Another day, another wild scene at Disney, and this time, it went straight up. In a now-viral TikTok posted by user @cassieeee.m, a guest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was filmed climbing the iconic Tree of Life, leaving fellow parkgoers stunned.
The video, captioned “What da flip? People climbing the tree of life today at Animal Kingdom,” also included on-screen text that read: “Ayo we just climbing any trees now?” The footage shows a man in a white shirt, shorts, and dark sunglasses appearing from behind one of the tree’s massive roots before climbing around the actual trunk of the towering park centerpiece.
At one point, the guest is pressed against the trunk, navigating dangerously close to a waterfall as he scales the steep rockwork. Nearby visitors can be heard reacting in real time, with one person exclaiming, “That’s a lifetime ban,” while another mentions calling Disney security. The guest’s identity has not been released, but let’s just say it’s not looking good for his Annual Pass status.
Climbing on any part of a Disney park structure, especially a park icon like the Tree of Life, is strictly off-limits and can easily lead to a permanent ban from all Disney properties.
Disney Guests Continue To Go Rogue
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time guests have gone off-script at the parks. Earlier this year, chaos erupted at Disneyland Park when a naked man climbed onto a structure at Tiana’s Palace restaurant, reportedly claiming to be Peter Pan while making disturbing threats. Cast Members were seen calmly redirecting guests and shielding families from the alarming scene.
And let’s not forget the It’s a Small World incident, where another guest jumped out of his boat, stripped to his underwear, fondled animatronics, and waded through the water before getting cuffed by Anaheim police.
Disney has not yet released an official statement on the Tree of Life climber, but judging by the online chatter, fans are in agreement: this kind of behavior is not the magic Walt had in mind.
Though the incident rattled many, it’s a stark reminder that even the Happiest Place on Earth isn’t immune to unexpected behavior in public spaces.