Disney Announces New Encanto-Themed Ride for Animal Kingdom

Aug 11, 2024 in "Disney's Animal Kingdom"

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Encanto-themed ride concept art

Posted: Sunday August 11, 2024 11:36pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The first-ever "Encanto"-themed ride-through attraction is coming to Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, featuring the beloved Madrigal family from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film.

Encanto-themed ride concept art

Inside the Casita, Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest. It's time to go explore alongside him, and you never know what member of the family you might bump into.

Encanto-themed ride concept art

Construction on the new Encanto ride is set to begin this fall and will open in 2027.

The Encanto ride is expected to be trackless, similar to Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland ,which is known for its original storyline and innovative technology. The attraction centers around the adventures of Lord Henry Mystic, an eccentric explorer, and his mischievous monkey companion, Albert. The story begins when Albert curiously opens a magical music box that brings inanimate objects to life, leading to a series of enchanting and chaotic events throughout the manor.

Mystic Manor features state-of-the-art trackless ride technology, allowing vehicles to move fluidly through highly detailed scenes, accompanied by an original musical score by composer Danny Elfman. The ride’s use of special effects, animatronics, and immersive environments has made it a fan favorite, especially for its departure from the traditional haunted mansion theme.

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DisneyDigest18 minutes ago

I’m actually excited to get an animatronic that looks like ford this time

WaltsTreasureChest22 minutes ago

Well currently there are four Indiana Jones animatronics in the Disneyland ride. If the new attraction is anything like that we can expect around the same number, but with improved designs and movements that surpass the animatronics from the '90s

ToTBellHop2 hours ago

There will be other figures but I can’t speak to the quality of them. Most of the figures in DL’s ride aren’t particularly impressive. I do wonder if there will be reanimated skeletons/zombies. There probably should be (in an ancient temple) but that doesn’t really make sense in DAK…

Brer Panther2 hours ago

Bold of you to assume that there will be animatronics. I mean, I'm sure there'll be at least one Indiana Jones A100 animatronic that does nothing but stand there and flail his arms, but aside from that? Who knows?

celluloid8 hours ago

Shovels of the past. One can go by the incredible reputation of WEDAnd WDI's greatest and hope. But what we also know is the last couple decades, and specifically rethemes have not often delivered triumphs.

celluloid8 hours ago

The best compliments you see here are some who say it is lateral, proves the point made of the current status quo of rethemes being a just cause concern. Yet, some can't fathom why there may be concerns for some things over in the WDI shops for this attraction's ambitions.

Mr. Sullivan10 hours ago

I know many who would call it iconic, and it was! But I also know many who would say the love it has received in the last couple of years is not completely deserved, myself included. It was fine, it was fun, but never even close to a crown jewel of Disney in my eyes. A nice log flume with cute critters, unintelligible story, annoying music, and a great finale. Great to do once a trip, and that would be enough. A solid ride but not one that came anywhere close to being on the same level as stuff like Pirates or Mansion. Tiana’s I think is a suitable replacement. Not better necessarily, definitely not worse, more just a lateral movement.

spectromagic0410 hours ago

I’m not sure if anyone reported it yet but Marley the Crocodile is gone. I walked past it today and it’s all empty. The storms are still there, but expect them to be gone soon.

sedati12 hours ago

As is usual for this site, I see the pre-hate hits the ground before a single shovel.

Schmidt12 hours ago

What he means to say is that most fanatics would consider it a downgrade. The everyday person will enjoy the ride, love the drop and not much else. The sad part is most of the fanatics in here don’t even go to the parks and the other half mostly lie about going.

celluloid14 hours ago

There are a lot of assumptins here. Splash to Tiana was not rushed more than many. Disney somewhat exaggerated, yet oushed the co kept was in the works for near a decade. We know it was in the wires sine at least 2019 and was a retheme. Not rushed at all. I will tell you what I told the others. I hope we all enjoy it. But be cautiously optimistic.

UNCgolf15 hours ago

It's a Small World. I think Pirates might beat out Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion, too, but not as sure on that.

WaltsTreasureChest15 hours ago

We’ll see if part of the billion-dollar investment is directed toward this; if so, we might be in for a treat. I wouldn’t rush to judge based on the initial concept. Unlike the urgency to remove Splash Mountain, there’s no immediate pressure to eliminate Dino, which allows for more thoughtful planning and budgeting. Comparing the concept to the Blue Sky model isn't particularly significant; the BlueSky appears to briefly mimic Tokyos entrance, serving more as a general idea of the ride’s potential appearance and location. Typically, concepts don’t perfectly match Blue Sky proposals anyway. The effects are likely to be more modern, and the animatronics will definitely surpass the dated ones from the ’90s. A different storyline also gives them the freedom to create a unique experience without needing to replicate any existing version, making the most of the available space, so time will tell.

celluloid15 hours ago

This is true, but this being on the scale and scope of other IJA is not likely, as mentioned with the status quo of effort of rethemes. It is separate from the discussion on is it theme appropriate and the revamp needed due to neglect or lack of interest. Most will find that recent rethemes have been forced to fit as well. Another one of the common sings against Tiana.