Disney Parks Boss Josh D'Amaro talks more about Disney's plans for Indiana Jones at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Nov 20, 2023 in "Disney's Animal Kingdom"

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

Posted: Monday November 20, 2023 3:20pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

In a new interview with EW, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro discusses Disney's early plans to bring Indiana Jones to Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

D'Amaro first revealed early plans for Indiana Jones to come to Disney's Animal Kingdom during a D23 fan event this past September.

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

Fans were surprised by D'Amaro revealing blue-sky concepts still in the early planning stages and not green-lit. D'Amaro told EW, "We've got so many stories to tell, we have so many things we want to make even better in the theme parks. My plan is to continue to share that with the guests. I know people are like, 'My gosh, I can't believe he's saying this. Is he serious, is he not?' The answer is, we are absolutely serious."

Imagineering Boss Bruce Vaughn said at Destination D23, "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 continued, "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."

New experiences inspired by “Encanto” – the Academy Award winning Walt Disney Animation Studios film – and the fan-favorite adventurer Indiana Jones are being considered for the reimagined land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

D'Amaro's latest comments to EW today suggest that Indiana Jones remains at the forefront of Disney's plans in Florida, and the parks chairman is talking up Disney's ambitions.

"We know what this business is capable of, we know what our fans expect of us, and we're going all in. You're going to see more and more of that. As we make our way through some of these ideas, some of them will become real, and we'll say that's specifically what we're going to do, but I want our guests to be on the journey with us."

D'Amaro also addressed how Indiana Jones may fit into Disney's Animal Kingdom thematically. Much like when Avatar was announced for the park, fans are skeptical about its suitability for a part centered around nature and conservation.

"Animal Kingdom is about exploration and adventure," he says. "I was fortunate enough to have run that theme park, so I know how special it is, and I think there are a lot of stories that we can stay true to Animal Kingdom and express new properties in there, and that's what you see us starting to do."

You can read the full interview at EW.

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eddie10456 minutes ago

I wonder if there are several plans in the works including a more budget friendly one versus a plussed up version?

UNCgolf59 minutes ago

The room off to the right is easily the worst by far, but last time I was there the ballroom definitely felt like a huge cafeteria. Incredibly loud and people everywhere. But, and this is admittedly a huge but, we had breakfast there (and the food wasn't very good either). They don't even serve breakfast anymore, and hopefully they pack fewer people in there for the prix fixe lunch/dinner. I wouldn't even consider going back as long as it's prix fixe, though.

JD802 hours ago

Down with prefixe menus.

Tha Realest3 hours ago

No, you’re getting an $8 steak but paying $70 for it at 11 am

PREMiERdrum3 hours ago

Re: BOG Prices will keep ticking up (and staffing ticking down) to compensate for the softer demand. What was once a tough reservation to get is now mostly available for walkup day-of. I will say that I've never had a bad meal there, and the potato leek soup they had last year was absolutely divine... but our check last visit was over $500. We won't be back for a bit. What really hurt was their shift away from the hybrid QS/TS model it opened with. It democratized the experience a bit, pumped more people through on the quicker breakfast and lunch turns, and protected the scarcity and pricing integrity of the dinner offerings. Every internal move to fix it has been quashed, so we're left with rising prices and worsening service. Oh well. BUT this thread is about Tropical Americas... and I'm still quite optimistic in their plans. Some interesting scuttlebutt on why and how Brayden may have been leaked recent art with bad info. While Indy is teed up to be the standout here, the inbound dining concept is looking very promising. Encanto should be great, too, though from what I can tell they're keeping details quieter than the rest.

Bocabear3 hours ago

I have tried BOG multiple tmes...Have been seated in everywhere but the Music Box Room... No one wants to sit in the basically unthemed cafeteria room... My first meal there was nice but it seems like the quality has gone down, and the atmosphere is not worth it. I would rather have them turn this into the BATB ride. Build that Tiana's Palace dining location...

ToTBellHop4 hours ago

I refused to be seated there. It was immature but for that kind of money, I’m eating in The West Wing. They’d do better to reserve The Music Box Room for walk-ups.

Zummi Gummi4 hours ago

The ballroom doesn't feel that way to me at all. It's that room off to the right (not even sure what they call it) that has a distinct "cafeteria" feel to it.

ToTBellHop4 hours ago

I just miss the QSR lunch. I’m not getting at $70 steak at 11 am.

MisterPenguin10 hours ago

Heard from whom?

UNCgolf12 hours ago

Have to agree to disagree on that one -- I was very disappointed in Be Our Guest and find it one of the weaker restaurants (other than maybe the West Wing, although it's actually too dark in there). The main ballroom just doesn't work at all, although part of that is definitely the cafeteria atmosphere.

eddie10412 hours ago

I don’t think they should axe anything because the design is definitely one the best out Disney as far restaurants go imo. The castle should definitely be rebuilt though.

UNCgolf12 hours ago

Personally I'd be happy to see Be Our Guest get axed because I think they really missed their opportunity there. The design is decent, but it's ruined by the cafeteria atmosphere. That's not going to happen, though, and MK does need the dining capacity.

eddie10412 hours ago

Yep give me BATB and the Tangled ride and I would be satisfied. Have no clue where they would build them but maybe they can find some space somewhere in the MK?