As part of our continuing coverage of the recent D23 Expo, we have a detailed look at a ride vehicle for the upcoming carousel coming to the Tropical Americas section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. DinoLand USA will be replaced by the town of Pueblo Esperanza, an 11-acre section of the park themed to animals and stories from the Tropical Americas region.
Esperanza Character Carousel
As the story goes, a woodcarver from Pueblo Esperanza transformed a horse stable into a carousel for the town residents. The woodcarver crafted some of his favorite animals from Disney stories for guests to ride on, and the first one that was made by Disney was on display at the Imagineering pavilion for the 2024 D23 Expo.
Some of the characters visible in the concept art include Nigel (Finding Nemo), Kevin (UP!), Timon & Pumbaa (The Lion King), Kaa (The Lion King), Squirt (Finding Nemo), HeiHei (Moana), Sheldon (Finding Nemo), Abu (Aladdin), Parce (Encanto), Hathi, Jr. (Jungle Book), Bambi (Bambi), Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh), and more!
Kevin Ride Vehicle for Tropical Americas Carousel
Located next to the concept art for the carousel within the Imagineering Pavilion at D23 Expo was the first-ever ride vehicle created, according to Imagineer Bruce Vaughn. As we’ll see in some detailed photos, the vehicle is distressed and has a hand-carved look. Just like the rest of Animal Kingdom, it has been designed to look like it has been there for decades or longer – perfectly “lived in”, similar to other sections of the park such as Harambe.
A little bit of Photoshop to remove the stanchions gives us a better look at the vehicle.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!