Disney World Shares New Details & Concept Art for Carousel & Encanto Ride, But No Opening Dates.

Walt Disney World has announced the official name for the Encanto attraction and critter carousel coming to Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, while also revealing new details and more about these upcoming additions. This post covers everything discussed at D23, along with concept art, backstory, and everything we know about the plan. Plus quick commentary and our concern that maybe this project has slipped from 2027.

This Tropical Americas news was announced during the “Horizons: A Carousel of Progress” or Parks Panel presentation during the 2026 D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Imagineers Michael Hundgen and Chris Beatty revealed a treasure trove of details about the Encanto attraction coming to Animal Kingdom!

Joining the duo of Imagineers was Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation Studios Jared Bush, who also happens to be the writer and director of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto, took to the Honda Center stage, giving fans a preview into how this lively land is coming together, including brand new details about the story and inspiration behind the Encanto attraction.

Jared reflected on the events of last night’s Studios showcase, where a sensational slate of upcoming films was shared with an enthusiastic audience. When asked by actor Skylar Astin what it’s like bringing those movies to life in the form of theme park experiences, he fondly recalled a legacy that traces all the way back to Walt Disney’s original dream for Disneyland.

Walt wanted a place where films could be pulled from the screen and into the real world in a transformative, tangible way, and credits the new Encanto attraction as being a key part of this rich history. Seems like an, ahem, convenient anecdote to share by someone with no bias at all.

Anyway, here’s a rundown of the rides coming to Tropical Americas, and what was revealed about them during the D23 Parks Panel:

Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto

The first big reveal came with confirmation of the Encanto attraction’s official name: Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto. I’ve really gotta hand it to Walt Disney World for exercising restraint with all of the newly-unveiled ride titles. This isn’t what I would’ve picked, but it’s also not the completely obvious and descriptive choice, nor is it unnecessarily long and contrived. This works well!

Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto probably derives its name from the fact that the attraction invites guests to celebrate Antonio’s new gift, which is the ability to communicate with animals. And the heartwarming message of this adventure is that we are all part of the familia of living things, regardless of our special gifts or abilities.

Voice actors from Disney Animation’s Encanto return to Casita to lend their voices, including Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow, and Diane Guerrero, playing the roles of Mirabel, Luisa, and Isabella, respectively. A behind-the-scenes video of them recording was shared for the crowd, with Jessica explaining that “it’s sort of a perfect film to take all these colors and excitement out of and allow audiences to immerse themselves in it.”

There will be no height requirement for the Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, so it’s a fun family-friendly item to add to your Animal Kingdom itinerary. This is a win, albeit a completely expected one. Height requirements on family-friendly dark rides…what does NPH think this is, Universal?!

Jared shared that one of the most fun parts of working with Imagineers on this project has been to expand the world of Encanto as we know it by creating new parts of the Madrigal house you never see in the film. Since the attraction takes place on Antonio’s gift day, a sacred and special occasion for the family, riders are invited to Casita as part of a cheerful celebration.

When you enter the house, you’ll board a ride vehicle meant to represent the different pieces of furniture assembled by the power of Casita to carry you through the rooms. They feel lively and dynamic, reacting like characters themselves to the scenes unfolding around you, which feels so perfectly representative of what we felt from the film.

Jared showed a new rendering that details how you’ll move through the house, eventually ending upstairs in Antonio’s room. The space has been transformed into a verdant rainforest, overflowing with animal species of many shapes and sizes. In total, there are more than 50 animals represented inside the attraction, and we got to see a first glimpse at some of them in action, including a very cute capybara receiving a hair trim, along with a toucan and donkey.

Imagineer Joan Hartwig had previously given us an inside look at the research trip that the team had taken to Colombia, where they saw firsthand how certain colors, materials, and structures interact with things like climate, terrain, and the overall culture of the region. This mission of telling authentic stories with extreme care and attention to detail is present throughout the entire project process – we learned today that Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment Team to make sure all of the animals included in the attraction are accurate to Colombia.

El Carrusel de los Animalitos

New photos revealed during the presentation showed the progress on construction in the Tropical Americas land, with things starting to really take shape. One of the other attractions that guests of all ages can experience here is the beautiful animal-themed carousel, which was announced today as officially being called El Carrusel de los Animalitos.

Twenty-two figures of hand-carved animals from beloved Disney and Pixar stories will make up this relaxing ride, and you may have spotted some in the Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion on the show floor this weekend. El Carrusel de los Animalitos is a uniquely Animal Kingdom-inspired adaptation of a classic Disney attraction, with excellent attention to detail for what’s “only” a carousel.

As previously announced during D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in 2024, Tropical Americas is the newest land being built in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, celebrating the myths and magic of the rainforest.

In addition to Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto and El Carrusel de los Animalitos, an all-new Indiana Jones adventure called Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent will be a highlight of the land for guests who love a good adventure.

Final food and beverage plans are still being cooked up, but guests will enjoy eating at a large hacienda, which will be one of the largest quick-service restaurants in all of Walt Disney World Resort property. And we can of course expect some spots for souvenir shopping as well, along with a play area inspired by the Maya, where young explorers can unearth artifacts through hands-on play.

Is Tropical Americas Delayed?

Tropical Americas is the project at Walt Disney World that’s furthest along. It’s also the only expansion for either coast with a confirmed opening before the next D23 Expo, and possibly even Destination D23. Or so we thought?!

Unfortunately, Disney did not divulge an opening season during the Parks Panel. And, unless I missed it, they didn’t even reiterate the previously-announced 2027 opening year. When covering Indiana Jones Adventure, we remarked that this was probably meaningless. And hopefully that remains the case.

After publishing the Indiana Jones Adventure article, Disney revealed that Monstropolis will start opening in 2027. Just as we predicted earlier this week in Is Monstropolis On Track To Open Early in 2027 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?!

However, that was a two-part prediction and the second half of it was that the first half of Tropical Americas will also open around that same time. And that, collectively, the two pieces will more or less form one whole new land, and be the foundation for Cool Kids’ Summer 2027, or whatever the marketing campaign ends up being.

Even though other projects had their timelines reiterated, I’m still not overly concerned by Tropical Americas not having 2027 mentioned. Maybe it has been delayed, but I’d be very surprised if El Carrusel de los Animalitos cannot open sometime next year. Same likely goes for Indiana Jones Adventure. My guess is that Disney only felt the need to announce one timeline today, not wanting to overwhelm fans with details and have a lot get lost in the shuffle.

Assuming that to be true, maybe they’ll announce the Tropical Americas first phase opening season around the time that the Magic of Disney Animation opens, or perhaps during one of the ABC holiday specials. While I could absolutely see Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto slipping into 2028, I’m highly skeptical all three attractions do.

(See When Will Tropical Americas Open at Animal Kingdom? for further discussion. Our prediction is essentially that the first phase could debut as early as Summer 2027, with the second phase coming as late as Spring 2028.)

Ultimately, we’re really looking forward to Tropical Americas. For one thing, this project is the one that’s most necessary, as Animal Kingdom badly needs about a half-dozen new rides. Three will have to suffice for now, but hopefully this is just the start of big plans to make DAK a full-day park for the average guests and not just super fans.

For another thing, all of these concepts look fantastic. The Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto dark ride has tremendous potential to be a great family-friendly dark ride, and everything we’ve heard has us optimistic. It feels like a modern classic in the making, and the newly-revealed show scene sets high expectations for what we’re pretty sure is a tracked ride with a wide range of motion.

Even El Carrusel de los Animalitos and the ‘Village of Hope’ look like they should deliver a great central hub to the land. Tropical Americas reminds us a bit of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, and although it’s unlikely the attractions will rise to that level, it’s nevertheless nice to see that level of attention to detail and three rides that should be tremendous assets to Animal Kingdom. We can’t wait!

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Your Thoughts

What do you think of Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto and El Carrusel de los Animalitos? Good attraction names, or too difficult to remember and/or spell? Excited or underwhelmed by the new Tropical Americas details? 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!