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Credit: DisneyThere are some historical quirks that are nearly impossible for us to comprehend. For example, George Washington died without ever knowing that dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Washington died in 1799, and the first official classification of dinosaurs as extinct reptiles was not until 1820. Now, dinosaurs are about to go extinct again, this time at the Walt Disney World Resort, and a time will come when no one remembers that they were ever there.
The Walt Disney Company has a long history with dinosaurs. Everyone remembers the classic rides that Disney created for the 1964 World’s Fair: ‘it’s a small world,’ Carousel of Progress, and ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. But there was a fourth ride that didn’t make it into Disney’s parks, which included dinosaur animatronics.
The Ford Magic Skyway took guests on a ride in a Ford Mustang through history, starting with scenes with animatronic dinosaurs. After the World’s Fair, some of those dinosaurs were relocated to Disneyland to become a part of the Tomorrowland segment of the Disneyland Railroad.
At Disney World, dinosaurs made their debut in 1982 when EPCOT opened the Universe of Energy. The Universe of Energy was a 45-minute, multi-part attraction that included a dark ride section traveling through a familiar primeval world, allowing guests to see more dinosaurs.
The Universe of Energy closed in 2017 to make way for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. By then, it had transformed to bring Ellen DeGeneres in as the show’s star. But that would be the end of dinosaurs at EPCOT.
However, by then, Animal Kingdom had its own land dedicated to dinosaurs. DinoLand U.S.A. opened with the park in 1998 as one of its original lands, featuring Primeval Whirl, the Boneyard playground, and Countdown to Extinction, which would later become DINOSAUR.
Now, DinoLand U.S.A. has already gone extinct to make way for Animal Kingdom’s new Tropical Americas Land featuring Encanto. The last vestige of dinosaurs at Animal Kingdom is DINOSAUR, but its end is rapidly coming.
DINOSAUR will close on February 1, 2026, to make way for a new Indiana Jones ride. With the end of DINOSAUR, it’s also the end of Disney’s storied history with the extinct reptiles, sort of.
While technically, there won’t be any more dinosaur-related activities at Disney World after February, one dinosaur will remain in the parks. Gertie at Hollywood Studios will be the final survivor of Disney’s extinction-level event for dinosaurs in the park.
While Gertie isn’t an animatronic, it is still technically a dinosaur and a refreshment stop. When he disappears from Echo Lake, he’ll be the last of his kind.
So, if you’re looking for the former roamers of the Earth at Disney World, you’re going to have to look hard. Despite their long history in the parks, pretty soon, they’ll be extinct from Disney World, too.
What are your thoughts about Disney World removing dinosaurs from the parks? Let us know in the comments.