Disney previews model of Encanto and Indiana Jones expansion at Disney's Animal Kingdom

25 days ago in "Disney's Animal Kingdom"

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Dinoland U.S.A. Blue Sky Concept Art

Posted: Thursday April 4, 2024 10:42am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney Imagineering has released a behind-the-scenes look at work underway on bringing the Encanto and Indiana Jones expansion to Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

In the video, we see a working model for the new lands and some details of research trips to the Yucatán Peninsula for inspiration on creating the lush landscape of the land.

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Disney announced in September 2023 that new experiences inspired by "Encanto" – the Academy Award winning Walt Disney Animation Studios film – and the fan-favorite adventurer Indiana Jones were being considered for the reimagined DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

New experiences inspired by “Encanto” and the fan-favorite adventurer Indiana Jones are being considered for the reimagined land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

The new land themed to the tropical Americas would replace the entire Dino-Land U.S.A. area, with Indiana Jones replacing the existing Dinosaur ride, and Encanto replacing Dino-Rama.

Dinosaur is replaced in this concept art with Indiana Jones

Dino-Rama is replaced with Encanto

Imagineering Boss Bruce Vaughn said, "Imagine a land filled with authentic experiences from this part of the world. With all of the placemaking and storytelling you'd expect. Look, it's a beautiful region to explore and has been the inspiration for so many magical stories over the years. We're looking forward to bringing all of that to life"

Tropical Americas Encanto land concept art at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Vaughn contninued, "Imagineering has been talking about stories from this part of the world; Encanto with Indiana Jones just rose to the top. They give us so much to play with. We have a long way to go now and a lot more to discover. But our team here in Florida is all over it."

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Tha Realest2 hours ago

I’m willing to extend some grace on the timelines issue . Some of that could be Covid/supply chain/labor issues. GMR-> MMRR was 2.5 years. I mean, both Dinosaur and (now) the Indiana Jones film series involve time travel…

McMickeyWorld2 hours ago

A bit late, and I hope not to create a discussion. A good video is this one; it's in Spanish, but the automatic subtitles are enabled.

Poseidon Quest2 hours ago

That's a really good point, I'm probably going to steal that.

Jumping Fountains6 hours ago

I think part of the issue is that archaeologists from earlier eras were raiders, even if they intended their objects to go in museums. I’m not against Indiana Jones stuff (enjoy the movies!), but just was chiming in to note that various professions haven’t existed in vacuums - there are part of their time and at various points in history, they look like heroes and villains).

Bocabear6 hours ago

ain't no way they are going to make 2027 with "Tropical Americas"... Half this year is already gone and there have been no shovels in the ground and no official closing date for Dinosaur. So we are probably looking at a closing happening in 2025 at this point, and with a complete gut except for the ride system, that is going to take at least 2.5 years let alone completely rebuilding the entire land to create a village...and then the Encanto ride will be a ground-up build....2028-2029....

999th Happy Haunt17 hours ago

I think everything after 2025 needs to be pushed back at least one year, and waiting for 2030 for Zootopia 3D show is insane

ToTBellHop19 hours ago

I’ve seen this episode before. Disney makes seriously ambitious plans that are then dialed back massively. Happened with the DHS “rebirth”. Happened with Epcot’s. It’ll happen again. Iger is CEO for a couple more years. Anyone suggesting they can predict with any certainty what will or will not be built beyond projects that will be under construction by late 2026 is being disingenuous. I can’t help but laugh at any suggestion of a 5th theme park.

Magicart8719 hours ago

Is it too late to pitch my interactive digital talking puppet show for this area? I was thinking in the same vein as Turtle Talk only themed to Emperor's New Groove. Working title: Spit Happens with Llama Kuzco

Unbanshee19 hours ago

Looks like the bone yard will be demolished https://blogmickey.com/dinoland-usa-tropical-americas-project-tracker/

Advisable Joseph21 hours ago

I wonder if that was part of the reason for moving Zootopia, assuming it was going in Dinosaur originally and not a modified Theater in the Wild or a new theater.

PizzaPlanet21 hours ago

I’d think the Bug’s Life to Zootopia conversion would be pretty quick. All the animation could be done in advance, then just a few months to update the theater and effects

Advisable Joseph21 hours ago

Again, the following exchange with Henry Mystic describes a massive strategy change, massive expansion in DAK and DHS in the next decade: So it sounds like Henry Mystic is saying that the plan is for mega-expansion in DAK. Too much demand: need more supply.

Rich Brownn21 hours ago

I'm reminded of a quote from Henry Ford: "If I had asked people what they want, they'd say a faster horse."

KDM3109121 hours ago

The other problem is AK already has relatively little to do as it is, and wiping out an entire land all at once is kind of problematic. Sure, Dinoland only technically has 3 attractions (excluding Nemo, as it is expected to be unaffected by the changes), but 3 attractions in a park with a total of maybe 10 total otherwise, is a large dent. This is why I feel like this will be done in phases rather than all at once, especially since most of the buildings will likely not be being demolished anyway. To me the most likely scenario is that work starts at the Dino-Rama site since it is both the easiest to clear (especially since the coaster is already gone) and the least impactful, while Dinosaur would likely remain open. Then once that is mostly complete, close Dinosaur. Obviously I could be wrong, but in a park with not a ton of attractions, closing 3 all at once seems like a lot, especially since we all know this will take several years to fully complete.