There are some major CHANGES coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
Disney confirmed a while back that DinoLand, U.S.A. will be converted to a Tropical Americas-themed land, and we’re intrigued. We’ve seen concept art for the new addition, and now we’re breaking down the announcements to see what’s coming soon!
What Has Been Confirmed
During the 2024 Shareholders Meeting, Disney confirmed that Animal Kingdom will be home to a new “Tropical Americas” land, replacing DinoLand. It was revealed that Disney Imagineers have been visiting the Tropical Americas for inspiration, checking out places like pyramids in Mexico.
At the time of the announcement, no specific IPs or attractions had been confirmed, though Disney has previously thrown out ideas like Encanto and Indiana Jones when the project was in its Blue Sky phase.
But even though we don’t have many details, there are some things we can infer from the concept art!
Breaking Down the Concept Art
When the announcement was made, Disney shared a look at the concept art for the new land. (Keep in mind that concept art can change!) Based on this artwork, we have some ideas about what could come to Animal Kingdom.
Let’s dig deeper!
Casita from Encanto
The first thing that drew our eye in this concept art is the building in the top left of the picture — it looks an awful lot like Casita from Encanto! It’s unclear whether this would be a walkthrough or a ride, but the replica is uncanny.
Encanto was incredibly popular when it premiered on Disney+, and additions themed to the movie have been well-received so far in the parks, so we wouldn’t be surprised if Disney added it to this land.
A Carousel
In the bottom left corner of the concept art, there’s what looks like a carousel-type ride. The round pavilion could also be something similar to Mad Tea Party — it’s hard to tell since we only see the top.
A smaller “kiddie” ride like a carousel or a spinner would be a fitting replacement for TriceraTop Spin, which is DinoLand’s current ride for little ones.
An Indiana Jones Ride
When Disney first mentioned Indiana Jones IP as a possibility for Animal Kingdom, most people’s immediate thought is that DINOSAUR will be made over to match Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye in Disneyland.
The two attractions share the same ride system, so Disney wouldn’t have to start from the ground up. The concept art for DINOSAUR’s current location looks similar to the Indiana Jones temple.
Rethemed Shops and Restaurants
And of course, the restaurants and shops will be rethemed to match Tropical Americas! Based on the concept art, it looks like we’ll get updates to Restaurantosaurus and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures.
We can’t wait to see these updates in person, and to get more information between now and then! Stay tuned to AllEars for the latest.
Click Here to Learn More About the New Land!
What do you hope Disney puts in the Tropical Americas land? Tell us in the comments!
They should definitely lean into Indiana Jones more. Regardless if people are familiar with Indiana Jones or not, a great ride will get people to go over to the new land. It’s fine if they want to add Encanto as well, but that theme won’t move the needle much. I just took my family to Disney world, we love Animal Kingdom but we never go to Dino land, we walked past it and it looked like a ghost town. It’s a good move to retheme it and they should have plenty of room.
I’m disappointed we never got a fantasy creature land with dragons and unicorns. Kids love dragons and unicorns more than the Avatar movies. I know the Avatar movies were successful, but I don’t think they warrant a major attraction.
I’m incredibly disappointed that the Boneyard play area appears to be missing from this concept art. My kids LOVE that playground. It’s one of the few areas in all of Disney World that offers developmentally appropriate activities for kids-running, climbing, interacting, and exploring, as opposed to waiting in line for “curated experiences.”
Hoping Encanto is a Haunted Mansion style ride.