If you’ve been eagerly awaiting updates on the future of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this weekend’s D23 event in Anaheim just delivered in a major way.
Inside the massive Walt Disney Imagineering: Horizons pavilion, Disney pulled back the curtain on its upcoming 11-acre Tropical Americas expansion, officially named Pueblo Esperanza, which is set to debut in 2027. Through detailed show-scene models, intricate Audio-Animatronics figures, and physical ride vehicles, fans are getting their first real, tangible look inside the land’s three brand-new attractions.
Reporting live from the show floor, theme park expert Tom Bricker of Disney Tourist Blog took an up-close look at the reveals and noted why this expansion carries so much weight for Walt Disney World.
“This project is the one that’s most necessary, as Animal Kingdom badly needs about a half-dozen new rides,” Bricker pointed out. “Three will have to suffice for now, but hopefully this is just the start of big plans to make DAK a full-day park for the average guests and not just super fans.”
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View this post on InstagramThe heart of the expansion centers around Pueblo Esperanza (“Village of Hope”), a lush town square featuring a central gathering fountain, a massive quick-service hacienda restaurant, and a working critter carousel repurposed from an old horse stable.
Beyond the village, guests will find the world’s very first dedicated Encanto ride-through dark ride. The story picks up right as young Antonio receives his magical gift of communicating with animals, transforming his bedroom into a vibrant rainforest. Disney showed off a detailed model set in the kitchen of the magical Madrigal Casita decorated for Antonio’s birthday, complete with animatronic models of a donkey, a toucan, and his capybara friend, Chispi. The ride vehicles are uniquely crafted out of living household furniture, featuring benches shaped like couches and chairs.
Related: A Beloved Disney Ride Is Nearing the End of Its 28-Year Run
As Bricker observed of the ride’s potential, “The Encanto Madrigal Casita dark ride has tremendous potential to be a great family-friendly dark ride, and everything we’ve heard has us optimistic. (It honestly doesn’t bother me in the least that this isn’t trackless–most guests won’t even know as the ride profile should be very dynamic.)”
Across the rainforest, thrill-seekers will find an all-new Indiana Jones Adventure attraction, which takes over the former DINOSAUR building. Rather than a direct copy of existing rides in California or Tokyo, this will feature an original storyline where Indy investigates a newly discovered, perfectly preserved Maya temple in search of a mythical creature.
“Ditto Indiana Jones Adventure, which is very promising both in story and ambition,” Bricker shared. “It should easily surpass DINOSAUR, which admittedly isn’t a high bar.”
As Bricker highlighted, Tropical Americas is currently “the project at Walt Disney World that’s furthest along” with a confirmed 2027 opening timeline, making this rich sneak peek a reassuring sign of the next chapter for Animal Kingdom.
Related: Disney Just Revealed Exciting New Details for Its First-Ever ‘Coco’ Ride—and We Are Officially Feeling ‘Un Poco Loco’
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