If you love Dinoland USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we have some bad news: This land is about to go extinct.
A new permit application, filed with South Florida Water Management District, suggests that major construction work in this area is about to kick off in the very near future. The permit shows plans for four Walt Disney Imagineering trailers are set to be constructed just out of guest view as well as an additional contractor trailer, and 363 parking spaces. While some might point out that those trailers could be for anything, the permit also shows a temporary road leading from the trailer area right to the heart of Dinoland U.S.A., which is as sure a sign as any that major construction work is about to kick off in this area.
What is Disney building in Dinoland U.S.A.?
It’s clear there is a big project in the works for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Right now, nothing has been confirmed about the future of this area, with Disney remaining tight-lipped about its construction plans.
However, if we had to guess what Disney is working on we’d say it seems likely that Disney is actually pursuing the previously announced “Blue Sky” concept that was presented last year. This concept showcased an Indiana Jones attraction as the centerpiece of the land (replacing Dinosaur) and would re-theme the surrounding Dinoland U.S.A into a South America-themed land. The land would also include new experiences based on the movie Encanto, including a replica Casita that guests could interact with.
Of course, this isn’t the only option for this area. Last year, Disney announced a Zootopia-themed attraction would be moving into the Tree of Life theater and could be planning to bring a larger Zootopia-themed land to the park to further integrate this franchise into Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The most obvious option for a Zootopia-themed land would be a clone of the land at Shanghai Disneyland, which includes the Zootopia: Hot Pursuit dark ride as well as several restaurants and shops.
Though Disney could announce something totally different for this area, we’d be shocked if this new construction project wasn’t some variation of one of these two concepts.
When will Dinoland U.S.A. close for good?
Though it’s only March, we’d guess that Disney will be waiting to make their big announcement about the future of Dinoland U.S.A. and Disney’s Animal Kingdom until August 10, when they have their big theme park panel at the 2024 D23 Expo.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that Dinoland U.S.A. is safe until then. With permits filed for construction staging areas already, we’d guess that Disney will want to get going on this new project as soon as possible, which means they could close off Dinoland U.S.A. as soon as in just a few weeks’ time to make way for “new experiences”
A lot is up in the air right now, but if you count yourself as a fan of this land, our advice would be to head to the park as soon as you are able, as it looks like this land is heading for extinction.
