Disney Files New Permit for Animal Kingdom’s Tropical Americas Expansion
A new permit filed by Imagineering indicates that the Tropical Americas expansion of Animal Kingdom is greenlit and ready to start construction soon at Walt Disney world. This post covers details about the potential Indiana Jones, Encanto, and Coco land slated to replace Dino-Rama and the latest development.
Let’s start by clarifying what this expansion is and isn’t, since the blue sky daydreaming sessions have confused many Walt Disney World fans. To quickly recap, two years ago at the D23 Expo in California, Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro talked about the “what if” possibilities for Animal Kingdom, and showed off concept art for a Moana area to replace Dino-Rama and a Zootopia land beyond that.
Between the specificity in the art (it was not ‘impressionistic’ like a lot of Disney concept art where final details haven’t firmed up) and rumors at the time, a lot of fans believed this was very close to receiving the greenlight–including us! Then former Disney CEO and umbrella enthusiast Bob Chapek was fired and Bob Iger brought back.
Fast forward one year, and both Disney and Imagineering are ‘Under New Management.’ D’Amaro again takes the stage at Destination D23 in Florida, but this time under Iger and alongside newly-returned head Imagineer Bruce Vaughn. Here is where things get a little confusing, as they engaged in another blue sky session, but also made official announcements.
Let’s start with what’s really-for-real happening in Animal Kingdom. A new show based on Zootopia is being created for the Tree of Life theater. There’s been some confusion about whether this is a projection show on the outside of the Tree of Life, but it’s not–it’s a replacement for the “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” 3D show inside. The concept art should make that clear:
The concept for the new “Zootopia” experience has guests visiting the different biomes you only glimpse in the film, traveling along with Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and other characters.
I hesitate to read too much into the concept art, but it appears that a Officer Clawhauser Audio Animatronics figure will replace Hopper. This would made complete sense given both the concept art and that Imagineering already created an (adorable) Clawhauser AA for Shanghai Disneyland. There’s a good chance they made more than one.
Disney has not provided a date for when “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” will close or when the untitled Zootopia show will open. In fact, they haven’t said anything about this show since Destination D23. Our guess is that the current show will close late this year or early 2025, with the Zootopia show debuting in Summer 2025.
Bottom line: Zootopia show happening inside Tree of Life, all other specifics are speculative.
Then there’s the Dino-Rama replacement and expansion. On the officially announced side of the ledger, Disney has confirmed that Imagineering will transform this into a new land inspired by a region sometimes referred to as “Tropical Americas.”
As part of their research, Imagineers are looking at some of the most biodiverse areas on the planet in the regions just north and south of the equator in the Western Hemisphere–the northern part of South America, stretching up into Central America.
Now the unofficial part: under consideration for the Tropical Americas area are new experiences inspired by Encanto and the fan-favorite adventurer Indiana Jones. It also looks like the entrance and restaurant might be inspired by Coco, but that IP was not mentioned by name.
While on stage, Bruce Vaughn said the Tropical Americas land would feature “authentic experiences” from this area of the world, with placemaking and storytelling you’d expect from Animal Kingdom. “It’s a beautiful region to explore and has been the inspiration for so many magical stories over the years,” added Vaughn.
He also indicated that Imagineering had considered several options for Dino-Rama and Tropical Americas, but that Encanto and Indiana Jones “rose to the top” because they give Imagineering “so much to play with.” Vaughn also indicated that there’s “a long way to go and a lot more to discover, but our team in Florida is all over it.” All of that suggests Tropical Americas featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones is the plan for Dino-Rama.
At the time of Destination D23, we also advised that this is what’s happening. That it’s pretty much a done deal, but Disney just isn’t ready to confirm for a variety of reasons. With that said, even some official announcements from the 2017 and 2019 D23 Expos didn’t come to fruition, so nothing is truly a “done deal” until it opens. Bottom line: Tropical Americas has been officially announced for Animal Kingdom, mostly likely with Encanto and Indiana Jones–but those two IPs are not fully finalized. Coco seems to be in the mix, too.
This brings us to the latest development as of March 2024, which is that Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new permit with the South Florida Water Management District for Animal Kingdom, suggesting that major expansion is slated to start soon.
In essence, the permit outlines a plan to create a Walt Disney Imagineering staging area behind Kali River Rapids. This is NOT where construction will occur. Rather, it’s essentially a trailer park for on-site Imagineers that will include 5 temporary office buildings, plus 363 parking spaces and a new sidewalk with crosswalks down the entire stretch of roadway from the WDI trailer park to behind Dino-Rama.
The permit lists this as being for “Project RO” and the proposal itself for the “Project RO Trailer Compound” (or ROTC). It does not mention Tropical Americas or Dino-Rama, but between the sidewalk leading to the project site and prior announcements, the permit’s purpose is patently obvious. You can download the full 25-page permit file from the SFWMD government site here (warning: it’s 40MB and there’s nothing interesting beyond the images already posted here).
As a bit of color commentary and context, this type of trailer park and staging area is not uncommon for large-scale construction projects at Walt Disney World where Imagineering doesn’t already have backstage offices. Just going from memory, there were similar compounds created for New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom, Hyperion Wharf/Disney Springs, and Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom.
It’s the type of thing created when there’s a massive project, and not just a reimagining or even a single new attraction. The presence of this trailer compound is, itself, a good signal about the scale and scope of the Tropical Americas project. (And perhaps more that has yet to be announced…)
Equally as significant, it’s a possible signal that this is being led in-house by a Florida-based team of Imagineers. It caught my attention that Bruce Vaughn said this was being led by a team in Florida last year at Destination D23, but I wrote it off as something that could change or might just be a throwaway line for an audience in Florida.
However, a Florida-based team for this project makes sense. For one thing, even though the Lake Nona project was cancelled, some Imagineers had already relocated to Central Florida. They sold homes and upended their lives in California–and are still in Florida. For another thing, a lot of this type of work is project-based.
Universal Creative still has other projects up its sleeve after Epic Universe, but they’re nevertheless likely looking to downsize after that new park. Meanwhile, Imagineering needs to staff back up. So history will repeat itself and employees will bounce between the two creative organizations, yet again.
From my perspective, having more Florida-based projects for Walt Disney World is a great thing. While I love the history that Imagineering has in Glendale and it was heartbreaking to see that all unfold, the problem was the “how” of that. It was callous and cold, intended (at least in part) as a layoff in disguise. By contrast, Imagineering having strong presences in both California and Florida is a great thing.
This is an underappreciated win, and one I hope continues with all of the other expansion planned for Walt Disney World. Projects like this should be led by people who live in Florida, who can give it their undivided attention and aren’t just flying in from LAX every other week. Among other things, I’m looking forward to design by people who have firsthand experience with a thing known as “rain.”
I’m not going to rehash my commentary from the original announcement at last year’s Destination D23, much of which focused on why Animal Kingdom is Disney’s top priority right now. That’s worth reading if you question the decision to move forward with expansion at Animal Kingdom as opposed to Beyond Big Thunder at Magic Kingdom or potential projects at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
As also mentioned there, I love the idea of reimagining DINOSAUR into Indiana Jones Adventure. For those who are unaware, Dinosaur and Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland use the exact same ride system and even a very similar track layout. Despite this, Indiana Jones Adventure is substantially superior. It’s not even close. There’s also a version of Indiana Jones Adventure at Tokyo DisneySea, which iterated on issues with the original and streamlined the ride. Each have their own unique twists, and I’d expect that to continue with Indiana Jones Adventure at Animal Kingdom.
Honestly, this is one scenario where my dream approach involves Disney going the “fast and cheap” route and merging the worlds of dinosaurs and Indiana Jones–a best of both worlds attraction that could also be accomplished with a smaller budget and quicker turnaround time. While I’d still like to see this happen, I now have reason to believe it will not occur–that the changes from DINOSAUR to Indiana Jones Adventure are actually pretty significant.
Regardless, it’s safe to expect that the Tropical Americas project will open in phases, with the Indiana Jones side debuting before the Encanto side. I’d expect these to be the 2026 and 2027 tentpole additions at Walt Disney World. Hopefully those timelines are on the conservative side, and both projects are done faster. As demonstrated by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disney can build quickly when there’s a sense of urgency. Perhaps they finally have that.
When it comes to urgency, a positive here is the timing of this permit’s filing. This starting now suggests that Disney is ready to actually get to work. That could mean that, instead of announcing at the D23 Expo in August and then waiting another 6 months to actually put shovel-to-soil, Disney might start before actually announcing. Go the Universal route, for once. (Well, so long as you ignore the blue sky sessions from the last two years.)
It’s possible that the announcement will occur at Disney’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders on April 3, 2024. This is what I’d love to see happen. Animal Kingdom expansion has been the talk of two consecutive D23 events, and doing the same at a third–even if it’s finally for real and much more detailed–might be a bit much. However, I only think an announcement only happens at the shareholder meeting if Disney already has a sufficiently solid slate for the D23 Expo and wants to shift some of that earlier. (Basically, this being announced earlier would be a bullish sign for D23 Expo.)
For reference, I dug through the DTB archives to find the water permit dates for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT. Those were filed in mid-May 2017, with the D23 Expo being about 2 months later, in July 2017. Perhaps most critically, those permits opened the floodgates on the rumor mill, and both attractions were an open secret long before Disney officially announced them.
The gap between today and the 2024 D23 Expo is even longer, and it’s possible that Disney has learned from its mistake and will want to get out ahead of this news. Or perhaps not. Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure were first unveiled at the 2017 D23 Expo, and not teased for 2 years prior. The cat is already mostly outta the bag on Tropical Americas. It’s the specifics we don’t yet know.
However, the rumor mill is already kicking into overdrive, so I’d imagine a lot more becomes an open secret if an announcement isn’t made before the 2024 D23 Expo. (Seriously. If certain rumblings prove to be accurate, this trailer park will outlast the Tropical Americas project, as there are multiphase plans in motion for Animal Kingdom expansion.) It’ll be an interesting saga to watch unfold–we’ll keep you posted!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Excited that Imagineering has already filed permits for a trailer park behind DAK? Are you optimistic that this will usher in an era of expansion at Walt Disney World? What do you think of the Tropical Americas expansion announced for Animal Kingdom? What about the potential of Indiana Jones and Encanto in DAK? Excited or underwhelmed by the (possible) plan? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We’re really excited for an AK expansion which will hopefully correspond to an expansion of closing times. The park is so beautiful at night and there haven’t been enough dark hours on the slate in the last few years. And here’s hoping for more than just rides: an Encanto stage show would be awesome after AK did such an amazing job with the Nemo show. They’ve got a proven track record for excellent live entertainment.
And “umbrella enthusiast”? That is henceforth part of his official LinkedIn profile.
Great reporting as usual, however, I would like to see imagineering put more effort into ride reliability. Most of the new rides have a LOT of down time. Even an old ride like Buzz LightYear in MK is having issues. Put some money in reliability and I would be happy. I love the Dinosaur ride! I would hate to see it go. I get that it is not as expansive as IJ in DLR, but it still is cool.
Do you keep or have any stats on ride reliability such as % uptime?
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for making new lands, etc. With the amount of resort building (DVC and external) going on, there needs to be a place for all these people to go! The current parks are very crowded all year long. New lands and expanded parks are sorely needed.
Having just experienced the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland a few months ago, this will, in effect, add more ride capacity to Animal Kingdom. I haven’t been on DINOSAUR or even in that part of Animal Kingdom in a decade at least, and judging by the consistent 5 minute wait times, not many other people have either.
On the other hand, Indiana Jones is consistently one of the most popular rides at Disneyland, so a large percentage of guests will have one more ride to experience.
Also, Disney has a long history with South America going back to their extended trip in 1940.
You’ve hit the nail…95% on the head.
The only clarification I’d offer is that DINOSAUR does not have a consistent 5 minute wait. If it did, there would be no added capacity/improved utilization even if it did absorb crowds by virtue of longer lines (and thus take up more of a guest’s day).
Quite often, DINOSAUR is dispatching ride vehicles with open seats. If you go in the first or last ~2 hours of the day, this will likely be your experience. Heck, I have several on-ride photos from my Early Entry/rope drop runs with no one else in the ride vehicle with me. By contrast, Indiana Jones Adventure will be popular from park opening until closing. It’ll rival Pandora.
Not trying to nitpick, but rather, beating someone else to the punch who would. Because you’re right, for the most part! 🙂
Oh no, please don’t tell me Trilobytes will close. My favorite AK snack is there! The Buffalo Chicken Chips!!
8 rides in Animal Kingdom and 9 in Hollywood. I’m grateful to see that plans are in process as opposed to vague announcements to get fans excited. But they need to double the rides to even come close to reaching their full potential at these two half day parks with incredibly long wait times once rope drop is over.
I agree that both parks badly need more new, not reimagined, attractions. They could especially both use smaller-scale stuff that would round out a day (“a bug’s land” or something like it would be great at DAK).
With that said, I don’t think expecting double the number of rides is realistic…or necessary. It’s also setting yourself up for disappointment, as that’s not how Disney builds anymore. The focus is on marketable and monetizable additions, not the little stuff that rounds out a ride roster.
I demand sloths, tapirs, and jaguars!
Don’t forget capybara and chupacabra (they’re real).
One thing I hope they do in this re-imagining is figure out a way to keep the Boneyard play area. And Tom, before you shoot down my thought let me warn you – don’t be shocked when your kid is a little older and she thinks that is the best part of the whole park you have drag here out of it.
Shoot you down?! I have been eagerly awaiting an excuse to play in the Boneyard without being a weirdo. And right as I’m about to have the opportunity, it’s going to be snatched away from me?! That just seems cruel.
Based on the concept art, it doesn’t look like the Boneyard will survive. Honestly, that’s surprising to me. It seems like they could make that work with Indiana Jones. Paleontology seems “close enough” to me.
Tom,
You could have pretended to be a parent who LOST their kid in a bone yard. No kid necessary and a very believable story. I lost two kids in there and spent twenty minutes climbing around before I found them in the fossil pit.
I wish they would split Dinoland in two and do Latin Americas in the Dino-rama area and keep Dinosaur, the Boneyard, and Resturantosuarus the same.
Tom, what’s this little nugget you slipped in at the end regarding “certain rumblings” of “multiphase plans” for AK? I’m not surprised at the notion that even more may on the horizon for the park (it’s all necessary!), but curious as to what rumors you might have seen floating around? I know this blog doesn’t like to traffic in conjecture, but since you brought up the rumblings….
I’m teasing that because I’ve only had it teased to me, but supposedly there’s a proposal for a brand new attraction on another expansion pad. I’m not the only one who has heard this–there’s definitely something to it, but I’m still skeptical at this point.
It’s that time when concepts start receiving more attention internally, which means there are more rumors by virtue of more people knowing about potential projects. That doesn’t mean they’ll be greenlit, though. Just that they’re being analyzed (more than just blue sky).
I’m fine with the attractions having IP, but I really hope the theming of the Tropical Americas land itself is more realistic, like Asia and Africa.
I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan and getting a modern version of my favorite ride closer to home is amazing! I love Dinosaur but I agree with Tom about its wasted potential (half of the rise is in complete darkness).
Getting a new family friendly Encanto ride plus a Coco restaurant/experience plus a refurbished show in the Tree of life is exactly what AK needs. It’s such a gorgeous park! I’m really excited for the whole expansion !
I wonder if that was always the case (so much of ride in darkness)? I visited when it first opened (1998??) and recall the ride being so much better than I’ve found it on a more recent visit (2019, 2022). It’s so long ago though so I can’t identify whether it’s changed a ton. I’ve some vague recollection of it maybe having been made less kind of bouncy after initial time but not sure. I’ve read that other fans have identified a ton that is broken or in shadow or in “B mode,” though so maybe that has made it seem worse.
@Katherine
I know they changed some elements when they switched from Countdown to Extinction to DINOSAUR. I think they made the ride less scary, but I’m not exactly sure what those changes were. If they removed some scenes, it would explain the weird pitch black moments mid ride.
I think it would be great to have another animal trail also. But, maybe, it could also be a queue. So you are in line and you also get to see live animals. I really do like an immersive queue and Disney can do this very well.
Love the blog and generally agree with Tom’s perspective (and overall good taste) but I do NOT get the lack of love for Dinosaur (I also loved primeval whirl, so I think Tom and I are just going to agree to disagree on the whole Dino land situation). Anyway, I genuinely enjoy Dinosaur (both the conceit and the pre show, the ride itself is fine, I would say about on par with Indiana Jones)—but mostly we already have two Indiana Jones rides and I prefer variety. Indy among the dinosaurs would have been amazing—but sounds like it’s not meant to be.
I’m can’t excited about retheming a more unique ride into a cloned ride, but if it has unique elements I’m sure we’ll work it into our trips. If not, it will be one big line we can skip that hopefully decreases waits for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest for a year or two.
Encanto (and/or Coco) aren’t properties I’m familiar with, but I’ll approach them with an open mind and hope the ride(s) themselves are fun/innovative/educational.
I absolutely love dinosaurs (lowercase d) and think it’s practically criminal how Disney has done them dirty, so to speak.
But I think Dino-Rama is awful and DINOSAUR is a case of squandered potential. It has its moments, to be sure, but it could be so much better than it is. It still boggles my mind that they took Indiana Jones Adventure added dinosaurs (two unequivocally awesome things), and somehow produced a woefully inferior attraction.
I still think that Dinoland could’ve been something special had it not been hit so hard by budget cuts during the construction of Animal Kingdom. But it was, and at this point, Disney wants to integrate more IP. Since the land as it actually exists is weak, I’m on board with the changes. I still wish it were a dinosaur land, but I know that’s not gonna happen. So it’s either these sets of IP or some others, in which case, I’ll take these ones!
I like the plans that have been presented. Indiana Jones in Florida has been way too long overdue. I do not care much for the Dinosaur ride anymore. Most of my family just find it overly loud. I know people get upset, but Universal has Jurassic Park pretty much covered. Here’s to hoping we see this project complete by 2030. lol
My only gripe with the changing of Dinosaur to Indiana Jones is the usual, why can’t they leave a ride alone and add another?! I don’t care if it’s the same track, how many people would even realize that?
It’s Tough to be a Bug is another example, I don’t watch it but it is still a favorite for others.
HS was the worst example of tearing down and building new, vs keeping several of the people eating attractions and adding new builds.
It comes down to cost–not just the CapEx, but also OpEx. Labor is increasingly expensive, so Disney doesn’t want attractions that are “underutilized.”
With that said, I agree in the sense that DAK still needs more rides–pure capacity adds. But if all goes accordingly to plan, it’s also going to get that…
My biggest complaint with AK is that it’s desperate for a few more rides, and preferably a couple with no or low height restrictions. That said, I am enthusiastically in favor of swapping Dinosaur to Indiana Jones, and have been since about 20 seconds into my very first experience of Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland. Tom’s observation cannot be overstated – it’s inexplicable that one ride vehicle can produce two such drastically different experiences.
The Tropical Americas theme is just perfect and what is missing from AK. When they first discussed Moana being included years ago (?) as Blue Sky talk, it did not work for me. I love Moana and there is the tropical connection, but I feel like more of the South American vibe of Tropical Americas is what is missing.
For the first time in forever, I am optimistic to see what results and hope it does not get chopped to nothing in budget.
I like what I’m seeing from other readers here. Another animal trail would be great. Love the idea of Encanto, Indiana Jones and Coco (land of the dead) but think Disney should have a place for Dinosaurs. Even if it’s just a walk through with exciting animatronics. I remember seeing an exhibit like that somewhere and it was a lot of fun. Kids will always love dinosaurs and they grow up into parents/ grandparents who still like those lovable extinct reptiles.
The more new stuff the better.
That inspired me to think: Some sort of extinct land in Animal Kingdom would be pretty cool one day. I mean, think of all of the extinct creates you could include: dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, dodo birds, Tasmanian tigers, saber tooth tigers… and think of some really cool animatronics that could be involved! It would be hard to tie it all together, though. Like… if you want to have an attraction with wooly mammoths, can you put them in the same land as an attraction with dinosaurs? I’m not sure how they could make it work, but it would be a really amazing experience.
Very cool – AK definitely needs some love. My hope is an indiana jones ride , and a dark ride, maybe even a coaster similar to mine train- I can dream
I realize they won’t be a draw to most folks, and that they’re a maintenance heavy feature, but I do hope this new section of Animal Kingdom includes…animals. Real ones. Whether it’s a new trail or just an exhibit or two within the land, this would get me on board thematically with all of this!
100% agree with you about the animals! Would love something like Maharajah Jungle Trek. With sloths!
That was one of the big upsides to me with this announcement. Tropical Americas could be a great opportunity for a new animal trail. If they don’t add that, i’ll be very disappointed.
I was going to comment this very thing. Encanto is very light on animals in the movie (though they are there), but I hope this is a south/central American land (like Africa and Asia in the park) that just happens to have Encanto/Indy within it. Tom talks above about the labor expense of rides and I know animals are expensive. But they are what sets AK apart form any other theme park.
YES! Animals are the BEST part of Animal Kingdom!
Well, there goes the last hope for a new dino land. I still refuse to believe that dinosaur is something that today’s audience no longer find interesting, and believe that if they put in the effort a good dinosaur ride is more than plausible (just see what Universal Beijing has to offer). I feel sad that we’ve lost both the mystical and the extinct creatures featured on the AK sign, but understand that some update is needed for that area. At least it’s not a full on zootopia land.
Thanks for the update, Tom! I’m excited about the changes coming to AK. I hope Coco is weaved into the new area, but if not, Encanto and Indiana Jones still sound exciting.