Disney has finally revealed part of their ambitious Walt Disney World expansion plans, and as expected, they include some serious redevelopment at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
As previously hinted, Dinoland USA is set to be completely removed and will be redeveloped into a “Tropical Americas” land. Here’s what we know so far about this upcoming new land and when we’ll likely be learning more
Tropical Americas has been confirmed to be in development, but no specific attractions have been announced
Walt Disney Imagineering confirmed via Instagram that Disney is still working on developing a new Tropical Americas expansion that will replace the original Dinoland USA area at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In the post, 3D models of the new area are shown alongside clips from a research trip to the Yucatán Peninsula, which will be one of the places that inspire this new land.
Though Disney is staying mum (for now) about what attractions will be featured in this area, a close look at the model in the post does give us a few hints about what Disney is planning with this new area.
Expect attractions based on Encanto and Indiana Jones
When Disney first announced that they were considering creating a Tropical Americas land, concept art showed that there would be a replica of Encanto’s Casita built in this new area, and a ride based on Indiana Jones would replace Dinosaur. While neither of these attractions have been specifically confirmed yet, the model in the Instagram post does show a similar setup to the concept art, which leads us to believe that these two attractions are indeed moving forward and will anchor the new land.
Unfortunately, Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t shared any additional information or a timeline for constructing Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. However, with the D23 Expo coming up in August, we’d expect Disney to make a full reveal of this new land during their Parks and Experiences panel, which is happening on Saturday, August 10.
No closure date has been shared yet for Dinosaur (and the rest of Dinoland USA), but expect it to happen later this year
Currently, there are no closure or refurbishment dates for the Dinosaur attraction or the larger Dinoland USA area on Walt Disney World’s official calendar. However, we would expect that once Disney finally, officially, details the attractions and opening target, a closing date will be shared, and it will be very soon. Tropical Americas has been in development for several years now, and construction staging areas have already been built backstage, so it will likely only be a matter of weeks from announcement to the official commencement of construction for this new project.
Of course, beyond these exciting startup plans, fans may be wondering when this new area might actually open. Unfortunately Disney has quite a reputation for taking a long time with their various construction projects. However, hopefully with this one being planned so far in advance, guests may be able to see it as soon as 2026, if construction starts this year. But of course, this is just a guess as we’ll have to wait for Disney’s presentation in August for final opening timeline confirmation.
