After months of planning and construction, Disney KiteTails has finally premiered at Discovery River Amphitheater in Disney’s Animal Kingdom! The show has two versions, one featuring characters from “The Jungle Book”, and another which includes characters from “The Lion King.” During this preview, we would see “The Jungle Book” being performed.

As we entered, we were told that the center entrance of the amphitheater is reserved for Club 33 members and the main entrance is to the left as you enter near DinoLand U.S.A. by Theater in the Wild.

We were let in 15 minutes ahead of an 11 AM showtime, though we were allowed to queue up a half hour before that outside the theater.

Be sure to get there early, as the pre-show is part of the fun, and at 20 minutes in length it is twice as long as the actual show.

As guests start to take their seats, a team of performers get into position on jet skis and boats, heading to their starting points.

With an arrangement of “Kiss the Girl” playing, kites themed to Sebastian and Flounder from The Little Mermaid are flown in front of the crowd.

During the Finding Nemo pre-show, windcatchers of Crush and Squirt encourage guests to join in the performance.

During this portion, the balloon portions of larger kites begin to be inflated.

Kids are handed turtle windcatchers of their own to wave as they march through the crowd.

Just before the show begins, a live jam band floats on a pontoon boat through the amphitheater to get the crowd excited as the Mr. Ray kite flies.

And with narration about the magic in the wind, Disney KiteTails takes to the sky.

There are two versions of the show, one themed to The Jungle Book and another themed to The Lion King. (The pre-shows are the same for both productions.) Today, we’ll be looking at The Jungle Book version.

The show kicks off with performers carrying tree-themed windcatchers, which leads into “The Bare Necessities,” as a Baloo kite flies by chasing a kite with plenty of prickly pears!

Once they’re done, kites are grounded in a blocked-off section of the amphitheater (noted by the green scrim in front). At the show we attended, the Baloo kite missed its mark and accidentally landed on some Cast Members.

Next, “Colonel Haithi’s March” takes over as a team of elephant windcatchers march onto the staging area, while more elephant-themed kites fly overhead.

The finale features “I Wanna Be Like You,” starring monkey windcatchers and a King Louie kite!

Be sure to catch the full performance in the video below:

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