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Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World

----    THE LATEST BUZZ    ----
    (10/15/2024) Animal Kingdom Sets Closing Date for Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama
    (8/11/2024) Indy and Encanto Attractions Confirmed For Disney's Animal Kingdom
    (4/6/2024) Disney's Animal Kingdom Is Preparing to Introduce You to the Tropical Americas
    (11/22/2023) Conversion of Dinosaur to Indiana Jones Seems Likely (MORE...)

2024 - Nothing new is expected at this time...

Late 2025 - Zootopia - (8/11/2024) Disney has confirmed that the new Tree of Life Theater show opening in Late 2025 will be called Zootopia: Better Zoogether. It will feature an adventure with Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and feature a number of appearances by other fan-favorite Zootopia characters as you experience the different biomes of Zootopia, as seen in the film.
 
    (9/9/2023) As many expected, with the current phase of work at Epcot coming to a close, Disney Imagineering will turn this focus back on Disney’s Animal Kingdom. According to announcements made at DestinationD23, the current ‘It’s Tough To Be A Bug” 4D attraction inside the Tree of Life will be retired to create an all new show featuring the world of Zootopia.
    No closure date has been listed yet for the end of the current “It’s Tough To Be A Bug” attraction.
    As for those older rumors about bringing a copy of Shanghai’s Zootopia themed land and attraction... give it time. If Disney is officially planting the Zootopia IP in Animal Kingdom first with a new theater film, then it is likely only a matter of time before they attempt to clone the upcoiming Zootopia: Hot Pursuit attraction in Florida. Much like how the Tron Lightcycle coaster opened first in Shanghai in 2016, there is a period of exclusivity (usually 5 years or so) given to the Shanghai park before WDI will attempt to make a copy anywhere else. So if you are hoping for a bigger Zootopia ride to come in the future, then probably best to set your expectations to 2029 at the earliest.
 
    (1/31/19) When it was announced that Shanghai Disneyland was adding a Zootopia themed land, you may have been thinking that somehow you had heard that rumor somewhere before. As readers of Screamscape and other theme park news sites, chances are good that you did see something about a Zootopia themed land from Disney… only it was a kind wild rumor a few years back for Disney’s Animal Kingdom that never came to be.
    Or will it?  With the project now moving forward at the Shanghai park, OrlandoWeekly suggests that it may only be a matter of time before a clone of the project comes to life in Orlando, possibly 4 or 5 years after it opens in Shanghai, though by then the project could also appear inside one of the other Walt Disney World parks instead.

???? - Tropical Americas / Encanto and Indiana Jones - (10/15/2024) Walt Disney World has confirmed that the Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama section of Dinoalnd USA will close for good on Jan. 13th, 2025. For the most part, this just means the end for the Triceratops Spin flat ride (aka: Dino Dumbo), the midway games, as well as the Chester & Hester’s gift shop located just outside the exit of the “Dinosaur” dark ride.
    According to the official statement on the website, Disney says that the area is going away “to make way for the Tropical Americas coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in 2027.” So at least we have a rough timeline as to when the first phase of the new land may be ready to open. Note that they have not set a closing date for the Dinosaurs attraction itself yet, which is expected to be transformed to have an all new Indiana Jones Adventure theme as part of the new land, with the rest expected to feature an Encanto themed attraction.
 
    (8/11/2024) You sort of knew this was coming, and now Disney has made it official. Dinoland USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will make way later this year to bring a new Tropical Americas themed land called Pueblo Esperanaza to life that will feature attractions themed to Indiana Jones and Encanto by 2027.
    Work will begin at the end of 2024 on this new 11-acre section of the park, with the goal of creating a world that feels very lived in and natural, just like the other areas of Animal Kingdom. This will include a ‘large hacienda’ which will be one of the largest quick-service restaurants in all of Walt Disney World. In the center of the new village area will be a large fountain and a new carousel, featuring animals from your favorite Disney stories.
    Brace yourself however, because Indiana Jones is also coming, with a major new ride experience that they say will be different from any other Indiana Jones themed attraction in the world. You’ll join Dr. Jones on a new adventure to explore a perfectly preserved Maya temple to see if the rumors about it also being the lair of a large mythical creature are true or not. As you might expect, the current Dinosaur attraction will be transformed into this new Indiana Jones adventure attraction.
    The other major attraction to open here will be the first Encanto themed attraction in the world. Journey into the Casita just as Antonio has received his ‘special gift’, the ability to communicate with animals and venture into his rainforest themed room to go on an adventure with the Madrigal family.
    From the sound of things, the plan is to do the construction in phases around the land, rather than a total closure of it all at once, so that guests will still have plenty of time to experience the current Dinosaur themed dark ride before it is gone for good. So based on that, I would assume we would see the village and Encanto themed attraction open first and Indiana Jones last in 2027.
 
    (4/6/2024) Things are moving forward with the plans to make some big changes to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. A preview of some basic land building has been posted to Instagram that will bring a “Tropical Americas” region to the park. This seems to be the overall theme that will take over what is currently known as Dinoland USA. Another view of the previous bit of concept art is also shown which features the house from Encanto and what is believed to be an “Indiana Jones” conversion to the current Dinosaur (formerly Countdown to Extinction) attraction.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Walt Disney Imagineering (@waltdisneyimagineering)

 
    (11/22/2023) As I discussed on Screamscape previously, it does indeed seem like Disney is moving in the direction of replacing the current Dinosaur dark ride with a new Indiana Jones attraction. According to interview with Disney’s Josh D’Amaro posted on Entertainment Weekly, the theme park exec does seem to confirm that is the direction they are headed. D’Amaro isn’t ready to go into specifics, but he did also take the time to confirm how Indiana Jones might “fit” within the overall theme of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, since the park is really “about exploration and adventure”.
 
    (9/10/2023) While comparing the concept art released for the proposed remodel of Dinoland USA to actual aerial photos of the park, it does become obvious that the layout in question isn’t exactly true to the layout of the actual land as it stands now. It does appear that a new themed structure could be added to the current entry to the Dinosaur attraction space to fit the new theme of the land, creating a more active entry plaza area along with new restaurant and retail space for a possible new Indiana Jones theme here.
    Meanwhile, a set of jungle ruins appears to be poking up in the Dino-Rama area where the former Primeval Whirl coasters use to sit, along with a string of connected roof structures in a quarter circle shape overlooking a foggy patch of jungle. This could be for another new unknown attraction, and it does look like those ruins are hiding something behind them. I’m not sure if what I’m seeing looks like coaster track, or if it is just a roofline of a multi-level structure. It would be fun if they would bring back something like the old Excavator coaster concept, but I don’t think that’s happening.
    Regardless, it also appears that the Triceratops Spin and Boneyard are also now missing from the land entirely. Instead I see what appears to look like the kind of classic structure used to enclose a carousel.
    Otherwise the only other major structure shown is what appears to be the house from Encanto. So what kind of attraction would you like to see used to portray this particular film? Given the crazy looking multi-colored  house, and the wild characters and things that take place within this structure, it got me thinking about Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. A similar ride concept featuring groups of trackless vehicles roaming around the “living home” of a family endowed with supernatural abilities might be exactly a perfect fit for an Encanto themed attraction.
 
    (9/9/2023) Disney has announced that the park’s current Dinoland U.S.A. will also be transformed into a new “tropical Americas” themed land that would feature the region from northern South America up to Central America. While nothing solid was confirmed in terms of attractions yet, they did mention that “new experiences” themed to Encanto and Indiana Jones are being considered for the reimagined land.
    Nothing specific was mentioned about the future possible demise of the Dinosaur dark ride attraction (formerly Countdown to Extinction), it is no secret that the physical attraction itself is a clone of the popular Indiana Jones Adventure dark ride from Disneyland. While the current Dinosaur ride itself is still fun, for years now, many a Disney fan has often wished that the company would go ahead and transform the dark ride into an all new Indiana Jones ride instead. Perhaps the biggest hold-back Disney had from doing this very thing from Day 1 was the fact that the Indiana Jones IP has been in use for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular show at the Studios park since 1989. A long standing rumor has been that Indiana Jones stunt show would be kept open long enough to enjoy a boost from the release of the last Indiana Jones film (Summer 2023). Once the popularity of the show tapered off the site (and other nearby locations) has long been considered for use for the next future phase of expansion at the Studios park. But that’s a story for another time…