DISNEY GOES WILD; NEW PARK OPENS TODAY.

Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer

The Walt Disney Co. opens its fourth Florida theme park today with more than 1,000 real animals roaming a former cow pasture near Orlando that has been transformed - with the help of $1 billion - into a re-creation of African jungles and forests.

Disney's Animal Kingdom is centered by a 14-story Tree of Life, which contains a 430-seat theater. Other major attractions include the Affection Section petting zoo, a Lion King festival at Camp Minnie-Mickey and Dinoland USA, with a Countdown to Extinction thrill ride with animatronic T-Rexes. A rain-forest whitewater ride will open next year.

``Nature is perhaps the greatest storyteller of all,'' proclaimed Disney Chairman Michael Eisner at dedication ceremonies Tuesday. ``From the smallest ant to the biggest bull elephant, the true-life stories of animals are fascinating and ever changing.''

Burbank-based Disney, one of the world's shrewdest marketers, scheduled the opening to take advantage of growing consumer interest in ecology-themed vacations. Tuesday's event honored Jane Goodall for her work with chimpanzees; today's opening ceremonies take place at the park's Conservation Station to coincide with Earth Day.

There's little doubt that flocks of human animals will show up initially despite the steep ticket price ($44.52 for adults for a one-day pass, $36.04 for children) and a notably quieter ambience than the typical hustle-bustle of other theme parks. But once the novelty dies down, the entertainment giant faces serious questions.

Some analysts believe the park will cannibalize attendance at Disney's nearby parks - Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center and Disney-MGM Studios - and Pleasure Island resort. They also point out that Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure park, complete with dueling roller coasters and a Jurassic Park attraction, could drain customers from Animal Kingdom when it opens next year.

They also worry that reality will intrude on Disney's imagineering. After all, these are real lions, tigers and elephants, not animatronics, and they could do any of a number of things Disney officials don't want them to do, including die.

At least a dozen have died since last September. Although zoo experts say the fatalities were not unusual at a new park, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched an investigation and two animal rights groups have called for boycotts.

``When you're dealing with animals, you can't tell them what to do and they can be difficult to control,'' said Dennis Spiegel, a theme-park consultant and the former chief of the King's Island chain of theme parks. ``You can't just flick a switch to turn them off.''

Still, Spiegel believes Disney has a winner, adding, ``The concept is so new and unique that everyone will want to see it. I think they've done an incredible job of blending whimsy and reality.''

Linda Deckard, managing editor of Amusement Business magazine, agrees. ``It's hard to second-guess Disney because everything they do in theme parks is so successful,'' she said. ``They are dealing with live animals, but I think they can handle it because they've hired some of the best people in the zoo business.''

Disney does not disclose attendance figures but Spiegel estimates it draws 17 million annually to Magic Kingdom, 11.8 million to EPCOT and 10.5 million to Disney-MGM, and predicts possible slight losses at EPCOT because of the new attraction. PaineWebber analyst Christopher Dixon has estimated Animal Kingdom should draw up to 11 million annually and Salomon Smith Barney's Jill Krutick predicted an annual operating profit of $100 million on revenues of $685 million.

Rolling the dice on Animal Kingdom reflects the go-go theme-park expansion pushed by Eisner, who visited the new park during construction monthly for the past year. Other Disney projects receiving major funding: Club Disney play centers, a Tomorrowland revamp at Disneyland which will open next month, a Caribbean cruise line launching in July, DisneyQuest virtual-reality arcades, and new theme parks in Anaheim and Tokyo opening after the millennium.

Wall Street has given strong support to Eisner, who transformed Disney from a $2 billion-a-year concern in 1984 to the world's largest entertainment company with 1998 revenues likely to top $25 billion.

Disney is expected to release results today for its second quarter ended March 31 with analysts forecasting a 6 percent gain to 52 cents a share.

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3 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) Disney's Animal Kingdom, which includes the Kilimanjaro Safaris tour through the Africa section, will open today outside Orlando, Fla.

(2--Color) Jane Goodall was honored by Chairman Michael Eisner at a pre-opening ceremony Tuesday.

(3--Color) The Conservation Station will inform visitors about worldwide efforts to save endangered animals and preserve wild habitats.