are not currently listed on the app. During special events other characters may be available to meet or see.

Rafiki & Timon
Moana
Kevin from Pixar’s UP
Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Pocahontas
Dug & Russell
King Louie
Scrooge McDuck, Sometimes Lauchpad is with him
Chip and Dale
Goofy
Pluto
Donald Duck
Daisy Duck
DiVine: a tree like creature that walks around and blends in with the landscape

Shows and Performances Featuring Characters at Animal Kingdom

There are shows and performances at Animal Kingdom that feature characters. This includes the Discovery River Cruise that features Pocahontas, Lion Kings characters, and Goofy and Pluto. Guests can wave and see the characters much like a parade.

Behind Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea in Asia is the best place to watch the river boats. It is quiet and has a sitting area.

There are also two main character themed shows at the park. The Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue….and Beyond! feature Disney characters. Shows are a great place to cool off and rest your feet during the hot afternoon hours.

Donald’s Dino-Bash was a character dance party/show in DinoLand USA. It no longer runs at the park.

Unique Animal Kingdom Characters

The characters from UP! are unique to Animal Kingdom. Guests may also find DiVine which is a “tree themed” character. Guests may find her blending in with the landscape as they explore the parks.

Details on Animal Kingdom Characters

Update: DinoLand USA is going through renovations and there are no longer character meet and greets at those locations.

Rafiki & Timon at Discovery Island, Character Landing

Rafiki & Timon welcome guests at the Character Landing area of Discovery Island. On our last visit Rafiki was meeting guests at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

It was a fun meet at great at Animal Kingdom but a bit out of the way for some guests. This new meet and greet is a unique character in a convenient location.

Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse at Discovery Island, Adventurers Outpost

Mickey and Minnie meet at Adventurers Outpost as you are headed to the Asia area of the park. Here guests can meet Mickey and Minnie in their Safari outfits.

Pocahontas at Discovery Island, Discovery Islands Trails West

Pocahontas sometimes has a meet and greet at Animal Kingdom. You will find her to the left of the Tree of Life as you enter the park and head back towards Africa.

Dug & Russell at Discovery Island, Dug and Russell’s Wilderness Explorers Club House

Dug & Russell are one of my absolute favorite to meet. They are so fun and engaging with the kids and we love to stop by to say hello when we visit Animal Kingdom.

Another fun thing to do at Animal Kingdom is based on Dug and Russell’s movie UP!. Guests can participate in the Wilderness Explorer program and earn badges as they explore the park. Learn more about How to Become a Wilderness Explorer.

Scrooge McDuck at DinoLand U.S.A., Scrooge’s Outpost

Guests can meet Donald’s money loving Uncle who has been introduced to a new audience with the new Ducktales. We think meeting Scrooge is a fun addition to Animal Kingdom.

Chip & Dale at DinoLand U.S.A., Upper Cretaceous Trail

Chip and Dale are always fun to meet and at DinoLand U.S.A. it is no different. They are fun and playful. We always have a blast meeting them no matter what park we are at.

Launchpad McQuack at DinoLand U.S.A., Aerial Adventure Base

Launchpad McQuack is one of our favorite characters from DuckTales! He is the comic relief and adds so much character to the show. He can be met near Restaurantosaurus.

Goofy at DinoLand U.S.A., at Slam-o-Saurus

Goofy is always fun to meet. He meets at DinoLand U.S.A at Animal Kingdom but you can also meet him at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

Pluto at DinoLand U.S.A., Near Chester and Hester’s

Pluto is also a fun meet and greet at Animal Kingdom. Pluto can be met at all four Disney parks and you can find him at Animal Kingdom near Chester and Hester’s area of DinoLand U.S.A.

Donald Duck at DinoLand U.S.A., at Celebration Welcome Center

There are a few other places at Walt Disney World to meet Donald Duck, like the Mexican pavilion at Epcot, but in DinoLand its a festive and fun meet and greet.

Moana at Discovery Island

Moana can be found at Discovery Island meeting guests.

Character Parades at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Due to the pandemic and social distancing, Disney announced character cavalcades at the parks. These are short parade floats, boats at Animal Kingdom, that run throughout the day.

At Animal Kingdom there are currently 3 that run daily. Times can be found on the Walt Disney World app. They include:

Discovery River Character Cruise: Pocahontas or Disney’s The Lion King Characters
Goofy and Pals Set Sail: Goofy, Chip & Dale
Mickey and Friends Flotilla: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto

Character Meals at Animal Kingdom

Tusker House at Animal Kingdom offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner character dining options with your favorite Disney characters. Characters can change but are typically Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Daisy Duck.

Character at Animal Kingdom can really enhance your visit to the park. We like to visit characters as we explore each area of the park and work it into our itinerary for the day. I highly recommend making reservations for this character experience.

Be sure to catch one of the character floats during your visit if there is a specific character you are hoping to see and check the My Disney Experience app for the most up-to-date character meeting information.