Phased Closure of Dinoland USA at Disney's Animal Kingdom Expected Before 2024 Holidays to Make Way for Encanto and Indiana Jones

Posted: Friday September 27, 2024 10:45am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney's Animal Kingdom is expected to begin a phased closure before the 2024 holiday season, making way for the park's upcoming Tropical Americas expansion.

Tropical Americas Concept Art

According to sources, the first section to close will be Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama, with its carnival-themed games and rides, including TriceraTop Spin. This area is slated to be transformed into a new Encanto-themed attraction, where guests will step inside the magical Casita from the popular film. The first-ever "Encanto"-themed attraction will bring casita to life as guests join the beloved Madrigal family on the day Antonio receives his special gift, the ability to communicate with animals. Guests will feel like part of the family Madrigal as they join the celebration and explore their magical home.

Dino-Rama is expected to be the first part of DinoLand to close

The phased-closure process will continue into 2025, with Dinosaur, the park's original thrill ride, closing to make way for a new Indiana Jones adventure. This attraction will differ from other Indiana Jones experiences worldwide, featuring a journey through a newly discovered Maya temple. Guests will join Indiana Jones on a quest to explore the temple and uncover the mysteries of a rumored mythical creature lurking deep inside.

Dinosaur is expected to remain open into 2025

Disney has not yet announced a precise timeline for the closures, but we expect more details, including specific closing dates, to be revealed soon. Construction on the new attractions is set to begin later this year, with the entire Tropical Americas land projected to open in 2027. Visitors who want to experience Dino-Rama or Dinosaur before they close should plan their trips accordingly as Disney prepares for these major changes to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Tropical Americas Concept Model

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rd8054 days ago

hitting the tri-fecta is the ultimate in summer park planning lol

celluloid4 days ago

I have always enjoyed Toon Lagoon to JP because of this. You can choose to wait and cha ge after JP or before if you do t mk d bejng damp vs soaked.

SoFloMagic6 days ago

You can see the clearing from the hill on Everest. I was blown away by how much they've taken out back there.

Gremlin Gus6 days ago

So minor update to this but based off of some videos I've seen recently about TA, it does seem like all the trees from behind the former Primeval Whirl have been cut down. Idk how obvious this was, but I thought I should let everyone know just in case

DisneyHead1237 days ago

😂 Yeah, and AK tends to be a little more subtle with theming so I don’t necessarily see a wrap-up moment where they verbalize the moral of the story. But Indy messing with natural forces and getting more than he bargained for is 90% likely, to my mind. I kinda think Encanto will be the more difficult one to blend in, thematically. That one may be more “Well, it’s a butterflies and rainbows fairytale but it’s enclosed”.

Slowjack7 days ago

Now you've got me picturing Indy on the hunt for a mythical treasure and the ride ending with him saying, "Knowledge was their treasure. Their treasure was knowledge." But to your point, sure, I could see a story which ends with Indy getting clapped back by nature.

MisterPenguin8 days ago

And ospreys.

ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ8 days ago

I think it's cause we can't talk about TBA in the Tiana threads. OT or some such nonsense.

danlb_20008 days ago

Cool, it's gone vertical! :)

truecoat8 days ago

Now that Epic is in previews, he can move on to this and the Cars projects.

JD808 days ago

I'd love to see ne aerial shots. However I'm sure bioreconnstruct is having more fun taking pictures of Epic.

Gremlin Gus8 days ago

Sources comes from a website I can't put here for some reason Seems like they might be doing some utility work right now, though I'm curious to see what's going on in the backstage area as it does look like they're focusing on clearing that out for the Encanto showbuilding

EagleScout6109 days ago

At the last moment they've switched to a CARS theme it seems

truecoat9 days ago

How about a ride where you drive a Multi-Troop Transport crushing as many trees and animals as possible. After the ride, they show you how much ecological damage you've caused.