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Credit: Steven Miller, FlickrDisney has made some incredible progress on one of its more controversial projects.
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Disney World’s Tropical Americas project is full steam ahead, with parts of the land’s new Encanto ride going vertical earlier this month.
Avid theme park photographer Bioreconstruct snapped a few photos of the ongoing construction, revealing that major progress has been made regarding the new Encanto family ride.
Aerial photo of structural steel in progress for the show building of the Encanto ride in Animal Kingdom.
Steel being raised before most of the concrete floors have been cast.
Aerial photo of structural steel in progress for the show building of the Encanto ride in Animal Kingdom.
Steel being raised before most of the concrete floors have been cast. pic.twitter.com/EHyDao6USk— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) December 23, 2025
Aerial overview of the development of Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom.
Work begins in a few months to replace the Dinosaur ride with an Indiana Jones attraction.
Aerial overview of the development of Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom.
Work begins in a few months to replace the Dinosaur ride with an Indiana Jones attraction. pic.twitter.com/baFh6nYzpM— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) December 23, 2025
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Tropical Americas was formerly revealed during Disney’s D23 event last August. Several game-changing announcements were made throughout the night, including the new lands at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, Piston Peak and Monstropolis, as well as updates on several large-scale Disneyland projects.
However, for many fans, the most impactful segment of the show was DinoLand. Disney has teased the transformation of this prehistoric land for years, originally announcing that IPs like Zootopia and Moana would serve as the inspiration for a makeover.
However, these plans ultimately changed, leading to Disney’s big D23 announcement: DinoLand would be turning into a new area influenced by South American stylings and motifs.
The two big “E-ticket” attractions of Tropical Americas will be based on Indiana Jones and Encanto.
This project is both exciting and controversial to some fans. DinoLand has been a part of Animal Kingdom since its inception, and with the introduction of Tropical Americas, Disney World is bidding farewell to its dinosaurs.
DINOSAUR, the land’s big, thrilling, dark ride, will close permanently in February, along with the remaining parts of DinoLand.
Below is Disney’s official description of the upcoming Encanto ride:
Inside the Casita, Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest. The attraction will follow Antonio the day after he received his magical gift. It’s time to go explore alongside him, and you never know what member of the family you might bump into…
Work is ongoing across Walt Disney World on these upcoming new lands, with Tropical Americas, Piston Peak, and Monstropolis all rumored to open sometime in 2027.
Over the coming years, guests can expect each theme park to undergo extensive demolition, construction, and general upgrades, with certain rides, such as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, receiving complete makeovers.
Stay tuned here at Inside the Magic for all Walt Disney World news and updates.