A new report has confirmed that the Tangaroa Tree standing outside Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland Park will be completely rebuilt during an extended refurbishment of the attraction.
Tangaroa Tree Being Rebuilt
The Tangaroa Tree is an animatronic tree standing off to the side of the building that houses Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. The Tangaroa Tree was added in 1963 when the Enchanted Tiki Room first opened to guests, and the tree has never been removed since this time. The tree has a carved wooden face that used to move, similar to the other animatronic figures inside the attraction. The tree would tell guests stories and included a special effect of making the flowers on the tree branches bloom. The tree was originally voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft, who is also known for voicing Fritz in the Enchanted Tiki Room, one of the singing busts in the Haunted Mansion, and several Disney animated characters. Ravenscroft was honored as a Disney Legend in 1995.
The wooden sign next to the tree says:
Tangaroa took the form of a tree
(A tree that no one ever did see)
And so each spring the legends say
New life comes forth in wondrous way
Despite its iconic nature, the Tangaroa Tree has not functioned for several years. However, a new report has confirmed that during the upcoming refurbishment of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, the tree is expected to be dismantled and completely rebuilt. The tree has already been scanned at a high resolution, so Disney will be able to rebuild the tree as closely to the original as possible.
The rebuilding of the Tangaroa Tree is included as part of a multi-month refurbishment of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. The attraction is scheduled to close on April 28, 2025. No exact reopening date has been announced other than late summer.
Disneyland Park has recently been refurbishing several classic attractions in preparation for the Disneyland 70th anniversary celebrations. “it’s a small world” has closed for another lengthy refurbishment and is expected to reopen on July 17, which is also when the attraction will debut a new verse of the ride’s classic song as a tribute to the late Sherman Brothers. July 17 is also when Disneyland Park will debut the show “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” featuring the first Walt Disney animatronic figure.
While not confirmed, it is likely this refurbishment of another classic Disneyland attraction is related to making it look nice and fresh for the 70th anniversary. If you want to see more of our beloved singing birds, we have a video of the Disneyland attraction taken when it reopened in 2021:
Are you excited to see the Tangaroa Tree being refurbished? Let us know in the comments.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.