The Disney company has filed a major permit with the South Florida Water Management District to begin construction on its new Tropical Americas land. This area will feature attractions themed to both Encanto and Indiana Jones.
This new area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom will replace the existing Dinoland USA, composed of Chester and Hester’s DinoRama and the nearby Dinosaur attraction, formerly known as Countdown to Extinction.
🚨 Disney files permit showing the layout for “Tropical Americas” at Animal Kingdom. This shows the new Encanto ride show building, the artisan Carousel and Dinosaur rethemed to Indiana Jones.
I’ve also attached the layout I made back in September, good to see I wasn’t far off! pic.twitter.com/6VPiCAEw7G
— DSNY Newscast (@DSNYNewscast) October 28, 2024
Included with the permit was a demolition plan which breaks down exactly how Disney plans on removing the existing attractions.
Based on the plan, the first area removed will be Chester and Hester’s DinoRama. This includes Triceratops Spin, a series of carnival games, and the Dinosaur Treasures gift shop. Disney closed and tore down the area’s centerpiece attraction, Primeval Whirl, in 2020.
The DinoRama area will be transformed into an Encanto section for the new land, featuring the iconic Casita from the beloved Disney animated musical. Within Casita there will be a large family attraction set in the world of the film.
Encanto is one of the more popular Disney films in recent years. It fumbled in theaters, but rallied on Disney Plus to gain a huge following.
Official concept art for the Encanto attraction coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Credit: Disney Parks Blog
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Encanto has a presence in Magic Kingdom, with a Mirabel character meet and greet replacing Princess Merida off to the side of Cinderella Castle by the path to Tomorrowland. It features into Epcot’s new World Celebration neighborhood as well, with a musical stage show taking place several times throughout the day in front of Communicore Hall.
According to the official Disney Parks Blog:
“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.”
Official concept art for the new Indiana Jones attraction coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Credit: Disney Parks Blog
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The Dinosaur attraction will become a Mayan pyramid which will house the new Indiana Jones attraction. This transformation will be easier than most, as Dinosaur shares the same track and ride system as the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction from Disneyland. However, it won’t be a direct clone of that ride. According to Disney, it will be a new attraction with an original story.
Disney previewed the attraction at the D23 expo earlier this year and introduced to the fans by Ke Huy Quan, the actor who played Indy’s child sidekick Short Round in the 1984 film Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. There’s no word yet on whether an adult version of Quan’s Short Round character will appear in the attraction.
Are you excited for the expansion to Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!
