Walt Disney World Resort has taken significant steps in transforming Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park as part of a major overhaul to one of its original areas. Over the past few months, Disney has been busy removing elements of DinoLand U.S.A. as part of the preparation for a new Tropical Americas-themed land set to take its place. Here’s the latest update on the ongoing changes.
At D23 Expo 2024, Disney announced plans to introduce a new area called Pueblo Esperanza to Animal Kingdom. This Tropical Americas-themed land will include new attractions inspired by Encanto (2021) and a reimagined version of the DINOSAUR ride, inspired by Indiana Jones.
In January 2025, much of DinoLand U.S.A. officially closed, including TriceraTop Spin, Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures, and Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama (home to the Fossil Fun Games). The area’s steel roller coaster, Primeval Whirl, had already shut down in 2020 and was disassembled shortly afterward. Since then, construction walls have been built around the area, and Disney Park guests have noticed significant changes, including the removal of the Cementosaurus, Dino Institute-themed billboards, and the TriceraTop Spin ride.
This week, a Disney Parks fan captured an aerial image of the ongoing changes at DinoLand U.S.A. The photos, shared by @Attractions on X (formerly known as Twitter), show the transformation of the area from January to July 2025.
Construction progress from January to July at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as workers transform DinoLand into the Tropical Americas, the future home of an “Encanto” ride.
More photos by @bioreconstruct: https://buff.ly/cVyWUG5
Construction progress from January to July at Disney's Animal Kingdom as workers transform DinoLand into the Tropical Americas, the future home of an "Encanto" ride.
More photos by @bioreconstruct: https://t.co/PNvOOzBLEk pic.twitter.com/rroB3ES53T
— Attractions Magazine (@Attractions) July 30, 2025
The photos indicate that while parts of DinoLand U.S.A. remain untouched—like the DINOSAUR building—the rest of the area has been completely cleared. The visible remnants of the rides and attractions have been removed, and construction equipment is now parked on the cleared land.
As of July 2025, all buildings, attractions, and structures in the closed-off sections of DinoLand U.S.A. are gone, leaving only dirt where rides once stood. However, while the area is completely cleared, construction on the new Pueblo Esperanza attractions has not yet begun.
Despite the ongoing changes, some parts of DinoLand U.S.A. remain open for guests. The Boneyard play area will close permanently on September 1, 2025, while DINOSAUR, Restaurantosaurus, and Trilo-Bites will remain open through the end of 2025.
Walt Disney World Resort has yet to announce a grand opening date for Pueblo Esperanza, though it’s expected to debut sometime in 2027.
Do you agree with Walt Disney World Resort’s decision to replace DinoLand U.S.A. with Pueblo Esperanza? Share your opinion with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
