Disney Legend and former Imagineer Joe Rohde has addressed one of the most common questions about Tropical Americas: will the new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom include live animals? In a comment on Instagram, the retired Imagineer said there are no current plans to include them. Rohde said that Disney built the project’s budget around a remodel, not a from-scratch land. Rohde said the driving business priorities center on rides, not habitats, though he still believes animals belong in the land’s future.
No Plans for Live Animals for Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Joe Rohde addressed the live animal question for Tropical Americas in an Instagram comment.
- Rohde said the project’s budget is built around a remodel, not a from-scratch land, which influences what can be included.
- He said animals could still be added in the future if a business plan is written to support it.
Rohde’s comment came in response to a fan who raised the idea of live animals as part of Tropical Americas. Tropical Americas is the land replacing DinoLand USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a question that has followed the project for a while. Africa, Asia, and the former DinoLand USA each included some form of live animal or animal-inspired experience.
“I agree that live animals are an important part of the park and that Tropical Americas would be better with live animals,” Rohde wrote. Rohde went on to explain why that hasn’t happened for this particular project.
According to Rohde, every expansion opportunity at Animal Kingdom also has to work as a business opportunity. Disney approved Tropical Americas as a remodel of DinoLand USA, not a new land built on undeveloped ground. A remodel comes with a defined, and comparatively limited, budget. Rohde said the project has to satisfy its driving business priorities, since those priorities are what secure the deal in the first place. In this case, he pointed to the need for rides aimed at younger guests.
I agree that live animals are an important part of the park and that Tropical Americas would be better with live animals. But each opportunity for expansion also comes from a business opportunity. And in this case, the park needs rides for young people…preferably air-conditioned rides for a young people. And so out of a total budget, which, let me remind you is a budget for a remodel not a virgin ground entirely built from scratch land, the driving business priorities have to be met… Because that’s where the deal comes from. However, I do believe animals are important, and I do believe that they should be included in the future when a business plan can be written for that effort.
That framing lines up with what Tropical Americas has become since Disney announced new details for the land at the 2024 D23 Expo. Three attractions anchor the land. There’s a Maya temple-themed Indiana Jones ride, an Encanto-themed ride, and a carousel featuring characters from various Disney stories.
Rohde closed his comment by reiterating that he still values live animals as part of the Animal Kingdom experience. He said he believes Disney should add them in the future.
This isn’t the first time Rohde has spoken publicly about the road to getting Tropical Americas approved. He has said in recent months that he pushed for a land themed to the Tropical Americas for 15 years before his retirement from Imagineering. Some of those design attempts even involved replacing DinoLand entirely. He has since returned in a consulting role on the current version of the project. Executive Creative Director Joan Hartwig now leads the Tropical Americas effort.
Whether live animals ever become part of Tropical Americas remains unclear. It’s also worth noting that Rohde is a retired Imagineer. While his comment seems definitive, and he would be in a position to know, it’s not official confirmation from Disney.
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