NEWS: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Expansion Just Hit a HUGE Milestone

Pueblo Esperanza in Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be replacing DinoLand U.S.A. and will feature Indiana Jones and Encanto.

Construction is already underway on this area, and Disney announced that it should be opening in 2027. We’ve been keeping an eye on all the progress and can’t wait to learn more about what’s to come from this new land. Disney Imagineering recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at the land’s progress, so let’s take a look!

Walt Disney Imagineering recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at the construction progress of Pueblo Esperanza, the Tropical Americas-themed land coming to Animal Kingdom in 2027. And, y’all, it’s a HUGE update: construction is officially going VERTICAL!

This means that the land has been cleared and prepared for Imagineers and crews to start working on constructing the actual buildings and elements that will be part of Pueblo Esperanza. Imagineer Jonny shared that this area is located behind what will be the dark ride inside La Familia Madrigal’s Casita, which is pretty exciting!

Here you can get an idea of where this area is located compared to the rest of the park — with Everest poking its peak up in the background.

This is a huge milestone in the construction process and hopefully means that things will start ramping up soon. Check out just how large the steel framing is! Make sure you keep an eye out the next time you’re in Animal Kingdom — you might just be able to see something looming on the horizon.

The Casita ride will be the first-ever Encanto-themed ride-through experience. Guests will enter the Madrigal Casita and join Antonio, who has just received his special gift—the ability to communicate with animals. Seems fitting for Animal Kingdom, right?

We also know that there will be an Indiana Jones-themed attraction taking over the Dinosaur building. It will likely be using the same ride vehicle and track but will have its own unique story and journey. So, this is not a cookie-cutter attraction from Adventureland in Disneyland, but guests will get to go with Indy on a unique expedition.

We’ll be on the lookout for even more Pueblo Esperanza updates from Animal Kingdom. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news and beyond.

What are you looking forward to most as part of the Animal Kingdom expansion? Let us know in the comments below.