Walt Disney World shared new Tropical Americas details for Disney’s Animal Kingdom on April 30, 2026, including fresh context for Pueblo Esperanza and the park’s first Encanto attraction.
The land is scheduled to open in 2027 and will bring Indiana Jones and Encanto experiences to the park’s former DinoLand U.S.A. area.
The update
Disney Parks Blog launched a new Tropical Americas update series with a post from Joan Hartwig, executive creative director for the project.
Hartwig said the new land will represent a region stretching from northern South America through Central America and into parts of Mexico. The land’s central town, Pueblo Esperanza, is designed as a lived-in community with its own history, culture, and natural setting.
The Encanto attraction
Disney also shared a new description for the Encanto attraction opening with the land in 2027.
Guests will be invited to celebrate Antonio’s new gift, the ability to talk to animals. Disney says the attraction will connect that story to the idea that everyone is part of the “familia” of all living things.
The research trips
Imagineers traveled to Honduras and Colombia while developing the land, according to Disney. In Honduras, the team met Maya artists connected to the Copán site and visited quarries tied to the region’s stonework.
In Colombia, the team visited places and communities that inspired Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto. Disney says those trips are shaping the land’s colors, materials, architecture, and climate-responsive design.
Shark Take
Tropical Americas keeps looking like the right kind of Animal Kingdom expansion: story-driven, but still grounded in real places and wildlife-adjacent themes. The Antonio detail matters because it gives the Encanto attraction a clear Animal Kingdom reason to exist, not just an IP reason.
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Source: Disney Parks Blog.
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