Entire Land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Is Closing: Here’s What to Know

Say it ain’t so! The news first hit in September 2023 that Dinoland, U.S.A., at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, was endangered, going extinct to make way for a brand new expansion of tropical-themed experiences.

Related: Guests Will Say Goodbye to an Original Classic Attraction at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

Changes Ahead for DinoLand

The Walt Disney World Resort theme park will be changing as we know it! Chester and Hester’s old stomping grounds at Dinoland, U.S.A., at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, will be removed to make way for what Disney is calling “The Tropical Americas” area of the park.

Dinoland has long been a favorite of Disney World guests since it first opened with the park on April 22, 1998. Fans of the prehistorically-themed land love the DINOSAUR! attraction, as well as TricerTop Spin, the Boneyard, and the previously closed Primeval Whirl attraction.

Encanto and Indiana Jones

New experiences inspired by Encanto and Indiana Jones are being considered for the reimagined Dinoland U.S.A. land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, per an announcement at Destination D23 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort held in September 2023.

Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Imagineering, shared the vision for a complete overhaul of Dinoland, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which would include the addition of magical new experiences inspired by Disney’s Encanto (2021) and the Indiana Jones film series. Both popular film franchises are the inspiration for new featured attractions as part of a total revamping of Dinoland, U.S.A. Check out the art rendering below:

Vaughn said they have a long way to go and much more to discover before they begin the process of overhauling the guest-favorite area at Disney World’s fourth theme park, but he says that Walt Disney Imagineering teams are up for the challenge in the Sunshine State.

The official announcement noted:

“During a special “Blue Sky” look with Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Imagineering Bruce Vaughn, Josh D’Amaro talked about plans to reimagine Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom… including a sneak peek at potential experience theming #DestinationD23″

During a special “Blue Sky” look with Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Imagineering Bruce Vaughn, Josh D’Amaro talked about plans to reimagine Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom… including a sneak peek at potential experience theming 👀 #DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/IM91h1lggx

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) September 9, 2023

When Will DinoLand Demolition Begin?

Much of Dinoland U.S.A. has already looked like a demolition zone since the destruction of Primeval Whirl in September 2021. The land is in need of a facelift, but just like other D23 news, Disney has remained quiet on when select projects will begin, including DinoLand’s reimagining.

More Changes Ahead

Not only will DinoLand U.S.A. experience changes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but the iconic Tree of Life will be home to a new attraction as well. Disney announced the Tree of Life’s “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” attraction will be replaced by a Zootopia-themed attraction.

Additionally, other changes were announced at September’s D23 event, including the reimagining of EPCOT’s Test Track attraction and a new, first-ever Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge coming to Magic Kingdom Park.

As always, we will continue to keep readers updated as we learn more about the future of memorable experiences.

Are you excited about these upcoming changes? Let us know in the comments! 

This post is originally appeared on Disney Dining.