Adventures with Kevin on Discovery Island

Adventures with Kevin on Discovery Island: show at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Walt Disney World — showtimes, live status, and planning data on MouseHub.

The MouseHub take

Adventures with Kevin is a roaming character meet on Discovery Island at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Kevin is the tall, bright bird from Disney and Pixar's Up, and Disney puts her at thirteen feet, so she clears the crowd on a busy pathway. She walks the island with a Wilderness Explorer companion instead of standing at a backdrop, greeting people with cheerful caws as she goes. There is no line and nothing to tap into, because she comes to the walkway you are already on. The puppet work is the draw: she moves like a bird rather than like a costume, and small children take a while to decide whether she is real.

Disney posts her appearance times, so she fits into a loop of Discovery Island without costing much of the day. Families with young kids and anyone who loves the film tend to walk away happy. Guests who want a posed photo at a backdrop with a photographer will not find one here, since she keeps moving and the crowd moves with her. Her height and her volume also startle some toddlers at close range.

At a glance

Best for
Families with young kids, and anyone who loves Up, who would rather run into a character on the path than line up for one.
Skip if
You want a posed shot at a backdrop with a photographer, or you are walking a toddler who spooks at loud, oversized characters.
Ride type
Roaming character meet on foot, no line and no set spot
Intensity
Gentle. Nothing moves but Kevin, though thirteen feet of bird and a loud caw startle some toddlers at close range.

The good

  • Thirteen feet of bird is hard to miss
    Disney puts Kevin at thirteen feet tall, which is most of the appeal for adults. She reads over the heads of a crowded pathway, and the scale is what fans of the film come away talking about.
  • There is nothing to line up for
    She works the walkway rather than a meet-and-greet spot, so there is no line to join and nothing to tap into. Families run into her mid-stroll and stay for as long as she is in front of them.
  • The puppet holds up close
    The plumage and the movement read as a bird rather than a costume. Small children spend a while deciding whether they are looking at something alive.
  • Kids react to the caws
    Disney has her greeting guests with cheerful caws, and she is loud about it. The squawking is what pulls the biggest reaction out of younger children.
  • Her Wilderness Explorer does the talking
    Kevin travels with a Wilderness Explorer companion. That cast member takes the questions a bird cannot answer and keeps the group moving so more people get a turn.

The bad

  • You will not get a posed photo
    She keeps walking and the crowd walks with her, so pictures happen on the move. Guests expecting the setup of a standard character meet come away with blurry shots.
  • The circle around her gets thick
    A ring of adults closes in fast once she stops to greet someone. Shorter kids end up looking at backs unless a parent lifts them.
  • Posted times do not come with a posted spot
    Disney lists her appearance times but not where on the island she will be during them. Visitors describe waiting on one pathway while she works another.
  • Her size frightens some toddlers
    Thirteen feet of bird leaning in with a loud caw is too much for some small children, and parents say the tears arrive quickly.
  • The wait for her happens outdoors
    This plays out on open Discovery Island pathways with no indoor spot to hold. On a summer afternoon, hanging around for her is time spent in the heat.

Veteran tips

  • Pull the day's times before you plan around her
    Disney posts appearance times, and they shift by day and by season. Check the times on this page or the entertainment schedule in My Disney Experience before you build a morning on Discovery Island around her.
  • Follow the caws
    The noise carries further than the sightline on a crowded path. When you hear a squawk, walk toward it rather than guessing which way she is headed.
  • Shoot video instead of stills
    She does not stop, so still photos catch a blur or the back of someone's head. A short video holds the interaction and gives you frames to pull from later.
  • Ask about her babies back home
    Disney has Kevin protective of her babies near Paradise Falls, and her Wilderness Explorer companion can run with that. It gives a shy kid something to say beyond hello.
  • Give her room to walk
    She needs the width of the pathway and her companion needs to see ahead. Stepping back a few feet keeps her moving and gets you a cleaner view than crowding the front.
  • Let a nervous toddler watch from the edge
    The cast member steers her away from children who are clearly frightened, which only helps if you are not standing in the front row. Watch from the edge first and move in if your kid warms up.
  • Take the posed photo at Adventurers Outpost
    Mickey and Minnie hold a standard meet at Adventurers Outpost, on the same island, with a set spot and a photographer. Pair the two if someone in your party wants a picture they can frame.

MouseHub editorial, written from visitor reports and official Disney sources. Last reviewed .

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