Theme Park Scope

We’re finally getting to the point where Disney’s newest Animal Kingdom land is beginning to look less like a massive construction site…

…and more like the Pueblo Esperanza we’ve been seeing in concept art!

Construction is moving quickly on Tropical Americas, the massive new land replacing DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

New aerial photos of the construction site give us one of our best looks yet at the transformation, including major progress on Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, El Carrusel de los Animalitos, and the land’s massive new quick-service restaurant.

And with Pueblo Esperanza scheduled to welcome its first visitors in 2027, some of the most recognizable pieces of the new land are now taking shape.

One of the biggest changes is happening at the former DINOSAUR attraction. The existing ride building remains in place, but the exterior is being transformed into the setting for Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent.

New aerial photos show the attraction’s massive temple façade becoming increasingly recognizable, with portions now sculpted and painted. Interestingly, some of that detailed temple work wasn’t actually created where we’re seeing it now.

Large sections were fabricated and themed backstage before being lifted into place by crane, allowing Disney to work on detailed pieces away from the active construction site before installing them onto the attraction. The result is already starting to resemble the temple Disney has shown in models and concept art for Pueblo Esperanza.

And we now know much more about what will be waiting on the other side of that façade. Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent will tell an original Indiana Jones story, rather than recreating one of the films.

Indy travels into a dry cenote inside an ancient Maya temple in search of archaeological knowledge. Local folklore, however, warns of a passage into the underworld protected by a giant mythical serpent known as the Tsukán.

Disney recently revealed that the Tsukán will be represented by a massive hand-sculpted Audio-Animatronics figure. The attraction will also feature Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronics modeled after Harrison Ford, marking the first time Ford’s likeness has been used for an Indiana Jones figure in a Disney theme park attraction.

So while the ride system and former DINOSAUR building may be familiar territory for longtime Animal Kingdom guests, the story and environment being constructed around them will be entirely different.

Across the construction site, the future home of Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto is becoming much easier to identify. A large steel structure is now rising in front of the area that will become the Madrigal family’s magical Casita.

From above, you can begin to understand the scale of the attraction, including the placement of its entrance and exit and new rockwork developing behind the structure.

Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto will be the first-ever Encanto attraction at a Disney theme park. The ride centers around Antonio and his magical ability to communicate with animals. Guests will enter Casita as the Madrigal family prepares for a celebration honoring Antonio’s gift, with more than 50 animals from the world of Encanto represented throughout the attraction.

Disney has also confirmed that several members of the movie’s original voice cast are returning. Stephanie Beatriz will reprise Mirabel, Jessica Darrow returns as Luisa, and Diane Guerrero will once again voice Isabela.

And this one should be accessible to a particularly wide range of Animal Kingdom visitors. Disney has confirmed Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto will have no height requirement, making it a family attraction that even the youngest guests can experience.

One of the easiest structures to pick out from the aerial photos is a large circular construction area. That’s the future home of El Carrusel de los Animalitos. Disney has built an original story around the attraction: a talented local woodcarver has created a collection of carousel animals representing creatures from Disney and Pixar stories. The finished carousel will feature 22 hand-carved animals.

Directly in front of it, another smaller circular structure is also visible. That will become a fountain marking the center of the village.

Together, the fountain and carousel should form one of Pueblo Esperanza’s primary gathering spaces, making this portion of the construction site particularly useful for understanding how the new land will eventually flow. This isn’t simply three attractions being dropped into the former DinoLand footprint.

Disney is building Pueblo Esperanza as a fictional, lived-in community inspired by the cultures and environments of Central America, South America, and parts of Mexico.

Imagineers traveled throughout the region during development, including research trips to Honduras and Colombia, studying architecture, materials, landscapes, culture, and artistic traditions that could inform the finished land.

For the Indiana Jones portion specifically, Imagineers worked with Maya artists connected to the archaeological site of Copán and researched the stone, carving techniques, and mythology of the region.

For Encanto, the team returned to Colombia and visited locations and communities connected to the research behind the original animated movie. Those influences should become increasingly noticeable as Pueblo Esperanza moves beyond structural construction and into its detailed finishing stages.

The attractions aren’t the only major structures rising. New aerial photos also provide a clearer look at construction on Pueblo Esperanza’s new quick-service restaurant. And it’s big!

Disney has previously described the location as one of the largest quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World, and the construction footprint helps put that scale into perspective. The restaurant is being designed around another major feature: a large hacienda that will become one of the land’s architectural anchors.

What Disney still hasn’t given us is the information we’re probably most curious about — the menu. No complete food and beverage lineup has been announced yet, so we’ll have to wait to see how the Tropical Americas inspiration carries over into the restaurant itself.

Disney has confirmed Tropical Americas and Pueblo Esperanza will begin welcoming guests in 2027, although an exact opening date has not yet been announced. The biggest difference with this latest construction update is that we’re no longer looking exclusively at demolition, foundations, and anonymous structural work. We can actually start identifying Pueblo Esperanza.

The Indiana Jones temple is gaining its finished appearance. Casita’s attraction is rising. The carousel and village fountain have clearly defined footprints. And the land’s huge new restaurant is taking shape.

There’s still plenty of work ahead before Tropical Americas opens in 2027, but Animal Kingdom’s newest land is finally starting to look like the place Disney has been promising.

Keep checking back with Theme Park Scope as we follow construction on Pueblo Esperanza and bring you the latest updates on Indiana Jones, Encanto, and everything new coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.