The end is near. DinoLand USA will soon be extinct as Disney World moves forward with plans for a reimagining of the 11-acre plot of land in the southeast corner of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. At the 2024 D23 Expo, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro confirmed that a Tropical Americas land, implementing Encanto, the adventures of Indiana Jones, and more will replace DinoLand USA. In our DinoLand USA reimagining project tracker, we’ll try to create a unified article where you can track the latest construction progress and info for the Tropical Americas land. (Updated October 12, 2024)
Early Concept (Moana & Zootopia)
While Tropical Americas is the theme that Walt Disney Imagineering and Burbank execs have settled on, the first concept for the retheme of DinoLand USA was quite different.
As you can see in the concept art below, the original idea presented by Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro was for a Moana-themed land to take over DinoLand USA. In the upper right of the concept art, we can see a Zootopia-themed retheme of the DINOSAUR attraction.
The Moana attraction would’ve featured a Splash Mountain-esque flume ride with what appears to be a significant drop. This ride would’ve also had indoor portions, but little more about the attraction was known. The Moana ride would’ve been where the former Primeval Whirl attraction stood, with light rethemes of the TriceraTop Spin ride nearby.
Nothing was known about the Zootopia ride outside of the probability that it would’ve kept the DINOSAUR ride system and rethemed scenes, similar to what is expected for the current Indiana Jones concept.
The concept art above was presented in September 2022 at the D23 Expo, and while Josh D’Amaro insisted that the concepts presented at that event were not “daydreams”, there would be a significant shakeup just months later as Bob Chapek departed and Bob Iger returned. Furthermore, there was a shakeup at the top of Walt Disney Imagineering too, which could’ve impacted the concept for the DinoLand USA retheme (in addition to other changes).
Current Concept (Tropical Americas, Encanto, Indiana Jones)
Fast forward to September 2023, a year after debuting the Moana concept, and the Destination D23 event where Disney presented a brand new concept with all-new experiences for the DinoLand USA reimagining.
We’ll start with Disney’s official announcement from the 2023 announcement of the new concept, followed by a deeper dive into the presentation and concept art.
Disney’s Official Announcement
At Destination D23 2023, it was announced that Walt Disney Imagineering is planning to reimagine Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park into a new land inspired by a region sometimes referred to as “tropical Americas.” As part of their research, Imagineers are looking at some of the most biodiverse areas on the planet in the regions just north and south of the equator in the Western Hemisphere – the northern part of South America, stretching up into Central America. New experiences inspired by “Encanto” – the Academy Award-winning Walt Disney Animation Studios film – and the fan-favorite adventurer Indiana Jones are being considered for the reimagined land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
During the 2023 Destination D23 event, Imagineering chief Bruce Vaughn said that the Moana concept art shared above was an “initial concept for Animal Kingdom that was one of many we were exploring at the time”. After some extra brainstorming that relocated Zootopia to the Tree of Life as a replacement for “It’s Tough To Be A Bug”, that allowed Imagineers to create a new concept for DinoLand USA.
Vaughn said that the new concept allows Imagineers to focus on a region of the world “sometimes referred to as the Tropical Americas”. Vaughn explained that the Tropical Americas is an area around the equator in the Western Hemisphere “basically the northern part of South America stretching up into Central America”.
The idea here is that by focusing on a region of the world, it would continue the tradition of regional theming seen in other parts of Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Asia and Africa sections of the park. Vaughn said that they still have a long way to go, but that the Imagineering teams in Florida are up to the challenge!
As seen below, the new concept presented a DinoLand USA retheme that explores the Tropical Americas. This includes the Encanto intellectual property, as well as a retheme of the DINOSAUR attraction into an Indiana Jones-themed ride. Here’s a look at the high-level concept art before we zoom into the individual experiences.
Encanto-themed Experience
In the upper-left of the concept art, we can see the Casita from Disney’s Encanto animated film. This appears to take over the entire Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama area. While D’Amaro and Vaughn were careful not to specifically say that “Encanto is coming to Animal Kingdom”, the band played a segment of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and the visuals are undeniable.
2024 D23 Update
An Encanto-themed ride was confirmed for this space. Here’s some new concept art released for the ride, which appears to be an omni-mover ride system, although that has yet to be confirmed.
“Inside the Casita, Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest. It’s time to go explore alongside him, and you never know what member of the family you might bump into…”
As far as how this Encanto-themed experience would be implemented, details remain scarce. We’d LOVE to see a ride similar to Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. In fact, Disney could do a very easy redressing of the Mystic Manor attraction to include an Encanto theme. If you’ve never been to Hong Kong Disneyland, Mystic Manor is a ride where a magical music box plays a wonderful Danny Elfman score while the house and its contents come to life around you. A house that magically comes to life set to a wonderful score, where have we seen that idea before?
2024 D23 Update
Walt Disney Imagineering had a scale model of the Castia on display for the 2024 D23 Expo. Check out our article below for a closer look!
Indiana Jones Retheme of DINOSAUR
The Indiana Jones retheme of DINOSAUR is a little bit easier to “see” thanks to the utilization of existing infrastructure.
As seen in the concept art below, the existing DINOSAUR rounded covered queue remains, with the addition of a temple to the facade and the removal of the reflecting pool that currently has the Iguanadon in front of the ride.
In terms of the interior of the ride, it would make sense for Disney to keep the existing ride system. While DINOSAUR has had its fair share of issues over the years, it’s usually due to issues with the audio-animatronics and not ride reliability. Of course, some ride reliability improvements could possibly be made during any retheme work.
When thinking about the storyline for the planned Indiana Jones ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, many Disney fans immediately think of the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction at Disneyland. While the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction is a wonderful ride, there would likely be challenges with the interior of the attraction building at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, making a close clone impossible.
Instead, there are rumblings that an Indiana Jones ride at Animal Kingdom would have a substantially different storyline and set dressing when compared to its Disneyland counterpart.
2024 D23 Update
Walt Disney World offered new details about the Indiana Jones-themed attraction as well as some concept art from inside the ride!
“A new Indy experience is set to arrive in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and will be different from any other Indiana Jones experience around the world.
In this new venture, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Disney Character Carousel
2024 D23 Update
Walt Disney World officially announced details for the carousel attraction that was created by a local woodcarver and features animal Disney characters! Here’s a closer look at a ride vehicle that was on display at the Imagineering pavilion, followed by official concept art
Restaurantosaurus Retheme | Esperanza Market
2024 D23 Update
Walt Disney World officially announced that the Restaurantosaurus quick-service will be rethemed to a large hacienda.
2024 D23 Expo Update
As expected, Disney had an update for fans at the 2024 D23 Expo. We were in attendance and the crowd was certainly excited about the update to DinoLand USA. We’ll have even more detailed looks at the Tropical Americas Land model soon, but here’s what’s new as of August 2024!
As Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro explained during Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, work on this new 11-acre section of the park is set to begin later this year. Just like Harambe, the land feels lived in, with a long, rich history — plus there’s a large hacienda which will be one of the largest quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort.
The space will be lush and sprawling, featuring a large fountain in the center where the villagers like to gather and tell stories. Additionally, a woodcarver has created a giant working carousel featuring his favorite animals from Disney stories. It’s a new take on a classic attraction that young families are going to love.
If you’re a fan of drawers, floors, and doors, let’s go! The first-ever “Encanto”-themed ride-through attraction is coming to Animal Kingdom, featuring the beloved Madrigal family from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film. Inside the Casita, Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest. It’s time to go explore alongside him, and you never know what member of the family you might bump into…
A new Indy experience is set to arrive in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and will be different from any other Indiana Jones experience around the world.
In this new venture, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Tropical Americas Land Opening Date
As announced at the 2024 D23 Expo, the Tropical Americas Land will be completed in 2027, with construction set to take place in phases. More immediately, construction is slated to begin in Fall 2024.
The biggest development so far for the project is the filing of a permit that would suggest a significant Walt Disney Imagineering presence at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for years to come. As seen below, the permit outlines a trailer village for four Walt Disney Imagineering trailers and a trailer for a yet-to-be-named third-party contractor. The perimeter road seen in the composite image below leads directly to DinoLand USA (to the south).
DinoLand USA Reimagining Latest News
For the latest news about the DinoLand USA reimagining and retheme into a Tropical Americas land, check out our coverage below!
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!