New aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct have given us a glimpse into the quick work being done at the former DINOSAUR attraction in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The DINOSAUR attraction closed earlier this month, and we recently spotted debris removal trucks heading into the attraction’s courtyard. Of course, the real news for Disney fans was that the Dino-Sue skeleton was marked for demolition. Here’s a look down into the demolition taking place in the DINOSAUR courtyard, and the removal of the Dino-Sue skeleton replica.
DINOSAUR Courtyard Demolition at Animal Kingdom
Before we take a look at the photos from Bioreconstruct, here’s a look back at the DINOSAUR courtyard. The courtyard featured two reflection pools, with the first pool featuring Aladar the Iguanodon from the Dinosaur film. Behind Aladar was The Dino Institute facade, which functioned as the entrance to the queue for the DINOSAUR attraction.
And here’s a look at aerial photos from Bioreconstruct from a helicopter flight over Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently. In the photos, we can see that the DINOSAUR courtyard has been demolished. Presumably, this includes Aladar the Iguanodon as well.
Bioreconstruct also spotted that the Dino-Sue skeleton has been removed. We previously reported that the replica skeleton had been spray-painted – marked for demolition.
The fossil cast was an exact replica of “Sue”, the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found. Named for her discoverer, Sue was found in South Dakota on August 12, 1990. Sue is 90% complete, a fossil find of enormous importance to the study of dinosaurs. During her lifetime in the Late Cretaceous Period (67-65 million years ago), Sue weighed seven tons and measured 42 feet in length, making her the largest T. rex yet discovered.
Here are a few photos of Dino-Sue before DinoLand USA closed to guests earlier this month.
And here’s a look at the now-empty pedestal that Dino-Sue used to sit on. Walt Disney World has not returned requests for more information about the fate of Dino-Sue.
All of this work is to support a retheme of the DINOSAUR attraction into an Indiana Jones-themed attraction. Disney has previously said that the storyline of the ride would be unique to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney has also released the following concept art showcasing exterior changes to the attraction facade, and a scene from the attraction.
For everything you need to know about the Tropical Americas retheme project for DinoLand USA, check out our article below!
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