April is considered Earth Month, a celebration of environmental awareness and actions, and The Walt Disney Company, through its Disney Planet Possible initiative, will be honoring Earth Month 2023 in the parks and via its streaming media.
Walt Disney World
Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park will celebrate its 25th anniversary this Earth Day, April 22, and there will be a number of new ways for Guests to join in the celebration for both milestones, including new sweet and savory treats, specialty merchandise, limited-time character sightings, and a National Geographic photo spot at the entrance of the park in honor of the second season of Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Disney+.
Since it opened in 1998, Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment team has led the way in providing best-in-class animal care.
And since 1995, the Disney Conservation Fund has directed more than $120 million, and the expertise of Disney’s dedicated teams, to support organizations working with communities to save wildlife, inspire action, and protect the planet.
National Geographic
National Geographic will be exploring the Secrets of the Elephants with a four-part series from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-at-Large James Cameron.
Premiering Friday, April 21, on National Geographic, the series travels the world, from the savannas of Africa to the urban landscapes of Asia, to discover the strategic thinking, complex emotions and sophisticated language of elephants.
Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman and featuring renowned National Geographic Explorer and elephant expert Dr. Paula Kahumbu, the eries not only reveals the extraordinary lives of different families of elephants but also highlights how similar they are to us.
All episodes will also be available to stream Saturday, April 22, on Disney+ and Hulu.
The May issue of National Geographic’s flagship magazine, which will be published online and on the app at natgeo.com/elephants on Thursday, April 13, will also explore elephants, with a focus on the behavior and biology of the Asian elephant, including a look at how humans can better co-exist with these magnificent animals.
Elephants will also be the focus of the May issue of Nat Geo Kids magazine, along with a three-episode Overheard at National Geographic podcast series that will air beginning April 11, and a new National Geographic book, Secrets of the Elephants, a companion to the series, publishing on Tuesday, April 4.
And if you visit Disneyland Resort, check out the life-size elephant sculptures at Downtown Disney inspired by the new series.
Finally, to celebrate the beauty of these majestic creatures, National Geographic’s lifestyle collection is debuting its spring line themed to elephants and their surrounding habitats.
Coming soon to shopDisney and Disney Parks, the collection includes select apparel, a tote bag, a collector pin, and an elephant plush.
Plus, every National Geographic product purchase helps support the global nonprofit National Geographic Society in its work to protect and illuminate the world through exploration, research, and education.
The Disney+ “Earth Month” Collection
Throughout the month, Disney+ will highlight its vast catalog of conservation and nature-themed content through its “Earth Month” collection, which is available to enjoy on the service all year round.
In addition to Secrets of the Elephants, the “Earth Month” collection will add new titles this year including: Born in Africa, Botswana, India’s Lost Worlds, Path of the Panther, Secret Life of Predators, Super/Natural, and Wild Japan Snow Monkeys.
Avatar’s “Keep Our Oceans Amazing” Campaign
In celebration of the theatrical release of Avatar: The Way of Water, Disney and Avatar launched the global “Keep Our Oceans Amazing” campaign to raise awareness of the challenges facing oceans and marine life in support of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and its work to protect Earth’s oceans, its amazing animals, and their habitats, all connected to the beauty of Pandora.
Those interested can help Disney and Avatar “Keep Our Oceans Amazing” now through July 31, 2023, by creating their very own Avatar-inspired ocean creature at Avatar.com/KeepOurOceansAmazing.
For every creature created in the Virtual Pandoran Ocean, Disney will give $5 to TNC to help the organization achieve its goal of protecting 10% of the ocean by 2030.
How will you be celebrating Earth Month 2023? Let us know in the comments.