Tropical Americas Won’t Have Live Animals, But New Art & Details of Indiana Jones Ride Look Promising

Following the Parks Panel at the 2026 D23 Expo, Walt Disney World and former Imagineer Joe Rohde have shared more about Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, revealing background details, new queue concept art, and a model of the Tsukán, the giant snake in the attraction. It’s also been confirmed that no live animals are planned for the Tropical Americas. Here’s a roundup of the latest news about the expansion.

Let’s start with the last point about no live animals, as this has been a common question from readers for the last couple of years. We’ve called wildlife the biggest wildcard for Tropical Americas, while also expressing doubt that animals would be included in the expansion based on site plans.

At risk of stating the obvious, animals are integral to Animal Kingdom, and a couple of trails and exhibits would go a long way towards appeasing fans and also just making Tropical Americas feel like a better fit. Obvious candidates are capybara and chupacabra, both of which are definitely real animals and not at all made up freaks of nature. Unfortunately, we now have fairly definitive confirmation from Disney Legend Joe Rohde that live animals are not in the plans.

When addressing a comment on Instagram about the lack of real animals revealed thus far for the area, which concluded that “without real animals, Tropical Americas can never reach its full potential at Animal Kingdom,” Rohde offered this response:

I agree that live animals are an important part of the park and that Tropical [Americas] would be better with live animals. But each opportunity for expansion also comes from a business opportunity. And in this case, the park needs rides for young people…preferably air-conditioned rides for a young people.

And so out of a total budget, which, let me remind you is a budget for a remodel not a virgin ground entirely built from scratch land, the driving business priorities have to be met… Because that’s where the deal comes from. However, I do believe animals are important, and I do believe that they should be included in the future when a business plan can be written for that effort.

While disappointing, I don’t think this is a complete shock to anyone. The site plans we’ve seen thanks to public filings are fairly detailed, and seemed to suggest no animal exhibits. Moreover, there hasn’t been much in the way of new wildlife enclosures at Animal Kingdom in the last decade or more.

Let me preface this by saying that I really would’ve loved to see a small capybara enclosure. Even that would’ve helped make Tropical Americas feel more organic to Animal Kingdom, and presumably wouldn’t have been overly expensive.

With that said, my potentially unpopular opinion is that, in a world where space and budgets are finite, I would rather see the limited resources of this “remodel” allocated to making Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent and Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto as good as they can possibly be.

This is also why I have conflicting feeling about fixing the Disco Yeti, which is something we only see for a fleeting second, and many guests don’t even realize is broken. On the one hand, it’s a great symbolic victory that clearly demonstrates show quality standards matter to new management. On the other hand, Animal Kingdom has bigger issues to address. Namely, the lack of real rides, especially ones aimed at young families.

We’ve been over the whole Nahtazu campaign on multiple occasions, perhaps most notably in Should You Skip Disney’s Animal Kingdom? The salient point is that the park still has an imbalance and skews too much towards “animal park” thanks to those exhibits as opposed to “theme park.” Disney could add a few more traditional theme park rides after Tropical Americas and the argument could still be made that it’s imbalanced towards the zoological side.

Part of the complaints about the lack of animals in Tropical Americas seem to revolve around the concerning precedent it sets. We’ve seen fans who are anxious that Animal Kingdom will never add another wildlife exhibit or will go a step further and gradually reduce its animal offerings. I don’t think these fears are unfounded.

At the same time, I do not share them. Just this summer, Walt Disney World made a significant investment in Jumpin’ Junction, which brought over a dozen kangaroos and wallabies as part of Bluey’s Wild World, replacing the Affection Section petting zoo. Previously, Otter Grotto received an ambitious overhaul.

There have also been multiple high-profile wildlife success stories at Animal Kingdom, from this year’s Masai giraffe calf to last year’s smash sensation, Bakso the tiger cub (who is big now!). These are big marketing initiatives for Walt Disney World, and often grab headlines beyond the theme parks sphere.

From what I understand, the company is also incredibly proud of its conservation efforts that revolve around Animal Kingdom. Further “invisible” investments continue to be made backstage on infrastructure and programs. I think we’d already be seeing less of all this if the goal were to scale back the animals in DAK.

While I’m inclined to agree that major new wildlife exhibits will not be an emphasis of Animal Kingdom expansion in the coming decade, I’m skeptical of any claims that the park will deemphasize the animals.

That sounds like a rejected Bob Chapek era pitch–and need I remind you that even Chapek had a soft spot for hippos! Suffice to say, I think way too much is being extrapolated from the plans for a redevelopment project with a limited footprint and budget.

Taking this to an even greater extreme, there have also been some ‘sky is falling’ hot takes about the end of animals at Animal Kingdom. With this, some fans have contended that Kilimanjaro Safaris will eventually close, as will other high-profile walk-throughs and more.

There are a number of reasons why this is a complete non-starter, from the sky-high popularity (and guest satisfaction scores) of Kilimanjaro Safaris to the wholesale restructuring and rebuild that would be necessary. It would essentially mean rebuilding over half the park and abandoning areas in plain view, at a cost (easily) exceeding what was just spent on the reimagined Disney Adventure World. But for a park that’s already very good–just light a few rides!

Here are additional updates on the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction coming to Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom. These follow the announcement of its official name and backstory, along with the reveal that Harrison Ford will portray Dr. Jones for the first time in a Disney Parks attraction…

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent

During the 2026 D23 Expo Parks Panel, Imagineers Michael Hundgen and Chris Beatty revealed a treasure trove of news about the new Indiana Jones Adventure attraction, including its official name:  Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. (So technically, not Indiana Jones Adventure at all!)

They shared that Imagineers were eager to blend the thrill of a classic Indiana Jones adventure with the rich cultural details that are quintessential to Animal Kingdom, a park that is dedicated to creatures both real and imagined. The attraction takes riders on a journey alongside Indy, beneath an ancient temple ruin, showcasing Maya culture and its profound connection to nature.

Michael and Chris shared that the temple entrance is being built as we speak, and gave a behind-the-scenes look at the stunning facade, which up until now we have only seen in renderings. Here’s a look that was shared on the show floor after the presentation:

Thanks to aerial construction photos, we’ve been watching the steel infrastructure for the temple rising over the last several months. Based on the above on-the-ground photo from Imagineering, it would seem that the prefabricated rebar “chip” method will once again be used, similar to a few years ago for Moana’s Journey of Water. If that’s any indication, we’d expect the temple to take shape pretty quickly at this stage.

The Imagineers continued to share that the project team remains dedicated to authentic storytelling, working closely with archaeologists, anthropologists, and Maya experts to ensure that every element is accurate for the region. There will be highly detailed and original Maya artwork found in the attraction, too.

Following the presentation, a new piece of concept art for the queue was added to the show floor:

It’ll be interesting to see how the queue is transformed from the Dino Institute to the inside of a mysterious temple. This is perhaps the biggest reimagining of the entire project, as the ride-through portions (presumably) contain more overlap.

During Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, you’ll rendezvous with Dr. Jones, who is in the midst of exploring this mysterious temple near a once water-filled underground cave, called a cenote. Local legend says the passageway leads directly to the Maya Underworld, and is protected by a serpentine creature: the Tsukán.

Michael and Chris shared that the adventure takes off when riders are unwittingly sucked through a portal to the Underworld, where they’ll have to escape perilous dangers, like monstrous bats, larger-than-life scorpions, fire and flame, and of course, snakes.

The Imagineers also revealed that you’ll encounter the Tsukán throughout Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, including a final climactic confrontation.

A first look at the gigantic Audio Animatronics figure was showcased at the Parks Panel, revealing how it completely towers over the Imagineers bringing it to life. Not only that, but the team is taking great care to sculpt the figure by hand, which will make it that much more life-like, and snake-fear-inducing, for guests.

Following the presentation, we got a look at this model on the show floor:

As you can see, the detailed Tsukán towers over the human scale reference figure standing at the base of the display. That person is roughly the size of the jaw of the creature, which could clearly devour us. That’s meant to underscore just what a dominating presence the finished Tsukán Audio Animatronics figure will pose.

The detail is also impressive. In order to achieve the desired realism, Imagineers are hand-sculpting the Tsukán’s Audio Animatronics figure as opposed to relying solely on digital fabrication. This is meant to make the gigantic snake appear more lifelike. It should be a night-and-day difference from the big snake in Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, which is a bit cheesy.

Similar to the Disneyland snake that occurs earlier in that attraction, it’s expected that the Tsukán will dart towards guests in a narrow escape during the climactic encounter. This is also similar to the finale scene of the defunct DINOSAUR attraction. We’d expect this to be similarly located, serving as a substitute for the boulder scene in other Indiana Jones Adventure attractions.

Also following the presentation, Joe Rohde offered his seal of approval for the attraction’s mythology and use of the Tsukán. As always, what he had to share was fascinating:

Back at D23 a week ago, I’m sure visitors to the Imagineering booth would’ve noticed the big jade-colored, serpent-like creature who will be featured in the new attraction, Indiana Jones and the myth of the Jade Serpent.

But what exactly is the myth of the Jade Serpent? Well, much like the myth of the yeti at Expedition Everest, it is not something the team made up. Like all Disney’s Animal Kingdom teams, Joan Hartwig’s team has done their homework. This “Jade Serpent” called Tsukan, is a real living, contemporary Maya myth, in exactly the same way that the yeti is a living Himalayan oral tradition. And like the yeti, this creature is another kind of environmental protector, defending the sanctity, purity, and fertility of the cenote, and the water contained within.

In the Mayan language, the idea of serpents, and the idea of heavenly things is sort of conflated because when spoken out loud, the original word for snake and heavens sounds almost identical. Kaan. So you will often see stylized snakes represented in Maya art, where no snake is intended. Instead the snake is supposed to represent the sky or the heavens in some way. The last image included here of the woman encircled by a snake is more or less symbolically the moon in the sky. As a matter of fact, if you look straight at the head of Tsukan you can see one of these heavenly serpents across its brow.

So, while there is, of course, the superficially humorous juxtaposition of Indiana Jones versus a giant snake, there is, as with everything at Animal Kingdom, much more to be learned, and a richer, more culturally, and environmentally relevant story to be told. so when the attraction finally opens, do not rush to be first in line, walk very slowly… looking closely at every detail.

Everything new Rohde reveals about Tropical Americas (well, minus the lack of live animals) has me more excited and enthusiastic for the addition. In the case of Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, it feels like we’ve been building to these details for over a year.

Last year, Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom Imagineers Attended ‘Maya at the Mouse’ with Joe Rohde. If I recall correctly, Coronado Springs hosted a similar conference this year. Rohde has shared sentiments before, albeit in a bit more cryptic form since specifics had not yet been announced about the attraction.

Rohde has repeatedly offered praise for Executive Creative Joan Hartwig and her team, and he’s been actively consulting on the Tropical Americas project. He also shared earlier this year that he had Pitched Tropical Americas for 15 Years as Dinoland Replacement, so it’s unsurprising that he’d be on board with the project.

If Joe Rohde managed to make the alien life of Avatar feel at home in Animal Kingdom, or at least “close enough” for most fans, I am completely confident that he and the rest of the project team can do an even better job with Tropical Americas. What it’ll lack in actual animals, it’ll make up for in cultural authenticity and mythology on par with Asia and Expedition Everest.

Tropical Americas Timeline

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. They didn’t even reiterate the previously-announced 2027 opening year. When covering Indiana Jones Adventure previously, we remarked that this was probably meaningless. And hopefully that remains the case.

However, Disney revealed that Monstropolis will start opening in 2027. Just as we predicted in Is Monstropolis On Track To Open Early in 2027 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?!

That was a two-part prediction and the second half of it was that the first half of Tropical Americas will also start opening around that same time. Collectively, the two pieces will more or less form one whole new land, and be the foundation for Cool Kids’ Summer 2027.

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 at D23, not wanting to overwhelm fans with details and have a lot get lost in the shuffle. It’s also possible that announcing that Tropical Americas will “start opening” in 2027, as opposed to fully debuting next year, would’ve been construed as negative news or a delay.

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. Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent sounds like a great twist on the classic ‘Adventure’ attraction with wow-moments, along with mythology and storytelling that’ll fit Animal Kingdom.

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 honestly doesn’t bother me in the least that this isn’t trackless–most guests won’t even know as the ride profile should be very dynamic.)

Even the critter carousel and ‘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

Disappointed about the lack of live animals in Tropical Americas, or did you expect that? What do you think of Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent? Impressed by the towering Tsukán’s Audio Animatronics figure? Excited or underwhelmed by the storyline? 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!