Crews are working quickly to turn DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom into a new Tropical Americas land. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been tracking progress on the new Encanto ride building. They’ve added concrete walls, additional steel beams, and more.
Encanto Ride Construction
Photographer @bioreconstruct shared an aerial view on X of the construction site, including the ride building.
In the above image is the remains of DinoLand and the Tropical Americas construction zones. On the right is the DINOSAUR show building. The ride will close next year to be reimagined into an Indiana Jones ride.
The buildings at the lower left are Restaurantosaurus. The small construction site in front of the restaurant is where The Boneyard used to be. Construction walls and a walkway separate that area from the larger construction zone that once housed Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama, including TriceraTop Spin.
At the back of the old carnival space, in what was formerly a backstage area, the Encanto show building is rising. Based on the concrete outline on the ground, about one third of the steel structure has been raised. Concrete flooring will be poured in the foundation later.
Bio’s photos give a better idea of the space than our pictures from the ground. The buildings at the top of the above photo are the old Dinosaur Treasures gift shop, which will be reused as part of the new land. The Encanto show building is set further back than the former edge of the land. Primeval Whirl was once located in the space just in front of the current steel structure.
There are squares of concrete in front of the steel structure. Concrete forms are in place next to some of these squares creating the final walls that outline the show building. More steel beams are staged right in front of the current vertical structure.
A rectangle of concrete walls and flooring is set deep into the ground near the front of the building site. We don’t yet know what this could be for.
The Encanto ride’s façade will be Casita, at the back of the fictional Pueblo Esperanza village.
Construction materials are staged in front of the Dinosaur Treasures buildings for work on the ride and village.
New Encanto Ride
The first-ever Encanto ride will take guests into Casita on the day Antonio gets his gift of speaking to animals. The ride vehicles will be furniture brought to life by the magical house. Guests will travel into Antonio’s jungle room and meet various Encanto characters.
The ride will go beyond the story of the film. The original Encanto cast is returning to record new dialogue.
The Pueblo Esperanza model is on display in Walt Disney Presents at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It includes Casita and the show building, with fake hills on its roof.
What do you think of all the progress so far? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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