“When will Disney finally build another nation-themed land?”
Among longtime Disney fans, there are few subjects that stoke the fires of fan speculation more ardently than this one. Disney veterans have waited decades for news of a new World Showcase pavilion or habitat-themed expansion to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Every Disney D23 expo, blogs buzz with activity theorizing that surely this is the year we are finally getting a Brazil, Greece, or Spain pavilion.
We didn’t necessarily get any of those at 2023’s Destination D23 event, but we sure got something close. South America is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom—the first announcement of a habitat-themed expansion since the arrival of Asia to the park in 1999. Specifically, the announcement hints the land will focus on the Tropical Americas, which gives room for the inclusion of other Latin American countries and island nations as well.
This is significant news for several reasons—not the least of which being that it will be the first significant representation for South America as a continent in all of Walt Disney World. South America offers Disney Imagineers a whole new landscape to play with, and plans have already been teased for Encanto and Indiana Jones themed attractions (more on that shortly).
The second reason, however, is bittersweet for some Walt Disney World fans. If Disney moves forward with the project, it will occupy the space currently known as Dinoland USA, meaning this marks the death knell for that controversial land.
There are many reasons a Tropical Americas land could prove an excellent fit for Disney’s Animal Kingdom—but the question is, can Disney pull it off in a way that leaves guests satisfied? Is it truly a good fit or has Disney just chosen an easy out of their Dinoland woes?
A natural fit
It truth, it is surprising Disney hasn’t pulled the trigger on a South American expansion of some sort sooner. Considering the fabulous work Disney put into the Africa and Asia sections, the next logical step I the minds of many fans would have been the development of both South American and Australian pavilions. Imagineer Joe Rodhe hinted Disney had floated the ideas at some point, but that their focus was largely on habitat ranges rather than national locations in the manner of World Showcase. While an Australian land remains a tantalizing prospect for the future, Tropical Americas is really a straightforward choice for several reasons.
For one thing, it’s important to consider that Walt Disney World is a huge destination for South American tourists. Tour groups from Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and other South American nations remain one of Disney’s longest running fan bases, with families frequently traveling to the parks as part of large groups for school breaks, quinceañeras, and other celebrations.
South and Latin America also offers a wide range of new biomes for Disney’s Animal Kingdom to explore. The Amazon rainforest covers a space half as large as the entire United States. It spans eight countries and is home to over 10% of known species on our planet. The rainforest alone offers more than enough diversity to justify a land with animal-focused attractions, but South America is also home to other habitats like the Andes, coastal grasslands, and Tierra del Fuego.
There is also another reason the Tropical Americas make sense for Disney’s Animal Kingdom…
We don’t talk about Bruno
…But people certainly did talk about Encanto.
Encanto proved something of a sleeper hit for Disney. The company didn’t give it nearly the same level of marketing as hits in the same vein like Tangled and Frozen, but Encanto absolutely charmed audiences around the globe. The film did so well that it hasn’t really been a question of if Encanto is coming to Walt Disney World, but rather when and how. While plans were tested to potentially bring an attraction for the film to Magic Kingdom, it looks like Disney has changed course and is planning to bring the adventures of the Madrigals to Disney’s Animal Kingdom instead.
There’s no getting around the fact that these days, Disney won’t develop anything without direct ties to a popular intellectual property, and there are several reasons Encanto can prove a good anchor at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
For one thing, the film’s Columbian setting really lends itself better to Disney’s Animal Kingdom than it does the other parks, specifically because Columbia is one of the eight countries connected to the Amazon Rainforest. Like Asia and Africa, the interplay between people and the animals of this rich environment is an important part of the conversation raised by Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If nothing else, setting shouldn’t be an issue.
Can Disney connect Encanto to the animal element of the parks though? Is Disney just planning to plop a copy of the Madrigals’ enchanted casa in the middle of the space currently occupied by Dinoland USA and call it a day?
While some of our readers felt it was too much of a stretch to link Encanto to the animal kingdom, I would argue that Disney wouldn’t have to work hard to make those connections. For one thing, the film included an entire important subplot surrounding the youngest member of the Madrigal family gaining the ability to communicate with animals. His room in the casa is filled with South American animals who become his closest friends, and it wouldn’t be difficult for Disney to emphasize this piece of the story to make that connection to the animal kingdom.
With that subplot in mind, it would also be fairly easy for Disney to use the Madrigal family to explore the conversation of people living among animals. Maybe they tell a story where the little boy calls on his family to help protect the animals of the forest, and each member of the family chooses a different South American animal to befriend. The possibilities are endless, but all easily fit within the vision of Disney’s Animal Kingdom (certainly better than the entire concept of The World of Pandora did, and that land proved a resounding success).
Other Disney properties work well with a Tropical Americas pavilion as well, such as Up (which already has a presence at Disney’s Animal Kingdom), The Emperor’s New Groove (a bit of a harder sell, though I guess the fact Kuzco becomes a llama is something), and one other significant film franchise…
“I hate snakes, Jacques! I hate ‘em!”
It might surprise some to hear Indiana Jones enter the conversation for an attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom—after all, Indy hasn’t exactly had the best luck with nature. He’s been swarmed by raging army ants, accosted by sewer rats, beslithered by centipedes, and he hates, hates, hates snakes. Also, there’s the issue that Indy is already represented over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Despite these issues, there’s one major reason why Indiana Jones is a serious part of the discussion regarding a South American pavilion at Disney’s Animal Kingdom… and it all comes down to a little known Dinoland USA secret.
Dinosaur (the attraction formerly known as Countdown to Extinction) shares a major connection with the Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland. Specifically, the tracks and vehicles for both attractions are almost exactly the same—indeed, Dinosaur is basically a re-timed clone of the other attraction with a different face and just enough adjustments to help guests not notice the similarities.
With Disney’s pressing need to find an economical way to make better use of the Dinoland USA space, it really leaves three options—jump through some significant hoops to preserve Dinosaur as a ride, make an expensive new attraction from scrap, or embrace the obvious option to carry the Indiana Jones Adventure over to Walt Disney World.
The question is, will Disney just carbon copy that attraction over to Orlando, or is this a chance for them to upgrade the Indiana Jones Adventure to something new?
An opportunity for creativity
Tropical Americas certainly sounds like a no-brainer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but Disney could easily botch the whole thing if they take the path of least resistance—namely by just generating a screen-based Encanto dark ride, converting Dinosaur into a copy of the Indiana Jones Adventure, adding a few toucans outside and calling it a day. If that’s the plan, there’s understandable reason for fans who were hoping for a Zootopia land instead to be upset.
The truth is, if Disney will just give Imagineers room to work, there are some great ways to make Tropical Americas a hit destination for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We already talked about options for using Encanto, and it wouldn’t be difficult to incorporate Up and possibly even some hints from The Emperor’s New Groove into the land integrated with the animal characters. Disney could also follow the pattern set by Africa and Asia and include a walking trail allowing guests to get close to South American animals as well, one of the best hidden gems in both of those sections.
As for the Indiana Jones Adventure, this is a great opportunity for Disney to try their hand at an upgrade of that exceptional ride. Just like Disneyland has their own version of the Tower of Terror (Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout), Walt Disney World could have their own unique version of the Indiana Jones Adventure with a stronger emphasis on the Tropical Americas setting. Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jaguar, anyone? The Indiana Jones Adventure is, admittedly, one of my lifelong favorite Disney attractions—one I’ve hoped to see make the jump to Florida—but the potential for upgrading that classic ride with a new story is huge, and Disney should jump at the chance to take advantage of it.
In conclusion, a Tropical Americas land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom could prove an absolute win for fans of that park… if Disney embraces creativity, follows through with their proposed pitch, and lets Imagineers have space to cook up something spectacular. If they simply take the path of least resistance, it’s almost better to just let Dinoland USA be until they’re ready to take the plunge properly.
What do you think of Disney’s announcement to build a South America expansion for Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook. Thanks for reading!
