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Credit: gardener41, FlickrA new permit has been filed for a Walt Disney World landmark.
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Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new permit pertaining to Animal Kingdom’s iconic Tree of Life. While permits are filed all the time at Walt Disney World Resort, this one is interesting for a number of reasons, mainly for the fact that it calls for “facility demolition.”
Filed yesterday, the new permit taps Whiting-Turner, a contractor Disney uses for large-scale projects. The permit lists both electrical work and general construction.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this new filing is that the permit is set to expire on December 30, 2025. Usually, these expiration dates are at least a year out, but this one ends in just a week.
As BlogMickey states, the permit bears a resemblance to one filed earlier this year, which also called for demolition. It’s unclear what the scope of the permit is precisely, but it’s certainly interesting given that a new attraction just opened up inside the Tree of Life.
For now, guests will have to wait and see what Disney has planned for the Tree of Life.
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Animal Kingdom is in the middle of some pretty big changes. Earlier this year, the park debuted its new 4D theater show, Zootopia: Better Zoogether. The new attraction, which replaced It’s Tough to Be a Bug, is located in the same space inside the Tree of Life.
Reactions to the new show are slightly mixed, though there’s no doubt it’s a big hit among younger guests.
The bigger news revolves around Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand U.S.A. The prehistoric land has been part of Animal Kingdom since the park opened in 1998, but it will soon go the way of the Dodo as Disney plans to transform the space completely.
DinoLand, including the land’s big “E-ticket” thrill ride DINOSAUR, will go extinct permanently in February 2026. In their place will come Tropical Americas, a new South American-inspired hub.
Tropical Americas will feature new rides, attractions, and experiences, including a family-friendly ride based on the hit movie Encanto. Disney plans to transform DINOSAUR into a new attraction themed to Indiana Jones. It’s assumed that the ride’s track and overall layout will be reused for the new attraction.
Animal Kingdom’s Tropical Americas is expected to open in 2027, along with several other large-scale Disney World projects such as Magic Kingdom’s Piston Peak and Hollywood Studios’ Monstropolis.
Are you excited for all of Animal Kingdom’s big changes?