Walt Disney Imagineering just gave us our most detailed look yet at the Encanto ride coming to Animal Kingdom, and between the scene models, the vehicles, and the animatronics on display at D23, there’s a lot to dig into here.
Let’s start with the big scene model, because it’s doing a lot of storytelling in one small package: it shows the kitchen of Casita, fully decorated for Antonio’s birthday party.
There’s colorful bunting strung from the ceiling, a table piled with presents, and (this is the fun part) animals tucked into nearly every corner of the scene. A pig and a donkey are hanging around the party, a bird’s perched right on the chandelier, and there’s even an animal hiding among the gifts on the table. It’s chaotic in the best, most Encanto way possible.
That focus on Antonio and his animal friends isn’t an accident, either. Disney had already hinted back in April that this ride would lean more into Antonio’s story and his magical connection to jungle creatures than it would retell the full plot of the film. Concept art shared at that time showed off a scene set in his jungle bedroom, and this new kitchen scene builds right on that same idea — this is Antonio’s ride, told through his eyes and his animals, rather than a full Encanto movie recap.
Now, about those ride vehicles! This might be my favorite detail out of everything shown. The vehicles are designed to look like household furniture brought to life, similar to how Casita itself is able to animate objects throughout the film. We’re talking vehicles styled after a piano and a dresser, with guests seated on benches designed to resemble couches or armchairs. Layout-wise, it’s two rows of four seats each, so this is shaping up to be a decent-capacity family ride. And thematically, it tracks perfectly: in the movie, the house brings furniture to life to help the family, so here, it’s essentially doing the same thing to carry guests through the story.
Then there are the animatronics, and honestly, these might be the most charming part of the whole reveal. Models on display included a donkey, a toucan, and a capybara. The toucan is shown perched right on top of the donkey, who’s hauling party supplies along for the ride…a nice little visual gag that fits the party setting. The capybara is a particularly fun reveal, too, since it’s confirmed to be Chispi, Antonio’s capybara friend from the film. Chispi isn’t just showing up in this ride, either — the same character is set to appear as one of the seats on the nearby Tropical Americas carousel, so fans will get more than one chance to ride alongside their favorite capybara.
Zooming out a bit: this Encanto ride is one piece of the larger Tropical Americas land, which is replacing the long-running DinoLand U.S.A. at Animal Kingdom and is currently set to open sometime in 2027. Between this ride, the carousel, and whatever else Imagineering has planned for the space, it’s clear Disney is building out a genuinely immersive, animal-packed corner of the park (which, for Animal Kingdom, feels like a pretty natural fit.)
We’ll keep tracking construction updates as Tropical Americas gets closer to opening, but based on everything shown at D23 so far, this is shaping up to be one of the more heartfelt, detail-rich additions to the park in a long time.
What are you most excited to see in the Encanto ride: the Casita party scene, the furniture-style vehicles, or riding alongside Chispi on the carousel? Let me know!
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