Disney’s Animal Kingdom could soon look a whole lot different than it does right now.
Have you ever heard that there was once an idea to include DRAGONS in Animal Kingdom? Don’t believe us? Look at the signs in front of the park — you may see a dragon or two! But we’re not here to talk about dragons. No, we’re here to talk about some exciting new developments that Disney has planned for a potential new park expansion!
Disney is FINALLY moving forward with some interesting plans for Animal Kingdom! They’ve been teasing their new Tropical Americas-themed land as a replacement for DinoLand…and we just got a few more hints about its progress during an invite-only media event at Walt Disney Imagineering this week!
The project is still in the VERY early stages of development; in fact, Disney just revealed that Imagineers are currently on research trips to Mexico to gather inspiration for the new area.
We first learned about this ambitious new project at the 2023 D23 Expo. Disney executive Josh D’Amaro revealed Disney is “building on what makes Animal Kingdom so, so special.“As we said, there’s still a lot that’s up in the air right now, but based on early concept art, we may see experiences inspired by Encanto and Indiana Jones, both of which are “being considered” for the reimagined land.
Below, you can see the concept art for the updated DinoLand area that Disney has proposed.
Based on the concept art, we’re wondering if Casa Madrigal (one of the most iconic parts of the movie Encanto) will someday arrive at Animal Kingdom. The possibilities for a Casa Madrigal attraction are LIMITLESS when there is so much happening inside La Casita. Disney even hinted at some FUN Encanto-themed ideas in a special episode of 20/20 titled “Disney100: A Century of Dreams.”
ABC viewers may have even caught Disney’s nod to Casa Madrigal — could this be a clue of what’s to come? THE Lin Manuel-Miranda even previously commented, “I want to go inside Casita, don’t you? I don’t even know what that would look like, but some genius Imagineer does!”
Oh, and we’ve got even more news. Disney recently filed a permit with the South Florida Water Management District, and while that may not sound super exciting, it was the LOCATION that got our attention. Why? The permit is for the DinoLand, U.S.A. area of Animal Kingdom!
The permit that was filed was for a trailer compound. Typically, these types of setups come to big construction areas, which has many wondering what this could mean for the future of DinoLand. The permit outlines that the new compound will also have parking and utilities for those who will be working on-site.
Click here to learn more!
Whew! Now that Disney has confirmed that Imagineers are doing some field research, we can’t wait to see what kind of CREATIVE ideas they may come up with! Want more updates about this possible re-theme? Check out these posts!
- A New Invention Might Mean a Moana-themed Boat Ride Is Coming to Disney World!
- Could Dinoland U.S.A. Be Re-themed to Moana or Zootopia?
- Disney Just Dropped a MAJOR Hint about the Animal Kingdom Encanto Expansion!
- A Disney Executive Dropped a Hint About the Possible Animal Kingdom CHANGES!
In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What would YOU like to see in a NEW Animal Kingdom expansion? Let us know in the comments!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited to attend a media preview of Disney’s new and upcoming projects by Walt Disney Imagineering. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
Mockingdragon says
Sigh…Tropical Americas is a great biome to introduce more animals and zoo area, but Encanto doesn’t have anything to do with Animal Kingdom. IT could still be as great as Pandora was…but at least Zootopia had some connection. I never really understood peoples’ objections to IP attractions in Epcot but I think I do now.
Beth says
I love AK very much, but this is so needed! They need another land with a couple heavy hitter attractions to space out the crowds. I know it’s still in the early stages, but I hope they get this moving quickly and doesn’t take too long to complete. I’m excited for whatever is to come!
Eric Polk says
Most of the trailers in the proposed compound are labeled “WDI”. That many Imagineers on-site point to a very large project. Can’t wait!
Jim Winston says
I hope that if the re-imagined Dinoland gets a Mexico/Central America/South America spin that the connection will go beyond Disney IP, to include animal exhibits from the region.
Trevor says
I wonder if Casa Madrigal will be similar to Mystic Manor?
Jenn P says
More creatures!! Birds, bugs, bats, snakes, furry four footed friends…More to learn for my nephews. This would be awesome!
Denise F says
Indiana Jones, please! He’s ICONIC! But please, no Encanto. It will not age well as time goes by. It doesn’t have any connection to Animal Kingdom – for example, no conservation link , or other related theme.
Randi Briggs says
Encanto, ho hum, I could care less. I never saw the movie, and don’t care about the character. Too bad.
John says
NOOOO!!!! They are ruining animal kingdom!! The ethos of the park is conservation, the creator of the park explicitly stating that the main characters of Animal Kingdom don’t wear clothes (because the main characters are animals) and here we have ENCANTO????? so unbelievably stupid!! Disney is ruining its own parks for the sake of shoving IP into everything. WALT AND ROY ARE ROLLING IN THEIR GRAVES!!!!
Elaine Vogel says
I love the idea of more animals(Antonio’s room in Encanto?) but don’t understand the Indiana Jones thing. Put that in Hollywood Studios.
Dinosaur could be reimagined as a trip through the rain forest. Now that makes sense!
Debra Heusel says
Some kind of boat ride with all the beautiful waterways
Joi says
AK is my favorite park at Disney. I love the two walking trails to see animals from Africa and India, but have wanted them to expand to Australia. They could do a Rescuers Down Under theme, I know it’s an older movie but it is about poachers and could help educate people on the animals of Australia and the impact of poaching. Australian wildlife is unlike any in other parts of the world and I for one would love to see more of it and learn more about it
Jane Dew says
Encanto? Not more Woke rubbish. Let’s stop trying to fit into the agenda and work on it fitting into the park – Animal Kingdom!
Joseph Wasiluk says
The expansion should include Coco more so than Encanto
Judy says
Not excited. It took them 7 years to build tron. A new land will take decades lol.
Ken says
I 100% agree that the Animal Kingdom should be about animals. South and Central America have rich and diverse animal life that could and should be tied into Coco or Encanto. What I love most about the Animal Kingdom is when I am in either Africa or Asia, I actually feel as if I have been transported to theses continents. Dinoland has always felt like an afterthought, filled with carnival rides, and if is way past it’s sell date. Replace it with emphasis on animals and animal conservation as Joe Rhode intended.