It’s not even Halloween yet, and still, the holidays are rapidly approaching at Walt Disney World Resort. While visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we saw that the Merry Menagerie-themed decorations have begun to appear in the park.

Merry Menagerie Décor

Island Mercantile

Holiday décor has arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with mostly rooftop additions and a few statues in the shrubbery around the shops in Discovery Island.

The decorations are themed to the Merry Menagerie, the park’s holiday offering featuring artistic animal puppets.

Lanterns atop the roof of Island Mercantile showcase various animals that are part of the menagerie.

By one of the store’s entrances, this crane statue looks ready to take wing.

Heading past the crane statue, the other entrance to Island Mercantile has added some feathered friends and lanterns to its roof.

Here, an owl statue spreads its wings while standing in its nest.

Across the awning here are more animal lanterns.

The lanterns continue around the corner.

Two more crane statues have also been installed just to the right of the entrance.

Both crane statues look as though they are ready to take flight.

Riverside Depot

At Riverside Depot, two rows of lanterns have been added to part of its roof, just across from Island Mercantile.

Each lantern is intricately painted, with the roster including reindeer, doves, owls, foxes, and squirrels.

Each lantern is rendered in a wintery color scheme of white, blue, pink,

The tower is mostly bare for now, save for the pair of snuggling owls above the entrance here.

The owls have their own little spot to cuddle up this holiday season.

Over to the right, lanterns of the animals featured in the Merry Menagerie are adorning the roof.

Discovery Trading Company

Discovery Trading Company has also received some new holiday décor.

Just above the entrance to the store, more animal lanterns have been placed.

Two doves are back in their rooftop nests just off to the left of the animal lanterns.

Around the corner, even more animal lanterns adorn the roof of Discovery Trading Company.

In the nearby shrubbery, two more crane statues have been installed. One is cleaning its feathers, while the other points its beak toward the sky.

Merry Menagerie will return to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the 2023 holiday season.

What do you think of the returning holiday décor? Are you excited to see the artistic animal puppets return? Let us know in the comments.

Watch our video of the Merry Menagerie from 2022:

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