A NEW land is coming to Animal Kingdom…but why is it taking SO long?
©Disney
At the 2023 D23 Expo and the 2024 D23 Ultimate Fan Event, Disney talked about a new land that would be coming to Animal Kingdom. The new land would be themed to the Tropical Americas, specifically built around a fictional town Pueblo Esperanza. However, don’t make plans to see the new land anytime soon.
While Tropical Americas is confirmed to be coming — as Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro put it at the D23 event, “Dirt is moving. I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you’ve heard here tonight” — the land isn’t going to be open for at least two more years, with Disney giving a preliminary timeline of 2027.
So, why is it going to take so long?
Well, for starters, Tropical Americas is not being built on previously empty land (therefore it’s not technically an “expansion” at Animal Kingdom). Instead, it is replacing — and in some cases repurposing — DinoLand U.S.A. In other words, everything already in DinoLand has to close and be removed before work on Tropical Americas can begin.
DinoLand, U.S.A.
The first phase of DinoLand — including TriceraTop Spin, Fossil Fun Games, and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures — had their final operating day on January 12th. However, as of now DINOSAUR, The Boneyard, Restaurantosaurus, Dino-Bite Snacks, and Trilo-Bites will all remain open, with Disney intimating that these offerings won’t be “going extinct” until the end of 2025.
Dinosaur
Once all of DinoLand is closed, Disney will need to transform the area, as the new land is described as according to Disney, 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.”
Pueblo Esperanza Carousel Concept Art ©Disney
Furthermore, the area will feature massive attractions based on Encanto and the Indiana Jones franchise. The former will be a ride-through attraction featuring the Madrigal family. According to Disney, “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 attraction themed after the Walt Disney Animation Studios film “Encanto” follows Antonio the day after he received his magical gift – the ability to communicate with animals and is situated in the new Tropical Americas land coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The Indiana Jones attraction is assumed to be reusing the DINOSAUR infrastructure — an interesting full-circle moment, as DINOSAUR itself is a reskin of Disneyland’s original Indiana Jones Adventure. According to Disney, “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
Disney has confirmed that it will have a different storyline than the Disneyland Indiana Jones Adventure ride, but either way, with work on the ride not starting until DINOSAUR closes, Disney is likely going to need to reach deep into 2027 to get the land ready for opening.
The timetable for Tropical Americas fits into Disney World’s general approach to construction timelines, which — to the consternation of some — can often be measured in years. It also fits with the rest of Disney World’s upcoming projects – – Villains Land and Cars in Frontierland, at the Magic Kingdom, and Monsters, Inc. and the rethemed Muppets Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios.
@Disney
Tropical Americas is coming to Animal Kingdom, but it’s still going to be a while. Stay tuned to DFB for more on Disney World’s construction timeline.
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It took them 4 years to build TRON. Two years to build a land is the speed up system.
There was an article about this and several videos i think. Disney likes to have the money up front while universal takes out a long term loan to get things done quicker. Also it’s known that the executives in Florida and California are wanting to spend less money and raise prices. Instead of maintenance they let a ride break down to fix it.
Wow! We were there in Jan 2024. Wait times on rides were 45 min, to nearly 2 hours. Just our luck to almost make it to the front of the line, when announced technical difficulties, please try again later. This was Pirates, Haunted, it’s a Small World, Adventures of Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine, Space Mountain, People Mover, Buzz……should I mention more??? Waited in line for 2 hours Ratatouille which extended to nearly 3 hours due to line jumpers, almost made it and ride went down. Disney should be investing in upgrading animatronics, and maintenance issues on ALL ATTRACTIONS!