Disney Imagineering Files Notice of Commencement for Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom

4 hours ago in "Tropical Americas"

Gallery / 1 Photo
Tropical Americas Concept Art

Posted: Friday December 13, 2024 1:20pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) has taken another step toward the transformation of Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Today, WDI filed a Notice of Commencement for the site previously occupied by Primeval Whirl, signaling progress in the park's highly anticipated Tropical Americas expansion.

Tropical Americas Concept Art

Key Details from the Filing

Location: Former Primeval Whirl site
Contractor: Whiting-Turner, a firm known for managing large-scale construction projects for Disney
Expiration Date: December 30, 2025
Description: "Area Development"

The filing suggests work will soon begin on preparing the area for redevelopment, aligning with Disney's plans to reimagine Dinoland U.S.A. into a land inspired by Central and South American cultures and ecosystems.

The former Primeval Whirl area in DinoLand U.S.A.

What Does "Area Development" Mean?

While Disney has not provided specifics about this filing, "Area Development" typically encompasses site preparation, infrastructure work, and landscaping to support future attractions. This could include clearing land, installing utilities, and creating the thematic groundwork for the new land's immersive experiences.

The former Primeval Whirl site has remained inactive since the ride's permanent closure in 2020. The Tropical Americas expansion will feature attractions themed to Disney's Encanto and Indiana Jones franchises.

Tropical Americas Concept Model

Timeline for the Expansion

The expiration date of December 30, 2025, provides a clear timeframe for this phase of the project, though construction on individual attractions and experiences is likely to extend beyond that. The Tropical Americas land is expected to open in phases, with a full debut anticipated around 2027.

Find out more about the Tropical Americas expansion and the land's attractions.

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Brer Panther14 minutes ago

At least Dino-Rama had something to do with animals.

flyerjab3 hours ago

I love seeing this! It’s step 1 of many more steps to be taken over the next 5 years to add modern, state of the art attractions/experiences to each park. This is when Bioteconstruct starts taking routine flyover photos that are dissected and torn apart on Disney social media sites everywhere. All of the minutiae you can’t see in the models and concept art will start to get a bit more clear. This will be akin to when Pandora started construction in 2014. I can’t count how many times I made the family stop so I could take photos of the floating mountains in back of Rainforest Cafe just so that I could post them here.

JohnD4 hours ago

So I guess we expect to see everything to the left walled off with Brontosaurus, DINOSAUR, outside gift shop and nearby restrooms remaining open through 2025.

wdwmagic4 hours ago

Disney Imagineering Files Notice of Commencement for Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/tropical-americas/news/13dec2024-disney-imagineering-files-notice-of-commencement-for-tropical-americas-at-animal-kingdom.htm

rd8054 hours ago

I'd love to see a new water-ride, and to me it makes sense at AK as it is such a HOT theme park. I'm not sure if it accurate, but i feel like there is lack of shade, or air flow, or something that just seems to make AK seem warmer to me. I also love the idea of multiple water parks in the same park -- if you are going to get drenched, why not do it twice rather than park hop/dry off, and then get wet again? To me, it's a no-brainer.

celluloid5 hours ago

That store was pretty kitsch rad. I want the Gorgo poster.

Blobbles5 hours ago

Now, it reaches completion. I imagine that Disney has had a LOT of rides it has wanted gone, and is finally getting the chance to change them now. We’ve seen it with Dinoland, bugs life Tom Sawyer, a new show for CBJ, ect. And I imagine this won’t be the last. Next couple years will probably be the test of which rides will truly stick around for the long term. Sans three Cabs, which can’t really go logistically, if I were you and was a fan of any rides on the older or “underrated in your eyes” attractions of any sort of popularity, I’d go enjoy them now. No insider info but I imagine that a lot will not survive the “ten year plan” Disney has for wdw.

rle4lunch5 hours ago

Agree with a log flume not being the ideal fit here. With the rapids ride (even though it's about 2 minutes too short), MK has their flume. I'm guessing the VAST majority of WDW customers buy park hopper tickets. Why have 2 flumes? Come up with something better than a ride that's going to have 50 years of maintenance problems and already exists in MK in one iteration.

danlb_20006 hours ago

That began a long time ago.

Blobbles6 hours ago

Chester and Hester respectively. On dinorama, to quote the critic “and nothing of value was lost” Wondering how the pathways will work. Anyway I think this will be good for DAK long term. And it’ll be interesting to see how different it feels from Dinoland, and the same general sentiment for the other closing sections. Cautiously optimistic for a new generation of Walt Disney world.