Tropical Americas Breaks Ground at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Construction Officially Begins

Jan 17, 2025 in "Tropical Americas"

Gallery / 1 Photo
Walt Disney Imagineering Ground Breaking Ceremony at Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom

Posted: Friday January 17, 2025 1:12pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney's Animal Kingdom has officially begun its transformation with a groundbreaking ceremony for the Tropical Americas expansion on January 17, 2025.

Walt Disney Imagineering Ground Breaking Ceremony at Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom

This milestone marks the official start of construction on the park's next big project, which will reimagine the former Dinoland U.S.A. into a new land celebrating the cultures and wildlife of Central and South America.

The groundbreaking event was attended by the Tropical Americas project team, including Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI).

What to Expect from Tropical Americas

The Tropical Americas expansion promises to be a significant addition to Disney's Animal Kingdom, featuring:

An Encanto-themed attraction: Guests will step inside the magical casita to celebrate Antonio's gift of communicating with animals, exploring the Madrigal family's extraordinary world
An Indiana Jones adventure: Set to replace the DINOSAUR attraction after it closes in early 2026, this thrilling ride will take guests on an archaeological journey through a newly discovered Maya temple.

The new land will also include themed dining, entertainment, and lush environments inspired by the natural beauty and cultural richness of the region.

Tropical Americas Concept Art

Construction Kicks Off

With construction walls already in place around the former Dino-Rama area, the groundbreaking marks the beginning of the physical transformation. Recent progress includes the removal of Dinosaur Treasures signage and the disassembly of TriceraTop Spin, clearing the way for site preparation.

Dino-Rama Walled Off - January 13, 2025

Timeline for Completion

The Tropical Americas expansion is projected to open in phases, with the full land expected to debut by 2027.

Stay tuned for more updates as construction progresses and the Tropical Americas expansion takes shape at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

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Sorcerer Mickey57 minutes ago

Good, because Encanto is the one that will actually happen.

meggo8192 hours ago

Except for “and” instead of “an” (an easy typo or autocorrect), it was fine. I followed 🤷‍♀️

Agent H5 hours ago

Thank you for clarifying I think there may have been a bit of a word jumble in your original post no offense of course I wasn’t trying to say Indiana Jones will be bad merely that I’m looking forward to the encanto ride more

TheCoasterNerd5 hours ago

I will give Indy credit in that it's a new story. Sure, it's based on the exsting DLR ride, but it's an original story not seen in any other rides/movies/tv shows/games

TheMaxRebo5 hours ago

I can try :) The ride system for Dinosaur will be reused for Indy and is the same as the Indy ride at Disneyland - which I found superior to Dinosaur and I am optimistic the Indy ride version at AK will be at least as good as the Disneyland version - meaning this will be an upgrade and a very good attraction ... but something that has been done before and similar to another existing ride Encanto will/should/could be something very unique and cool and of a very large scale and really stand out ... plus just the "unknown" of what it will actually be brings some more excitement to it. Guess the unknown is more exciting to me than a known quantity but both will be positive additions to the park

Agent H6 hours ago

I’m a little confused about what you’re saying mind clarifying?

TheMaxRebo6 hours ago

I am too - though I do think the existing Indy is a better version that what Dinosaur was so do view that as (potentially) and upgrade as well. But the Encanto ride could be really unique and "special" vs just a very good attraction

EagleScout6106 hours ago

New photos. More of the queue for Triceratop Spin has been demolished -

JackCH8 hours ago

I am too mainly because we really already know what the basic experience of Indy will be, Encanto will be completely new and therefore has a lot more "potential."

Agent H11 hours ago

I’m more excited for the encanto ride than the Indiana jones one

Stripes11 hours ago

Based on the plans, I estimated that the Encanto show building will be about 74,000 square feet. For context, the Haunted Mansion show building, another omnimover ride, is about 45,000 square feet. I’m sure Encanto will have a larger indoor queue than Haunted Mansion, but even with that in mind, this will be a fantastic addition to DAK.