Disney World Confirms Current Animal Kingdom Will Not Exist in One Month

The Walt Disney World Resort will look drastically different in one month, and there is nothing guests can do to stop it.

As 2025 gives way to 2026, the Orlando-based Walt Disney World Resort is entering its most transformational year yet. While this year saw the historic closures of staples like the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Muppet*Vision 3D in Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 2026 marks a bold transition for the Central Florida parks.

The largest construction project underway, however, is the dismantling of DinoLand U.S.A. and the introduction of the Tropical Americas-inspired Pueblo Esperanza area. Featuring signature attractions based on both the Encanto and Indiana Jones franchises, the Tropical Americas is slated to open in 2027–and Disney has already made progress.

This year has seen the closure of many DinoLand favorites, leaving just Restaurantosaurus and the beloved DINOSAUR attraction as the only standing components of the once robust area of Animal Kingdom. Recent closures included Dino-Bites Snacks and Trilo-Bites, as well as the permanent shutdown of The Boneyard.

DinoLand U.S.A. still stands in a way, but won’t for much longer. In one month, Disney Experiences–the branch of the Mouse House that manages parks, resorts, and cruises worldwide–will officially close the remaining locations, ending the current version of Animal Kingdom as fans know it.

The last day to grab a bite from Restaurantosaurus and ride DINOSAUR is February 1, 2026, with the permanent closure going into effect the day after, on February 2. From then, it is expected that the construction will expand from the Encanto site to DINOSAUR, where the latter will evolve into an Indiana Jones-themed ride. Disney has already confirmed that the Indiana Jones attraction will be unlike any other in the world.

As for the Encanto ride, Disney has already gone vertical with the project. The ride is expected to be based on Antonio Madrigal’s bedroom–the character, voiced by Ravi Cabot-Conyers in the sleeper hit Encanto (2021) movie, has the power to talk to animals, which will (hopefully) seamlessly fit in with the theme of the Disney park.

With the complete closure of DinoLand U.S.A. in just one month, the version of Animal Kingdom that guests have experienced for the last 27 years will be gone, changing the landscape of Disney World forever. DinoLand did, after all, open with the park in April 1998.

It truly is the end of an era.

How do you feel about this upcoming erasure? A step into the future or an erasure of history? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!