Change has arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and one of the park’s most recognizable attractions has now exited the stage.
DINOSAUR officially closed on February 1, 2026, ending decades of operation and signaling a major turning point in the park’s ongoing expansion. The closure is part of Disney’s larger plan to replace DinoLand U.S.A. with Tropical Americas, a new land inspired by Central and South American regions. In the days following the shutdown, construction walls have continued to spread, machinery has moved in, and guest traffic patterns have been altered as work accelerates. What was once a kitschy dinosaur-themed roadside area is now steadily being cleared away.
The attraction’s closure follows earlier changes that prepared the site for redevelopment. The Boneyard playground ceased operations on September 1, 2025, and with DINOSAUR now offline, no attractions remain open within the former DinoLand area. Disney has confirmed that DINOSAUR’s ride infrastructure will be reused rather than removed, becoming part of a future attraction.
Disney offered a preview of what’s coming late last year with scale models of its upcoming lands. The Animal Kingdom model depicts Tropical Americas as a richly landscaped area with winding walkways, layered greenery, and a central Pueblo Esperanza plaza centered around a fountain. A carousel attraction also appears in the plans, featuring hand-carved animals inspired by Disney characters.
The model further confirms the future of DINOSAUR’s footprint. The existing ride system will be transformed into a brand-new Indiana Jones attraction, designed as an original experience. Nearby, an Encanto attraction is positioned as the land’s centerpiece, accompanied by dining and entertainment locations that have yet to be fully revealed.
In its final days, DINOSAUR became one of the most sought-after experiences in the park. Wait times climbed past Flight of Passage, which typically claims the longest lines. On the attraction’s final day, guests waited up to four hours for one last journey. Actor Wallace Langham, who portrayed Dr. Grant Seeker, also joined guests for one of the final rides.
As excitement builds for what Tropical Americas will bring, discussions continue around Disney’s recent pattern of retiring long-running attractions, including Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. The conversation even caught the attention of Disney’s Orlando-area rival.
Universal Orlando Resort weighed in with a pointed message, posting:
Time to ride with a dinosaur.
Time to ride with a dinosaur. 😉 pic.twitter.com/35zvoZvwSe
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) February 2, 2026
The post appeared on X the day after DINOSAUR closed. Universal’s Islands of Adventure is home to several dinosaur-themed attractions tied to Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, including Jurassic Park River Adventure, Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Pteranodon Flyers, and the Raptor Encounter. With these experiences, Universal currently dominates the dinosaur attraction lineup in Central Florida.
Ongoing aerial photography continues to reveal progress across the construction site. Images taken in October show that the Encanto attraction has entered vertical construction, with steel supports, concrete foundations, and early framework in place. Large excavation areas suggest extensive ride scenes or technical elements. Additional photos confirm continued development at the carousel location.
Disney later shared its first official construction update for the Encanto attraction, confirming the project had gone vertical. Walt Disney Imagineering announced that the first steel beams were installed, marking the start of the show building that will house Animal Kingdom’s next major attraction.
More information about the Encanto attraction has also emerged. Filmmaker Jared Bush is collaborating directly with Imagineering and is writing original dialogue specifically for the ride. Instead of retelling the movie’s storyline, the attraction will feature new scenes and interactions with the Madrigal family created exclusively for the park.
With DINOSAUR now closed and demolition activity beginning, fans are reflecting on DinoLand U.S.A.’s intentionally unconventional roadside style, which contrasted sharply with the rest of Animal Kingdom for years. Meanwhile, focus has shifted firmly to the future as construction replaces concept art with physical structures.
A newly shared aerial video from @Bioreconstruct captures the current state of the project ahead of DINOSAUR’s closure.
Animal Kingdom has experienced major transformations before, including the arrival of Pandora—The World of Avatar, which reshaped the park and elevated it into a full-day experience. Tropical Americas appears poised to continue that evolution, introducing new attractions, immersive environments, and character-driven storytelling rooted in regional culture and nature.
As of early February, the dinosaur era of this section of the park has officially concluded. Beyond the construction walls, the next chapter of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is already taking shape.
How are you feeling about Animal Kingdom’s next chapter? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
