New aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct show the silver steel skeleton of the Casita taking shape at the front of Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The framing sits in front of the warehouse-style show building that will house the ride’s queue and attraction. Faux rockwork also continues to build out on top of those buildings, hiding them from guest view while adding scale and depth that should make the Casita feel larger than it is. Here’s the latest.
Encanto Casita Construction: Steel Framing Takes Shape at Animal Kingdom’s Tropical Americas
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Steel framing for the Casita facade is now visible at the front of the attraction
- Faux rockwork is being built on top of the show building to hide it and add scale
- The Casita sits in front of a large warehouse-style building housing the queue and ride
Steel Framing Rises for the Casita
The latest aerial photos from Bioreconstruct give us our best look yet at the Casita’s steel bones. A silver metal frame now stands at the front of the attraction. It marks where the magical Madrigal family home will eventually come to life. The framing is still bare, with no exterior sheathing or stucco yet applied. Even so, the outline of the structure is clear enough to make out the shape of the house.
This structure will become the facade guests see as they approach Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto. It works much like the Haunted Mansion’s exterior, giving guests a preview of what lies inside. Behind the Mansion’s facade sits a massive show building that houses the ride. Disney has used this same approach throughout construction on this attraction. Crews built the large show building first, and have now started to add the smaller, more detailed Casita structure in front of it.
Beyond the Casita framing, the photos offer a clear view of the warehouse-style buildings that make up the bulk of the attraction. These buildings house both the queue and the ride show building itself. They’re covered in the ductwork, piping, and mechanical equipment typical of a complex attraction building. The rooftop is dense with HVAC units and conduit. That’s a clear sign Disney is well into the mechanical and electrical phase of construction for this portion of the building.
We can also see scaffolding still wrapped around sections of the roofline, particularly where crews continue work on the show building’s exterior. The green-paneled walls seen in earlier construction photos remain visible along portions of the structure as faux mountains take shape.
Faux Rockwork Adds Scale to the Casita
One of the more interesting elements visible in the new photos is the faux rockwork continuing to take shape on top of the show building. Wrapped in scaffolding, wood forms, and wire mesh, the rockwork mound sits just behind the Casita’s steel frame. Once finished, this rockwork will serve two purposes. It will hide the warehouse-style buildings from guest sightlines, and it will create the illusion that the Casita sits on a much larger hillside than it actually does.
This technique is common throughout Disney parks, where forced-perspective rockwork and landscaping help smaller show buildings feel like part of a larger natural landscape. In Tropical Americas, the rockwork appears designed to frame the Casita much the way jungle-covered mountains might surround a real hillside home in Colombia, the region that inspired the film’s setting. The mesh and wood forms seen in the current photos will eventually be covered in sculpted concrete. Crews will then paint the surface to resemble natural stone.
Story So Far
- May 10: Construction of Mayan Temple & Casita Madrigal Goes Vertical at Tropical Americas – vertical construction began on the Casita’s base and retaining walls
- August 16: New Encanto Ride Concept Art Mirrors Clever Illusion Patent – Disney revealed the attraction’s official name, Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, along with new concept art at D23 Expo 2026
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!